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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

in thinking sainsburys did not explain properly re xmas beef?

179 replies

kitchensrus · 29/12/2021 22:03

I spent over £20 on a 30 days matured taste the difference beef joint for xmas day from sainsburys. My guests in their 80s had not eaten outside their home since pre covid so i wanted it to be nice and they preferred this to turkey.

There was no mention of any cooking instructions on the outer packaging. When i opened it on xmas day i found it had to be cooked in liquid and was not the roast I expected. Googling silverside i can see that all silverside is recommended to be cooked this way otherwise it is tough but i had no idea. All the silverside joints were mixed in the cabinet with rump joints as each was individually priced. I never even considered there would be a difference and as it was such an expensive joint I just presumed it was a a traditional roast. It was labelled "British beef silverside joint".

AIBU to think Sainsburys should have explained this on the packaging as surely I am not the only person who doesnt know this. I wouldnt normally have beef except for the visitors.

OP posts:
LadyMacbethWasMisunderstood · 29/12/2021 22:18

I have not had silverside since my grandmother cooked it many years ago. It’s a nice cut. But trickier to cook than some (though not cheap by any means, it’s less expensive than some other roasting cuts and does need a bit more “know how”).

Provided it was cheaply labelled, I really don’t think you should have expected cooking instructions on the outer packaging. Buying raw ingredients is unlike buying a ready meal. Of course not everyone knows how to cook everything. But it is easy these days to look such things up. I hope you still enjoyed your meal.

Original poster
kitchensrus · 29/12/2021 22:20

Most meat i buy in Sainsburys such as chicken says on it roasts in 90 minutes or similar. I didnt even know there were joints that had to be cooked in liquid! I have obviously not spent much time cooking roasts if everyone else knows this. It just never occurred to me that all the joints that looked the same wouldnt all be roasts.

I didnt expect to have to unwrap it to read instructions. Normally they are on the back of the packaging. If it had been anything unusual I would have checked the day before but I presumed a joint would just be popped in the oven.

I should have cooked it in liquid but my guests were expecting a roast and i felt pressure that it was their first meal out of their own home in 2 years!!

OP posts:
LadyMacbethWasMisunderstood · 29/12/2021 22:21

Sorry. I meant clearly labelled! Not cheaply!

Silvershroud · 29/12/2021 22:21

I wouldn't have known, but I also wouldn't have cared and just roasted it as usual with a joint.

Whattochoosenow · 29/12/2021 22:22

Silverside is quite nice roasted…

WorraLiberty · 29/12/2021 22:22

I wouldn't have known that to be honest OP, and we're roast dinner addicts here.

NoSquirrels · 29/12/2021 22:22

If you’re not a confident cook who does many joints of meat, look it up first and then make a plan.

WorraLiberty · 29/12/2021 22:23

Yeah, we've always just roasted silverside and it's always come out beautifully.

Lockheart · 29/12/2021 22:23

But you don't have to cook a silverside joint in liquid... You can, but you don't have to.

NoSquirrels · 29/12/2021 22:23

How did it taste when you roasted it? I assume not awful!

BillMasheen · 29/12/2021 22:23

But stewing steak is packaged the same as rump steak. And usually on the same bit of shelf.

You wouldn’t think they should be cooked the same way.

Butchyrestingface · 29/12/2021 22:24

It was labelled "British beef silverside joint".

Surely it WAS labelled? I don't understand...

CraftyGin · 29/12/2021 22:25

Brisket/silverside is also known as 'pot roast'. Delicious.

DeepaBeesKit · 29/12/2021 22:26

£20 isnt expensive for a beef roasting joint, it's cheap

Chloemol · 29/12/2021 22:26

YABU. It’s up to you to get the right cut. Check before you leave home

Original poster
kitchensrus · 29/12/2021 22:28

I roasted it but sadly it was inedible - my elderly relatives couldnt even cut through it.

Maybe if all Sainsburys other meats didnt have instructions on i wouldnt have got used to it but I am so used to just looking at overall time on the outside packaging to know when to get it out of the fridge.

Seems like everyone else knows that beef may not be for roasting even if all mixed in same cabinet. I had no idea at all so would never have thought to google it when shopping as i didnt even know it was a thing. I thought casserole/braising type beef would be a cheaper cut. This appeared to be the same price as the roasting beef. I didnt select it as the cheaper option.

OP posts:
NotSorry · 29/12/2021 22:29

I cook it as pot roast and do the rest of the roast as usual

gogohm · 29/12/2021 22:29

You can roast silverside, it's not tough if cooked properly - seal in a frying pan all over then cook 20 mins per 500g

Holothane · 29/12/2021 22:29

Slow cook it should be done for a few hours I did our crown like this no problem whatsoever..

CoffeeRunner · 29/12/2021 22:30

Hello Sainsburys?

I bought gammon but I wanted pork. What are you going to do about this?

See how stupid it sounds.

gogohm · 29/12/2021 22:30

Beef brisket also is better cooked in liquid as a pot roast

Ritasueandbobtoo9 · 29/12/2021 22:30

I had silverside my entire childhood, not once cooked in liquid, it is lovely just roasted????

gogohm · 29/12/2021 22:31

@Ritasueandbobtoo9

Me too. Top side was too expensive

hopeishere · 29/12/2021 22:32

Why didn't you follow the instructions? Confused

HighlandCowbag · 29/12/2021 22:32

Silverside is a roasting joint tho. How long did you cook it for?

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