Is your Roast Beef nice? Please give me your advice

[changednameagain1234]

Hi

I buy topside (is this where I am going wrong?). Sear it, roast it at 180 fan oven for 55 minutes (1.1kg).

I then cover it and put it in the top oven to keep warm for about an hour while I do the roasties and ypuds.

It is always chewy!! I would love to be able to cook lovely tender beef that doesn’t give everyone jaw ache from chewing!

Please help me 🤞🏻

I always cook mine in the slow cooker and it's like butter every time unless the meat itself is poor quality. I just bung it in with a bit of water and seasoning and cook it on low for 6 or 7 hours. The juices make lovely gravy.

Are you carving it the correct way (against the grain)?

I do mine in the slow cooker. Sitting on chunks of onion, bit of thyme, bit of red wine and beef stock. On low for about 7 hours.

How do you like it done?

topside should be alright, it’s not the most tender but it shouldn’t need stewing or slow cooking.

I don’t sear, I take it out of the fridge a few hours before cooking so it’s at room temperature when it goes into the oven. It goes in at 250 for the first 20 minutes to crisp up the outside then I turn down to 180 for the remainder. A 1.1kg I’d put in for about 40 minutes in a fan oven total depending on shape. Then it needs to rest for half the cooking time, but I wouldn’t put it in an oven for that, just on the side.

You can experiment with trivet, veg, foil etc but that’s how I’d do it.

Mmm, I'd give it 20 minutes at around 220 (fan oven) and then reduce down to 170 for 40 minutes and then rest for at least 40. I did that last week and it was a perfect medium rare for us.

Are you bringing the meat to room temperature before cooking?

I dont sear it. I always give it a really hot oven, 240 for 20mins then turn down to 180 for about 40 - 50 depending on size. After that, rest it out of the oven on a board, covered for upto an hour. It's still cooking with residual temperature.
Invest in a meat thermometer, the internal temp should be 65° for medium.

I did topside recently. Seared it then put it in roasting tray on a bed of vegetables (carrots onions garlic) then poured over 500ml of beef stock and cooked at 130c for about 4 hours

it was lovely and soft but I would have added more stock if I did it again because it had all evaporated by the end

Despite what the supermarkets label it, topside isn't really a good roasting joint. You need sirloin or rib, for example. So you're not doing anything wrong. You can pot roast topside but I've had success with slow roasting joints like this. There are lots of instructions if you do an internet search but, basically, roast it on a low temperature in your oven for much longer. For a while it does look like it isn't cooking but it will. To do this, it is helpful to have a temperature probe - they're about £5 or so on Amazon, etc. Roast the meat until it reaches the required temperature you want (rare, medium, well done) then let rest for a while.

Is there a reason it’s resting for an hour in a warm oven? Does it continue cooking in the residual heat?
If you have to do the Yorkshires and roast potatoes separately from the meat, I’d do those first. Easier to reliably reheat compared to meat.
I like roast potatoes cooked in the roasting tray with the beef.

I only buy Sirloin when doing beef, it’s the only one IMO that you can cook medium or medium rare and it’s soft, juicy and melt in the mouth.

Sadly there’s about £20+ difference between a joint of Sirloin and a Topside of a similar size.

I cook beef about twice a year and once is at Christmas due to the cost of decent beef.

Topside or silverside I find the best for roasting. I spent many Sundays of trial and error when I first got married trying to get it tender, foolishly I followed a recipe!

I put mine in a roasting bag with some butter or oil so it cooks in it's own juice (cut a corner in the top to let the air out) then I can pour the juice out for the gravy.
I work on 20 minutes per pound on 180 deg Fan oven. I do it longer and slower than any recipe says, my joint of topside on Christmas day was about 4kg (just over 8lbs) so heated up the oven and popped it in for roughly 3 hours.

I use a skewer to test if it is cooked through. If it is ready early then you can put it to keep warm somewhere else. It should be taken out and rested before you cut it up as it continues cooking and getting more tender.

Slow and low is the key.

We use boneless rib. Sear the outside and then cook in a low oven until the internal temperature is 50°. Wrap in foil and leave to rest whilst cooking potatoes, veg and making hot gravy. Plates heated to 60° then add beef, veg et al and cover in the hot gravy. Perfect rare roast beef.

Get an oven thermometer - I like rare beef so cook until 50 degrees. Some like it higher. Trial and error til you find the temperature you like.

Big joints are much easier to cook.

Sear it, baste in butter herbs etc.

Put on a trivet of carrot, onion celery

160° for 45 minutes
This for 1 kilo

Remove onto a cold plate and rest under foil until needed

Use the veg for gravy in the pan.

Perfectly pink and not chewy

I generally do a rib or sirloin roast though recently my local shop has started doing a Pichana cut that because of the high fat content is so juicy. The very odd time Id do a topside or house keepers if it was on special I’d cook it low and slow in a roasting bag. I’d put it in screaming hot pre heated oven turned down to 160 as soon as beef goes in and cook for 3.5 to 4hrs. The beef is so tender it’s falling apart

And I’d eat sirloin or rib pink but something like a topside I prefer well done. I think it’s a cut that’s better off cooked low and slow

Make sure it's at room temperature before putting it in the oven. Use a temperature probe thingy to check temperature but remember it will continue to cook once you remove it from oven so look for a lower temperature than what you're aiming for. It can rest on the side for ages under foil/ a clean towel while you do other stuff. I definitely wouldn't be keeping it in the oven. Hot plates and hot gravy.

... but I usually do a wing rib.

I sear it and then it's 80°C overnight (6-8 hours) then rest it for at least another hour- carve & serve!

we only have it for very special occasions and usually buy a good quality from local butchers

With lamb and beef joints, I think they either need to be cooked slow and long, or until medium-rare.

Choose a cut with fat marbled throughout. Not enough fat makes it quite dry.

Don't worry about searing, it doesn't make enough difference.

I take it out the any wrapping the day before, generously salt every side, then put back into the fridge in an open container.

On the day, take it out an hour before coming, so it can reach room temperature.

I roast it on a bed of onions, carrots, celery etc.

Then either cook at 200c until it reaches the right temperature for your preference. Use a meat thermometer.

Or cook it very slow and long, and then it'll fall apart.

Then, rest at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before serving.

TBH I'd rather not use topside or silverside, particularly from supermarkets <looking at you Sainsbury’s>

When I do beef I buy from the butchers, typically rib. It's a very infrequent luxury.

On Sundays I tend to go with pork, chicken or lamb breast which I stuff.

Thank you all so much for the advice.

Slow and long isn’t an option as we always eat at lunchtime on a Sunday.

Why is it important to let the meat come to room temperature? Does that make a big difference because I never do.

So many ideas, I don’t know which one to go for

The juices inside the meat can't react when it's fridge cold. Room temperature will help it be juicy. And then resting out of the oven after cooking allows the juice to be reabsorbed.

I use the BBC Food roast calculator (medium) and it’s always turned out perfect.

If you’re eating at 12/1pm then pop the beef in at 7:30/8am. That gives you time to also let it rest before cutting. You can could have it seasoned and prepped and in the fridge. Tbh it you can’t do that Id choose a different cut of beef like rib or sirloin and cook to a medium