Roast beef - help for a novice please

[Pico2]

I've never cooked roast beef before, but fancy it as an alternative at Christmas. There will be 8-10 of us, but we will need turkey too (because DH and his mum are weird) and I will need to be able to cook the beef and turkey in the same oven, so not a huge amount of space available. So any hints please. Also, if I wasn't pushed for space, any hints for a standard roast beef?

I like it rare, if that makes any difference.

We're having beef this year.

Do you have a slow cooker as you can cook the beef in that?

If you intend to cook it in the oven beef is good as it rests for about an hour so you can time it so it's out before you need to put the roasties etc in the oven.

How about a turkey crown to save space?

Turkey can also rest for an hour. Cover with tinfoil and cover with a thick towel, and sit on a couple of teatowels (keeps heat in longer).

Wild idea - if space is short could you cook turkey earlier in the day, cool, slice, and warm up just before serving, ie after you've taken beef out you shove the sliced turkey back in..?

I second the slow cooker idea. I cooked a lovely joint of beef in mine on Saturday (8 of us) and it turned out beautifully. It would then leave the oven free for the turkey, roast potatoes etc.

We have a slow cooker. Wouldn't the beef turn out well done in a slow cooker? The turkey will be a crown.

We had a rib of beef a few years ago - it was cooked medium rare, cook it while the turkey is resting.

What cut of beef works in a slow cooker?

If it's a biggish rib joint I would cook it very low overnight then take it out to cook the turkey crown which won't take long. Try googling Heston recipes but I would think a 10 minute blast at 250 to brown outside (and kill off any bugs!) then turn oven down to 60 degrees and leave in until you put the turkey in. It will sit quite happily for 2/3 hours out of the oven with foil and a tea towel. Plus I prefer lukewarm, pink beef to hot, well done beef!

A meat thermometer is also extremely useful for checking fineness.

Not done this with rib yet but have done topside very successfully this way.

I'd do brisket in he slow cooker or shin of beef. Cheap, tougher cuts with lots of fat, have more flavour but need long slow cooking to tenderise them - they work fantastically well for slow cooking. No need to spend £££ just for the sake of it.