Why did my roast beef turn out like literal card board please

[RoasBeefCardboard]

Topside with a layer of fat, I did it on 200 for 15 mins, I also browned it.
Then 160 for the rest of the time under foil.

It was hard, like card board and incredibly dry. I don't normally have beef and this was appalling and not cheap either.

How long was the rest of the time, what temp and what weight was the beef?

How long was the rest of the time under foil? 200 may have been too hot, especially if you're using fan.

I would cook topside at 180 (or 160 fan) for 40 mins a kilo + 20 minutes under foil at the end. You could probably up that by a bit as I like it a bit pink.

If you buy an internal temp probe, you can judge when the food is done more accurately than by time. The times on the packets often to lead to overcooking your meat.

Have you tried cooking it in the slow cooker with stock, veg etc in the water? Always get good results when I cook like that. I often find only larger joints cook well in the oven.
You could try frying pan to brown off the outside then cook on a lower heat - leave a good 20-30 mins to rest

Topside is one of the tougher cuts. It’s best served lightly pink.

I would guess it was overcooked.

You don’t usually brown a beef joint in a pan and cook it at a high temperature for the first 15 mins, it’s one or the other.

Did you calculate the time correctly?

Were you aiming for well done? Well done beef is much tougher than rare. Different cuts are at their best at different levels of rareness. Topside is better pink.

Did you baste the joint?

Did you rest the joint for 15 mins before carving?

You can try adding a couple of teaspoons of water or wine to the foil after browning.

It’s a lot easier to get beef right with a meat thermometer.

Beef is very expensive and I have noticed that the quality of “cheaper” (but still bloody expensive) cuts has really declined. Veins of gristle and fat, rolled joints with the grain running the wrong way for carving so the texture is wrong, uneven joints so one end is overcooked and the other undercooked, or very long, thin joints so they overcook if you follow the instructions.

I usually do 20 mins at 200 deg then 15 mins per 500 g at 160 deg - all uncovered. Mind you I like it very rare. I also use a digital thermometer and take it out when it reaches 45-50 deg.

Sounds like you overcooked it unfortunately

www.riverford.co.uk/recipes/beef-roasting-guide

alot depends on the cut and where the beef came from - topside for supermarket with a slab of fat strapped to it is very different to butcher prepared meat for e,g, I have found supermarket beef to be appalling quality of late. But yes as others have said, baste then into a lower temp oven and keep testing/checking and serve pink

Topside is hard to make nice because it is tough and not very tasty as it has no fat.

Take it out of fridge a good hour before you cook it then I'd brown it then maybe 15-20 minutes in oven tops. Wrap in foil and leave for at least half an hour.

It needs to be rare to be good.

It was 1.23 kg.

I did 15 mins 200 fan and then foil hour 160.

I did blast it for a further 15 mins at the end because it looked too bloody..

You probably needed to braise it and then cook for twice as long in a pot on the hob.

@FestiveAuntFanny

What joint shoud I get

Topside is tough, either needs to be pot roasted (with some onions/stock/wine) or else very slowly roasted at a low temp for a long time.

The way you cooked it is more appropriate for sirloin but you would want to make sure you have a temperature probe as it’s expensive and overcooking it is upsetting!!

@RB68 what cut would you suggest for proper roast beef.

I did say to the meat counter I'm not used to beef and it cost 26 🍖!! It was supposed to be a treat...

What joint you should get really depends on what you like and what your budget is?

I find beef quite tricky to cook.
Maybe do a steak next time and slice it up to share?
I find them easier to judge cooking wise.
A beef joint like that often has tough bits even if expensive. Probably best done in slow cooker

IMO you have to spend a LOT of money for a good beef joint, like £40+, which is insane. So I go for slow cooking cuts, like beef shin or just get a good steak. 2 of us often share one if it's decent sized.

I always buy sainsburys taste the difference rump joint for a roast and cook it for less time than the packet says. It's really nice when a bit pink and still nice even without being pink.

You browned it twice and blasted it for an extra 15 mins on top of the cooking time for well done! 😂

You need to rest the beef for 15-30 minutes after cooking. It will continue cooking from the residual heat while it rests so it will not be “done” when it comes out of the oven.

Rib is good for roast beef. It should be evenly marbled with fat throughout. The fat melts and runs out, leaving you with a tender and juicy joint.

If I'm cooking beef I get a joint of brisket, stick it in the slow cooker on low for about 7 hours with a little bit of stock and some chopped onion. Leaves the oven free for roasties and Yorkshire puddings (and my DIL says it's better than her mum's, which I count a triumph!)

Unfortunately you over cooked it a fair bit.

1.23kg topside - even going medium to well if you don’t like it too rare I would have oiled, seasoned and sealed in in a scalding hot pan for 3-5min then into a pre heated oven at 180 for 1hr 25min (we like medium rare so same temp but 1hr 10min) - no need to blast the heat.

Remove from the oven, cover with foil and rest for 20min before carving.

1.23 kg is less than 3lb, which isn't a particularly big joint.

The old advice for beef was 15 minutes per lb plus 15 minutes over, so the cooking time should have only been around an hour or so.

You cooked it for too long and dried it out.

For classic roast beef, just roasted in the oven, pink in the middle and brown round the edges, I always get rolled rib. It is an expensive treat. Other options are rib on the bone or sirloin (also both eyewateringly expensive). Stuff sold in supermarkets for roasting - topside especially - in my experience is always tough and has to be cooked just so and carved wafer thin to get away with being roasted, and even then I’d rather have chicken.

Braised, slow cooked topside can be lovely, but I wouldn't call it a roast.

I use a meat thermometer; about 20 mins blasting hot to get the outside browned or I sear it in a pan on the hob, then the rest of the time at a much lower temp - often 140 - until it’s cooked to rare on my thermometer, then out for a good rest while the yorkshires cook.

Beef is always better undercooked, so you want it a little bloody. Finish it off for those who like well cooked meat by sizzling cut slices quickly in a dry frying pan.

Or reverse sear. Cook it for an hour at a low temperature, and then turn up the heat for 10 minutes at the end. Then rest it.

And a thermo-probe is a worthwhile investment.

Beef properly cooked will seem bloody. You need to rest it. About 40 minutes under tented foil. It will continue to cook a bit and firm up. If you cook it till it looks “right” you have gone too far. It needs to rest so it isn’t tough and bloody. As it rests it becomes more succulent and less bloody.