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Roast beef?

Begonia

Begonia

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Feb 2, 2011
Messages
3,654
I've never cooked roast beef in my life, and haven’t eaten it in 30 years...long story.

My lads would like to try roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, and I’m willing to give it a try cooking one.
What kind of roast/cut of meat do I buy? Any tips on cooking it?

I’d like to do the whole deal: meat, gravy, spuds, veg, Yorkshire’s...

I’d sure appreciate some tips!
 
Look up Alton Brown's Good Eats. He did a great show on how to do a roast. Everything from picking a cut to how to cook. (Awesome show!)
 
BEEF:
Most important--- Buy the best joint of beef you can afford. I prefer a prime rib roast.
I've found the Serious Eats 'reverse sear' method to roasting beef (longer roasting time at low temp) to work very well for me. The great thing about this method is that you roast the beef for a long period at low temp for a long time, then you let it rest a while before searing it (or blasting it at high temp) for a short time right before you serve it. This means that you can control your time better as you can cook the beef 90% ahead of time and set it aside while you do other stuff, then just sear it to get the crispy/brown exterior when you want to serve it (sort of like the timing for sous vide meat). (This is completely the opposite of most conventional recipes which have you blast the meat first at high temp then lower the heat and cook for a shorter time.)
http://www.seriouseats.com/2009/12/the-food-lab-how-to-cook-roast-a-perfect-prime-rib.html

SPUDS:
The Serious Eats recipe for roast potatoes also works, as does Jamie Oliver's. I like to use chicken or duck fat if I have it, but regular veg oil works fine.
(the most important thing to get crispy spuds is to parboil the potatoes first and then shake them up so they have rough surfaces)
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2016/12/the-best-roast-potatoes-ever-recipe.html
https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/perfect-roast-potatoes/

YORKIES:
I use this Yorkie recipe (has never failed me, I also use it for toad-in-the-hole).
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/9020/best-yorkshire-puddings

GRAVY:
Use pan drippings and add a bit of a stock cube/gravy granules (I traditionally like Oxo/Bisto for roasts but you can use whichever brand you prefer). Add some shallots and red wine if you want to get fancy.
PS... You can never have enough gravy!!
Oh and also I like bread sauce with my beef even though it's traditional for roast chicken. :razz:

VEG:
I dislike boiled carrots and peas etc for a Sunday roast...but it is traditional, I suppose. I'd rather do
Jamie Oliver's dinner lady carrots recipe as it reminds me of UK boarding school dinners so if you want to go traditional, you could consider trying it out: http://www.delish.com/cooking/a826/jamie-oliver-dinner-lady-carrots-recipe/
Otherwise, do whatever veg you feel like. I like cauliflower cheese or petit pois with mint.
 
Last edited:
Which cut? Depends!
Super tender, super lean, very rich is tenderloin.
Highly flavored, tender is rib roast.
Tender, more lean (but not tenderloin lean) is New York Strip.
Other possible too depending on what you are after. Cross rib roast, London broil, tri-tip, etc are all good depending on what you want to do.

My favorite all-purpose roast is the New York. Works for most things (others are better for some recipes, but this one is versatile).
 
I second mochiko's recommendations!
We have been doing Prime Rib and tenderloins using Serious Eats method with huge success.
And the advantage is you can let it rest (up to 90 minutes) while getting the sides ready, plus no resting after the final 8 minute sear. No more guessing when the roast will be ready!

I also used this method on a very lean, inexpensive cut of beef---and it came out beautifully. The only thing I did differently is that I browned some butter in a saucepan, added thinly sliced (on diagonal) shallots and poured that on top of the meat prior to browning under the broiler. This helped keep it moist and it browned very quickly so it would not get overdone.

I am going to try those roasted potatoes---look fabulous!

I make notes on my printed out recipes or in my cookbooks so I have a record or cooking times. That way I have a rough idea how much time to allow depending on how much my roast weighs.
 
I'm with Mochiko.. prime rib.. Yorkshire pudding is a toughie for me after cooking for 47 years I still can't get it right... I love prime rib.. Happy Holidays to you and your lads!
 
Ooooo lots of great info!!

Thanks for taking the time to help me out everyone, particularly mochiko!
 
Ribs for me too, and I prefer it rare.
Or a Top Side (sorry, I do not know its name in other countries), leaner than ribs.
I have fond memories of cold rare roast beef slices with a dip made out of dark soy, chilli oil and toasted sesame oil.

DK :))
 
Prime rib vote here, its fool proof the way I do it: Rotisserie, sear all sides on high first, then adjust temp to low and use meat thermometer til achieving a rare temp. Tent loosely with foil and rest the roast.
 
mochiko42 said:
BEEF:
Most important--- Buy the best joint of beef you can afford. I prefer a prime rib roast.
I've found the Serious Eats 'reverse sear' method to roasting beef (longer roasting time at low temp) to work very well for me. The great thing about this method is that you roast the beef for a long period at low temp for a long time, then you let it rest a while before searing it (or blasting it at high temp) for a short time right before you serve it. This means that you can control your time better as you can cook the beef 90% ahead of time and set it aside while you do other stuff, then just sear it to get the crispy/brown exterior when you want to serve it (sort of like the timing for sous vide meat). (This is completely the opposite of most conventional recipes which have you blast the meat first at high temp then lower the heat and cook for a shorter time.)
http://www.seriouseats.com/2009/12/the-food-lab-how-to-cook-roast-a-perfect-prime-rib.html

SPUDS:
The Serious Eats recipe for roast potatoes also works, as does Jamie Oliver's. I like to use chicken or duck fat if I have it, but regular veg oil works fine.
(the most important thing to get crispy spuds is to parboil the potatoes first and then shake them up so they have rough surfaces)
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2016/12/the-best-roast-potatoes-ever-recipe.html
https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/perfect-roast-potatoes/

YORKIES:
I use this Yorkie recipe (has never failed me, I also use it for toad-in-the-hole).
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/9020/best-yorkshire-puddings

GRAVY:
Use pan drippings and add a bit of a stock cube/gravy granules (I traditionally like Oxo/Bisto for roasts but you can use whichever brand you prefer). Add some shallots and red wine if you want to get fancy.
PS... You can never have enough gravy!!
Oh and also I like bread sauce with my beef even though it's traditional for roast chicken. :razz:

VEG:
I dislike boiled carrots and peas etc for a Sunday roast...but it is traditional, I suppose. I'd rather do
Jamie Oliver's dinner lady carrots recipe as it reminds me of UK boarding school dinners so if you want to go traditional, you could consider trying it out: http://www.delish.com/cooking/a826/jamie-oliver-dinner-lady-carrots-recipe/
Otherwise, do whatever veg you feel like. I like cauliflower cheese or petit pois with mint.
Click to expand...


^^ this is what I do too. You need the beef fat from the rib roast to make Yorkshire pudding, which is why it’s traditional. It also stays tender and juicy even if a smidge overdone so it’s more forgiving than tenderloin or strip roast.
 
I have no idea what a Yorkshire pudding is :eek2:
 
It’s a little puffy pastry thing. Kind of like an airy muffin, and not sweet. You pour gravy on them and put a little of that and beef on your fork. Very tasty.
 
That sounds yummy! I assume it’s a winter dish? I have never seen it on a menu in England. I’m usually there late spring/summer.
 
@Begonia @AprilBaby I believe that what they call "popovers" in the US are very similar to Yorkshire puddings.
 
AprilBaby said:
That sounds yummy! I assume it’s a winter dish? I have never seen it on a menu in England. I’m usually there late spring/summer.
Click to expand...

It’s a traditional British Christmas dish. It’s a thin unsweetened pancake batter that is cooked in a hot pan full of heated fat (like a popover, only cooked in a large square casserole dish rather than individual muffin pans). It puff up but stays slightly doughy in the center, and you serve it on the plate covered in gravy along side the roast beef and side dishes.
 
cmd2014 said:
It’s a traditional British Christmas dish..
Click to expand...

It’s a traditional Sunday roast dinner accompaniment for beef, rather than a Christmas thing. I think they originally developed through the centuries as a way to fill out a dinner when meat was more expensive than nowadays - some people traditionally have them as a starter, rather than with the meal, in that vein too.

I sear beef in a pan first (dry pan, high heat, beef rubbed in a little oil and seasoned) to keep in the juices, then roast in a fairly low oven. Rest in foil while I do gravy and finish the veg.

But, however it’s cooked, it needs lashings of horseradish sauce, gravy and yorkshires!
 
Maybe it’s morphed into a Christmas thing for us because rib roast is so pricey. Or it could be what happens when traditions get morphed by immigration.
 
Yorkshire pudding is a batter, and the secret to getting it to rise is to make sure the fat is smoking hot before you put the batter in. Most people do them in a muffin tin to make individual ones.

Yorkies are traditionally eaten with a roast (not just beef) or the other option is Toad in the hole, sausages being the toad and the Yorkshire pud, the hole.

When people traditionally had a roast on a Sunday, Yorkies always accompanied it.

I’m amazed you’ve never seen Yorkies on an English menu @AprilBaby , it’s popular in pubs and carvery restaurants here.

They should be nice and crispy, and not soggy.

4EDBC1A7-B54B-45EC-868D-9651FAD619C6.jpeg
 
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