With Top blade low & slow the menu dedicated to Slow Cooking for the column “Building the Menu” concludes.
The American cut “Top Blade” or “Flat iron steak“, is the Italian cappello del prete, obtained from the section of the cattle corresponding to the shoulder, chuck in English, because it resembles the characteristic triangular shape of priests’ hats.
The main muscle of the cappello del prete is the infraspinatus, a very tender muscle, covered by a sheath of connective tissue called silver skin.
It is a meat that lends itself precisely to long, low-temperature cooking, until the central vein of connective tissue, which longitudinally divides the two flat muscles that characterize it, dissolves into gelatin.
The low & slow cooking, also called barbecuing, is a type of process that comes from the United States of America, meaning ‘(at) low and slow fire’, and refers to a type of BBQ cooking at low temperature and over an extended period.
Also called “indirect” the flame does not directly hit the food.
The typical characteristics of low and slow cooking are: the very low cooking temperature (from 203°F to 230°F) and smoking, given by the presence of wood smoke.
I accompanied the Top blade with Huevos rotos with chorizo a variant of the Spanish recipe:
- Difficulty: Medium
- Rest time: 2 Hours
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 8 people
- Cooking methods: Other, Grill, Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: American
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 4.4 lbs cappelo del prete
- as needed olive oil
- 3/4 cup beef stock
- 3/4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 3/4 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 1/2 tbsp butter (melted)
- 4 tbsp salt
- 2 tbsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 2 medium potatoes
- 2 eggs
- 1 onion
- chorizo
- as needed olive oil
- as needed salt
Tools
- 1 Barbecue smoker
- 1 injection syringe
- 1 Thermometer meat thermometer
- 1 butcher paper
- 1 smoker chips
Steps
• Trim the fat from the meat,
• Combine the ingredients for the injection and slightly warm them (microwave is fine) to melt the butter, mix well. The liquid should not be hot.
• Make several injections from the top, spaced 1-1.5 inches apart.• Cover the cappello del prete with plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours (better if overnight).
• Dry the cappello del prete and apply a thin layer of olive oil.
• Sprinkle the rub over the entire surface.• Set up the barbecue or smoker for indirect cooking.
• Light the barbecue and stabilize it at a temperature of 212°F.
• Place the cappello del prete on the grill, away from the heat source.• Insert the thermometer probe into the center of the thickest part.
• Place the wood for smoking on the embers or heat source.• Close the lid and cook for about 3 hours until a satisfactory bark forms, which does not come off when rubbed with fingers. (Smoking is generally done until an internal temperature of around 158°F is reached.)
• Wrap the cappello del prete with butcher paper or aluminum foil and place it back on the grill for indirect cooking.
• Use the thermometer again in the center of the meat, piercing the butcher paper.
• Continue cooking until the center reaches 198°F.
• Remove from the barbecue. Place the meat package in an insulated container and wait at least 2 hours until the temperature drops to 158°F.• Reduce the accumulated juices in the package over high heat in a saucepan, until they slightly thicken, to obtain a sauce.
• Remove the cappello del prete from the package, place on a cutting board and cut into wide, thick slices.• Drizzle the slices with the sauce and serve.
Peel and slice the potatoes into very thin rounds, rinse them, dry them well, and fry them in a pan where the oil is very hot.
Drain them and blot excess oil with paper towels.
In a pan, brown the chorizo cut into small pieces.
Sauté the onion in the same oil.
Remove the onion and crack the egg into the same pan (season with salt).
Mix the potatoes with the egg and the chorizo.
To deepen your understanding of cooking Low & Slow there are dedicated texts.
To best cut the meat, you need an suitable knife, like the one in the photo.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Does Cappello del prete have other names?
Yes, in many regions of Italy it is called paletta, precisely for its flat and elongated shape.
In Northern Italy fesone di spalla, in central Italy it is polpa di spalla.
In some Southern regions it can be called scorza di spalla, paliciata, copertura di spalla, spallone, piano di spalla.What other cuts correspond to Top Blade?
In England it is Feather blade or Oyster blade, often braised in beer.
For France the Paleron, used for boeuf bourguignonne, or braised in red wine.
Argentina: the Marucha or Tapa de paleta, roasted and grilled whole.
In Brazil the Raquete, slightly spiced before being grilled.What types of meat are usually cooked with the low and slow method?
Very large cuts of meat, thicker than 1 inch, and meats very rich in water.
The low and slow cooking is perfect for tough cuts, for those rich in connective tissue, such as the classic ribs, the pork shoulder, the brisket.
In this way, you can enhance cuts that would otherwise be too tough to eat rare or with normal cooking.
