top rib of beef

[heartofgold]

i rarely roast beef, so am at a bit of a loss what to do with this and can't turn up much info online. am aware it's a different cut (tougher) than plain rib of beef, fella at the market said to roast it slow, covered, with liquid. can anyone give me an idea how long it should take? it weighs 1.5kg. i like steak medium rare and roast beef pink but not (too) bloody. is this a cut you'd cook all the way through or still serve it pink?

many tia if anyone can help.

Im not sure what top rib is - does he mean backrib? ie from above the shoulder. It can be tougher but not served rare only slightly pink. However I have had a bad experience with this cut and I would cook it like a slow roast/LMC/Chuck roast as its from the same area. I found the centre very tender (eye) but surrounding tough so not to risk ruining yr meal I would cook with small amount of red wine and make a very robust gravy for a sunday lunch. Do not dry roast.

thanks bacon.

it's this bit - apparently.

i did dry roast it in the end (didn't see your post!) following this advice, but in a hotter oven (was deeply sceptical about cooking on less than gas 1/2, so did it on 2 like the market guy said). i even raced out to get a meat thermometer to judge the doneness. tbh it prolly wasn't the wisest choice, there were a fair few ligaments, or whatever they are, that got in the way, although the bits inbetween were very tasty and melty soft.

it was a trial run for xmas - thinking of getting the nicer end of rib - and all in all it was reasonably successful. the thermometer was incredibly helpful and i think with a posher cut it would have worked beautifully.

on the up side saint delia came through with the yorkshire pud it was perfect and i'll be making the 8-person size (for 4 of us) next time

Ahh... glad it worked out ok. Because this cut (still a bit confused but think its around the "Blade cut" or "LMC") will be an area that is used hence the muscle will be tough.

Never dry cook or fast/high heat slower cuts. In general the best bits are along the top of the animal and these can be pink roasted.

Make sure your beef is matured well (min 21 days) and aim for longhorn/welsh black/hereford. You will have to pay a premium but the taste and texture is superior.

I'm a beef breeder (longhorn) and have sold beef direct. Cuts can vary between butchers too. I still experiment and can have very poor results against some hi-lights too.

was local welsh black so i got that bit right at least was on the rarer side of medium and the good bits were amazing, really soft, it was just fishing them out that got slightly messy.

appreciate the expert input, cheers.

Thanks from me too. I'm also doing rib of beef for Christmas, but can't practise because I'm cooking at PIL's as I don't have an oven. They are putting in the order with the butcher today so this is very helpful!