Spicy coffee bison roast

I haven't cooked a roast in my oven for well over 3 months now. It's not that I haven't cooked a roast, because I've done a fair few of them. It's that I've been cooking them on my rotisserie. I really must say, for a family that fights equally over the crusty ends as over the tender rare middle, the rotisserie is a thing of beauty.  It creates the most beautiful, caramelized, all-over-deep-brown crust. The coffee in the marinade deepens the brown even more. Funnily, you can really taste the coffee in this, but somehow, combined with the browned meat, it tastes really, really nice. It takes on kind of a smoky flavour.- maybe that's just the grilling! This marinade is great for tenderizing meat, but if you are using bison, remember to keep it on the rare side of things - there's not much that can be done with overcooked bison. You could use this marinade and method just as easily with beef.

• 1 cup very strong, good coffee (we only use Lavazza in our house)
• 1/2 onion, chopped finely
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3-4 pound bison standing rib roast

Chuck everything in a ziploc bag, expel the air and seal it well. Roll it around between your hands and shake it well. Leave it to marinate in the fridge for 3 or 4 hours. About 2 hours before you want to cook, take it out of the fridge and let it continue to marinate at room temperature. Cook on a rotisserie or in a very hot oven (400F) until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part (away from the bone) reads 135 to 138. Allow to stand 10 minutes and then carve. Serve with roasted potatoes and corn salsa.

Comments

[Lydia]

Mouthwatering photo! How long did you actually cook the bison? I'm definitely going to try this with beef, which is easier to find at the farms here in rural northwest Rhode Island.

[lyn]

I think it was somewhere around 45 minutes. That would depend on the temp your rotisserie or oven gets to. I really recommend using a meat thermomenter for roasts. I get perfect meat every time I use mine. As long as you're good about checking it, there is no way to screw the roast up! I think you can even get digital ones now that have a little alarm that beeps when you get the the right temperature!

[Ellie]

:(
I'm avoiding caffiene under doctor's orders (not even tea or chocolate at the moment), but for some reason that's making me even more hungry for this dish! It looks so wonderfully delicious!