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Roast Beef
Appears in
Published 1983
- Beef should be well hung to improve the flavour and make the meat more tender. There is no way to recognize this in raw meat – find a good butcher and rely on him.
- Colour is not important, beef just tends to darken when cut. Look for marbling – the tiny rivulets of fat open up the meat and baste it while cooking. Scotch beef has very good marbling.
- Cuts from the forequarter of the animal are cheaper and need longer, slower cooking than those from the rear quarters, which include the best grilling and roasting cuts.
- The best cuts for roasting are sirloin, ribs and topside in that order. Look for a layer of fat on a joint for roasting, then beef will baste naturally. A joint weighing over 3lb (1.4kg) will roast better.
- Let a chilled joint stand at room temperature for 1–2 hours before cooking. Prick the fat all over with fork and rub in salt for a crisp brown crust. Set the joint in the roasting tin, fat side up, and put a spoonful of flour on the tin directly under the roast and you’ll find it absorbs fat and sediments during roasting to provide a delicious thickener for gravy afterwards.
- Start beef in an oven heated to 425°F (220°C) or gas no. 7 for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 375°F (190°C) or gas no. 5 for the rest of the cooking time. Allow 15 minutes per 1lb (450g) for rare or 20 minutes per 1lb (450g) for medium. For a boned and rolled joint, allow 25 minutes per 1lb (450g).
- For complete accuracy use a meat thermometer to test the internal temperature. Push thermometer into a lean part and not touching any bone. When thermometer reading shows 150°F (65°C), meat is rare, and at 160°F (70°C), it is medium.
- Let roast joint stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before carving so juices settle and meat carves better. If joint is for serving cold leave meat to cool at room temperature.
- Roast beef is best with gravy, Yorkshire pudding and horseradish sauce. Cold roast beef is delicious with soured cream horseradish sauce.