Grilled Roast with Brown Sugar Rub

The warm weather has the BBQ as our main mode of cooking supper most days of the week. Everything is better with grill marks on it! Well almost everything. I haven't been brave enough to try grilled caesar salad but it is on my list to cook. Have you ever grilled romaine and served a warm version of caesar salad? Part of me turns up my nose at the thought of lettuce on a BBQ but another part wants to give it a try!

As per usual May has turned our house into a bit of a gong show with weird work hours, field meals and calving cows changing well laid plans. But it is also one of our favourite times of the year! There's just something special about newborn calves and freshly emerged crops that never gets old.

As fun as May is it also makes celebrating Mother's Day a bit...difficult. We do our best to take some time off and cook a special dinner for Nora but sometimes doing so on the Sunday just doesn't work.

Even though Mother's Day didn't start with breakfast in bed for Nora and a day full of pampering and devoid of work, we were able to sit down to a family dinner with a grilled roast as our main dish. This is a favourite at our house during the summer months and we usually use a tri tip or sirloin tip roast but it's also good with a round roast - just remember that round is a leaner cut so it can dry out quickly if overcooked.

The brown sugar rub is full of flavour and everyone loves the bark it makes on the outside of the roast - the end pieces are the first ones to go from the platter if they make it to the table and past the quality control phase of slicing and serving! If I'm using a sirloin tip or a round roast I cut the roast in half lengthwise to get two thinner roasts. This cuts down on the cook time and increases the amount of the brown sugar bark that is on each piece of roast. That's what I call a win win! If you like more heat, add more chili powder or some red pepper flakes.

I always use my meat thermometer when cooking a roast. Always. It pays for itself over and over again since it safe guards against over done meat and allows you to monitor your roast without opening the BBQ to check (losing all the heat and making supper later). If you don't have one I'd strongly recommend investing in one. Investing a strong word - you can pick these up for a pretty good price. And when you try a brisket next (yum) you'll find it really makes the process so much easier.

When your roast reaches an internal temperature of 145°F (medium well) pull from the grill and cover with tented foil to rest for 15 minutes. Slice against the grain and serve!

Note: I usually marinate my roasts with a steak seasoning for 2-3 days in the fridge before cooking. Sometimes I am organized to do this, sometimes I'm not. Either way this roast turns out great. Just make sure it is completely thawed and pulled from the fridge an hour before cooking to bring to room temperature. Marinating for a few days really does add to it!