Smoked Eye of the Ribeye Roast with Fire-Roasted Shallots

Directions

Roast

1. One hour before smoking, place the wood chips in a container and cover with water to soak.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and top with a cooling rack.
3. Cut the roast in half where the meat begins to taper. Season all sides of the roast generously with salt. Place the roasts on the rack and refrigerate for 45 minutes. You want to smoke the meat when it is cold.
4. Remove the grill grate (you do not want to heat the rack) and set up a fire with hardwood lump charcoal for indirect cooking. When ready, most coals will be covered gray ash with some glowing red embers.  Cover the grill and close the vents by 3/4.
5. To cold smoke, the temperature of the grill should be about 200˚F. If your grill does not have a thermometer use a portable oven thermometer to check the temperature. Place the grate on the grill and place the 2 pieces of meat over the cool side of the grill.  Lift a handful of the wet chips and distribute them over the hot coals. Repeat with a second handful. Continue adding 2 handfuls of chips at 15 minutes and 30 minutes. At 30 minutes turn the meat to the other side. At 45 minutes shut the vents and continue to smoke for 15 minutes. After the meat has smoked for 1 hour, remove roasts from the grill.
6. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 300˚F.
7. The internal temperature of the roast should be about 65 to 70˚F. If the temperature is a bit lower or higher, don’t worry, it just may mean you spend more or less time in the oven.
8. Put the larger piece of roast on the rack and place into the oven. Leave the smaller piece at room temperature.
9. After the larger piece has cooked for 20 minutes, add the smaller piece to the rack and continue to cook both pieces for about an hour. Using an instant read thermometer, check the internal temperature of both roasts to gauge how much longer they will need to roast. Remove each roast when the center reaches an internal temperature of about 122 to 124˚F, about 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours total cooking in the oven.
10. Let the roasts rest at room temperature for about 20 minutes before carving.
11. Check you fire and add more hardwood as necessary for a hot fire to cook the shallots.

Roasted Shallots

1. Pierce each shallot a few times on all sides with the tip of a paring knife. Put in a mixing bowl and add the vinegars, oil, pepper and 2 teaspoons kosher salt. Add the thyme sprigs and toss well so that the liquid will permeate the shallots.
2. The shallots will be cooked in 2 aluminum foil packets. Cut 4 pieces of foil about 12 by 16 inches each. Lay a double layer of the foil on the work surface. Arrange half the shallots in a single layer in the center of the foil. Lay half the thyme sprigs, 3 garlic cloves and 2 pats of butter on the shallots. Fold up the sides of the foil to make a boat and pour half the liquid from the bowl into each packet.
3. Bring the 2 long sides of foil up and fold them over a couple of times to make a tight seal. Roll in the two short sides for a completely tight packet. Repeat to make the second packet.
4. Place over hot coals and cook for about 20 minutes until the shallots are tender and caramelized on the bottom. Serve the caramelized shallots with the roast.