Oven broken - cooking beef

[IAmKerplunk]

So my oven is not working properly (of course this close to Christmas!) Can’t afford to buy a new one this side of Christmas. One ring works to do veg. Oven heats enough to keep food warm. I have a slow cooker and 2 air fryers (1 which is 9l 1 drawer and 1 which is 8l 2 drawers) I can get my head round doing the sides - that’s not a problem. We are having turkey and beef meat wise. The beef is the one I am unsure about. Slow cooker or airfryer? What kind of joint? Any other tips? M
Many thanks 🙏🏼

Air fryer !!

Aw now you are having me waver against the SC! 🙈
If I did it in the airfryer how long for and what would I need to add?

Sirloin, topside or silverside for roast beef. I’d sear it in a pan and then cook it really quite briefly in the air cooker and then rest for as long as possible. You want it to reach 60 degrees for medium and a meat thermometer is your best bet to check it. If you sear it first (you can rub some oil, dried time and a little mustard powder on it), I’d then whack it in the air fryer at 170/180 for 35 minutes. If not searing then preheat the air greyer and do it at 220 for 10 minutes first.

Make sure to get the meat out the fridge and up to room temp for 30-60 minutes before you cook it. Rest it for as long as you cook it for.

What size joint is that for your timings?

Definitely slow cook the beef. Do it the day before, keep the lovely meaty stock for your gravy and carve when cool, it’ll slice easier and go further too. And it’ll free up space elsewhere.
Good luck and have a fabulous time!

That’s for about 1.3/1.5kg. Should be enough with turkey.

Beef is very, very easy to over cook. Be brave!

I can’t help you with this as mine has one of the probes so does it all for me 🤣

If it’s brisket you’ve got you’ll probably want to slow cook it though.

I haven’t got any beef joint yet - getting it over the weekend 😩

Current thinking is beef in the airfryer for Christmas Day and then beef in the slow cooker for NYE 🙈 or maybe that’s just greedy but I really want beef this Christmas! 😂

I'm sure it’ll be lovely whatever you cook. I bloody love beef, medium rare with yorkies and mashed potatoes….drool!

Ooh yes! I can literally taste it and am so excited for it!

So, next question please experts. Due to shit oven have had to do ready frozen Yorkshires. But I really want home cooked ones where the size is not conventional and they just blow up! Is that realistic in an airfryer?

Please no debate on whether Yorkshires belong on a Christmas dinner because they absolutely do 👩🏽‍⚖️ 😂

You can do them, heat the oil really well on max crisp and then turn the temp down to 180/190 and cook them for 12-15 minutes. Do it in a metal or glass dish, foil will get blown about.

I just buy the M&S or Waitrose fresh yorkies and they are really pretty good.

Thinking about it I don’t have anything with individual ‘holes’ for Yorkshires that will fit in the airfryer so that’s a non starter

If you have a Pyrex or similar that fits in your airfryer, just do giant Yorkies. More space to fill them with cheese sauce and gravy that way 😀

Can't give you any advice, but you have my sympathies.

Our fridge/freezer packed up about three days before Xmas. Luckily it was the winter of 2010 which was exceptionally cold and we had snow on the ground for a month. Meats/cheeses were put in ice box in the snow, and everything else was placed in boxes/bags on top.

My sister cooks all her joints in a slow cooker, and they come out beautifully.

It always happens at Christmas doesn’t it! A few years ago my dishwasher and washing machine went at the same time before Christmas. Then the year I broke my oven by kneeling it on days before Christmas 🙈 then a couple years ago my dad told me his friend was selling 2 sofas and would I like to buy them - yes please! Got photos, took measurements so knew would fit. Had council collect my existing sofas. Only for my dad to tell me had photographed and measured the wrong sofas 😩 so we had no seating in the lounge the week before Christmas! It’s become a standing joke in our family. Every November - what is going to break next month? 😂

Brisket or another cheap cut works really well in the slow cooker

You can definitely cook roast beef that slices in the slow cooker, I always do it this way now. Topside/regular roasting joint rather than brisket which will shred. This recipe is foolproof: argh it won't let me paste the link but it's slowcookerclub.com 'Slow Cooker Roast Beef'.

@IAmKerplunk

I think as you like beef on the rarer side I'd use an air fryer. The slow cooker is better from long, slow cooking, do no pink.
I found this link, not tried it as not actually owning an air fryer, but I feel this would work

https://theairfryerkitchen.com/air-fryer-roast-beef/#recipe

The yorkshires I would put in a tray or dish that fits the fryer and cut into portions.

Slow cooker!
Rub the joint in a mix of a teaspoon of wholegrain mustard, mustard powder and garlic and rosemary.
Pop some carrot and onion in along the bottom of the slowcooker, joint on top and then pour beef stock over. Pop on high for four hours or low for eight. This is my go to for cooking beef and it's amazing.

Re the homemade Yorkshire puddings do you have a local farm shop? Ours sells homemade ones that have been frozen and you just warm at home. About 50p each. They won’t be as good as fresh but I must admit they do look pretty good?

Beef in the slow cooker works great

I’ve bought a 1.8kg top rump joint if that makes any difference to slow cooker v airfryer?

I’ve decided against homemade Yorkshires 😩 and have bought Sainsbury’s fresh ones instead

I would have bought a rib of beef and cooked it in the frying pan so you can get it cooked how you like it. Not very helpful sorry. Don't know what shape the top rump is so can't say whether that technique would work.

As an aside, DH always wants to do a post-sear beef rib which means the oven has to be on low. Impossible to get the Yorkshire's and roast potatoes right!