Roast beef is one of the classic dishes of English cuisine. It is prepared from a piece of beef weighing 1.5-2 kg, which is baked in the oven. This dish is as easy to prepare as it is tasty, so after its appearance, the roast beef recipe instantly spread first across the country and then around the world.
There are hundreds of ways to serve juicy roast beef: it is stewed in a sealed container, cooked over an open fire, baked in the oven. But still, roast beef is a dish with long traditions, and when preparing it, it’s a good idea to follow a few basic rules. Using the example of one of the free interpretations of roast beef, we will tell you how good meat can be ruined by stupid mistakes and look at ways to avoid this.
- Meat selection -
Roast beef is a meat dish and, as you might guess, the final taste largely determines the quality of the original product. A prerequisite for cooking roast beef is the correct part of the carcass. It can be thick edge (first 4-5 ribs), thin edge (next 4-5 ribs), sirloin (last 3 ribs), tenderloin. Of course, there is no question of any frozen pieces. It would be nice if the cut contained thin flecks of fat. During cooking, the fat will render out, providing the meat with natural saturation, and this will make it much easier for you to maintain the juiciness of the meat.
- How not to cook roast beef -
So, you have found the right piece. All that remains is to decide what to do with it. Let's say you decide to cook meat in the classic way - bake it in the oven. It is recommended to fry roast beef to a temperature no higher than 65 °C in the center, which corresponds to medium doneness. You decide to adhere to the same recommendation. Since traditional roast beef is usually prepared without seasonings and salt, you also send the meat into the oven without any additives, and just cover it on top. A piece of beef is simply placed on a wire rack set in an oven preheated to 200 °C and baked for 15 minutes, then the temperature is reduced to 160 °C and the meat is baked for another 30 minutes. Looking ahead, we will say that the result of all your efforts will be very far from expected. The roast beef will be tough and fully cooked, in other words, well-done. Now let's try to figure out how to cook roast beef to the desired doneness and never overcook it.
- Temperature and time -
The second main point in this dish, in addition to good meat, is time and temperature, and not just in the oven. Before cooking, let the meat rest at room temperature for 2-3 hours. And if you are using salt and pepper, the end of the room temperature period is the best time to use them. You need to add salt and pepper when the meat has been sitting for about 50 minutes. During this period of time, the meat juice released under the influence of salt crystals will have time to be absorbed again into the meat tissue, making it even more tender and softer.
- Cooking relatively small cuts -
If the size of the dish allows it, before putting the meat in the oven, you can fry it in a well-heated frying pan. Such a quick heat treatment at high temperature will provide the piece with an appetizing golden brown crust. Once in the oven, it can be cooked at lower temperatures, which will allow the meat to be brought exactly to the desired degree of doneness. In addition, with this technique, the pink zone in the center will be larger than when cooking only in the oven, and the gray edging along the edge inside the meat will be thinner.
- Cooking large cuts -
When the pieces of carcass are too large, they go straight into the oven. In this case, it is especially important to set the temperature correctly. For rib roast, the ideal cut for juicy roast beef, roasting should begin at a maximum oven temperature of 250°C. In this mode, the meat is baked for about 10 minutes, and always uncovered, otherwise it will steam rather than bake. For tenderloin, and as you remember, there is no fat, 230 °C is enough. It is also baked for 10 minutes without covering it with anything. After the time has passed, reduce the temperature to 135 °C and continue baking until the thermometer registers 50-52 °C. Don't forget that while the meat rests, the temperature will continue to rise, allowing your roast to reach perfect doneness.
- Rest -
If you still don’t have a thermometer, but you are determined not to overcook your roast beef anymore, then you still have to buy it, because it is too tasty, and also expensive, to experiment with. All you have to do is place the finished, baked meat on the board and let it rest for about 20-30 minutes before moving on to cutting it.
In terms of rules, the classic roast beef recipe is simple and complex at the same time. We will need:
Choose suitable meat;
- observe the temperature regime.
Suitable meat for roast beef
Tenderloin, thick or thin edge, rump, and sirloin are suitable for preparing roast beef. Choose a large piece that is as even as possible to ensure even cooking. It’s good if the meat is marbled, that is, with layers of fat. During baking, the fat will melt, giving juiciness and pronounced flavor to the meat.
Frozen meat is absolutely not suitable! The beef should be fresh, but not steamed. Aged meat will be much tastier, juicier and softer. Professionals recommend keeping it in the refrigerator for 2-3 days, during which time special enzymes are formed in the tissues, which change the structure of beef meat, help soften muscle protein during the cooking process, due to which the dish acquires a unique aroma and taste, and turns out soft and juicy. For the same reason, you shouldn’t take veal; it has a different structure and the taste will be slightly different.
Roast beef degrees of doneness
Beef should not be baked at too high a temperature, otherwise there is a risk of drying it out. It is optimal to cook roast beef after frying at 160 degrees (in some recipes, baking is carried out at even lower temperatures - for example, they cook at 90 degrees for 2-3 hours). Much also depends on what cut is used; if the tenderloin cooks faster, then the sirloin takes longer.The degree of roast beef roasting is determined by the temperature of the meat at the end of baking:
- 60 degrees - “with blood”;
- 70 degrees - medium done;
- 80 degrees - fully cooked.
To accurately determine how well done a piece is, you'll need a food thermometer. If it is not there, then be guided as follows: beef weighing 1 kg at a temperature of 160 degrees, as a rule, needs to be baked for 30-40 minutes (depending on what cut is used).
Baked meat from the oven should be immediately wrapped in foil and left for 30-40 minutes “to rest” - due to slow cooling, the juices inside the piece will be evenly distributed, the roast beef will turn out very juicy and soft.
Set of herbs and spices
Roast beef according to the classic recipe requires the use of only pepper, salt and vegetable oil. Such a minimal set of seasonings makes it possible to enjoy the real taste of meat, uncluttered by third-party aromas. If you still want to add spices, you can expand the list by adding rosemary, mustard, garlic and onion powder.
Total cooking time: 90 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
Preparation
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Rinse the meat in cold water and dry thoroughly with paper towels. Sprinkle with the mixture of peppers, pressing them in with your hands - it is advisable to use coarse, freshly ground pepper. In the classic recipe, it is not necessary to use pepper; the meat is simply greased with vegetable oil and heat treated. But roast beef in pepper turns out much tastier and more aromatic, try millet!
Grease on all sides with vegetable oil and wrap in cling film. This time I took a rump, weighing 1 kg. The meat is fresh, so I kept the piece in the refrigerator for 1 day (to prevent it from suffocating, I made punctures in the film with a toothpick). If your meat is not fresh, but already seasoned, then it is enough to marinate it in pepper for 8-10 hours. Please note that there is no need to add salt.
Before continuing cooking, the meat should be removed from the refrigerator and left for 1 hour to warm up to room temperature (20-22 degrees inside the piece). If you skip this step, it will cook unevenly and you will end up with a soggy center and a dry edge. We tie the piece with thread so that it takes on an oval shape - this will make it easier to cut after baking.
Let's start roasting. Place a grill pan on the fire, grease it with a small amount of vegetable oil and heat it until red hot. Place the meat in a hot frying pan and fry until golden brown, 3 minutes on all sides. This way we will “seal” all the juices inside the piece, they will not leak out during baking. Do not move the meat throughout the pan, otherwise the fibers will tear and valuable juice will leak out. For the same reason, you should turn it over with tongs (or a pair of wooden spatulas).
Place the beef in the oven, preheated to 160 degrees. My grill pan has a detachable handle. If you don’t have such dishes, then transfer the piece to a warm baking sheet (with high sides). It is most convenient to determine readiness using a thermometer. I baked the roast beef in the oven for 30 minutes, then measured the temperature - it reached 60 degrees. If you like a stronger degree of roasting, then cook to 75-80 degrees. To determine the degree of readiness of meat without a thermometer, pierce it with a sharp knife: if pale pink juice is released at the puncture site, then it is ready; bright red color means you need to keep it in the oven for at least 15 minutes; light and clear juice indicates that the meat is overdried.
Transfer the finished meat to a wooden board or warm plate. Wrap in several layers of foil. And leave it “to rest” for 30-40 minutes. All this time, the meat will be cooked, and the meat juice will be evenly distributed inside the piece.
Roast beef is good both hot and cold (in the latter case, fully roasted is recommended). Before serving, remove the foil from the meat, cut into slices and sprinkle with coarse salt. It is customary to serve without a side dish in the traditional sense; appetizers, sauce and herbs can be served as an accompaniment. The British prefer the combination with sauces based on mustard and horseradish, sometimes served with green peas, cabbage, French fries or mashed potatoes, salad or Yorkshire pudding.
When preparing roast beef, consider the following points:
- Roast beef is always roasted in 2 stages.
- After each stage of cooking, rest the meat for at least 10 minutes.
- When turning the meat, you must not pierce it; all manipulations with a piece of meat are carried out using two wooden spatulas.
- 1 kg. cook meat for 44 minutes, 10 minutes at a temperature of 220°C and 34 minutes at a temperature of 150°C. This does not include time for frying in a hot pan.
Roast beef is a classic recipe - “roasted meat”, a large piece of beef, weighing 1-1.5 kg, tightly rolled and tied with a harsh thread. The roast beef is tied so that the meat does not lose its shape during cooking. To prepare roast beef, cut beef is used, but it should be noted that fresh meat is not suitable in this case, as it will become too tough when cooked.
Delicious roast beef is obtained from the so-called three-day beef, which is fully matured. The technology for preparing roast beef is very interesting. In England, meat is matured in a well-ventilated room at a temperature of +4 ° C, suspended on hooks.
There are three degrees of roast beef:
1. “with blood”,
2. semi-fried, no blood is released, but the meat inside has not reached a temperature of 65°C,
3. well-done.
Step-by-step preparation:
Now we will tell you how to do it quickly and tasty!
- Peel the meat from the top films, wash under running water, and dry. There is no need to tie the meat in this recipe.
- Grind black peppercorns, coriander, and sweet paprika in a mortar. Then add 2 cloves of garlic and coarse salt and olive oil. When grinding garlic in a mortar, it is recommended to add coarse salt for better grinding and mixing.
- Rub a piece of meat with the mixture. Let rest for 10 minutes.
- Heat the pan very hot. There is no need to add oil to the pan, since the mixture with which we rubbed the meat already includes oil.
- Quickly fry the meat on all four sides over high heat until golden brown. Turn over using two spatulas.
- Prepare a baking sheet lined with baking paper, transfer the fried meat to the baking sheet and let rest for 10 minutes.
- At this time, the oven is preheated to 220°C. Since in the future we will cook beef roast beef in the oven.
Prepare the sauce for roast beef:
- In this case, we will cook roast beef with mustard sauce. For this recipe, take 1 tablespoon of French coarse mustard and 1 clove of garlic, grind in a mortar.
- Brush the sauce over the fried meat. The roast beef will have a fragrant garlic-mustard crust.
- Place the meat in the oven for 10 minutes at 220°C. Then reduce the heat to 150°C and cook for another 34 minutes. After the total specified time, remove the roast beef from the oven and wrap it in foil for 10 minutes, let it rest for 10 minutes. This procedure will preserve all the juice in the meat. Roast beef is cut across the grain.
- The dish is ready. English roast beef is served with fried potatoes.
- Roast beef will be delicious the next day, cold.
Enjoy your meal!
Roast beef (the recipe will be discussed a little below) is a fairly popular dish, which is a large piece of beef. Sometimes this ingredient is fried or stewed on a grill grate.
Choosing the right meat
Before preparing roast beef, you should correctly select all the necessary ingredients, in particular the meat product. It should be noted that it is not recommended to take frozen beef for preparing the presented dish. However, a paired product will not suit us either. The ideal piece of meat would be one that has been in the refrigerator for at least three days.
Roast beef, the recipe for which we will consider in this article, will turn out very tasty and satisfying if you take the beef without bones and with a minimum amount of fat. Before using this ingredient to prepare a fragrant dinner, it must be removed from the refrigerator in advance and kept at room temperature for about an hour. So, a piece of meat will heat up to the required temperature of 20-23 ºС. By the way, roast beef, the recipe for which calls for the use of fresh beef, will turn out soft and tender if you purchase the main ingredient only from a young animal. After all, if you take an old and stringy product, the dish will turn out very tough and tasteless.
Roast beef: a classic cooking recipe
To make a simple, but at the same time satisfying and very tasty dish, you need to stock up on a small amount of inexpensive ingredients. For this we need:
- piece of beef without bone and fat - 2.5 kg;
- refined olive oil - 45-65 ml;
- Dijon mustard - add to taste and desire.
Processing a meat product before baking
By strictly following all the requirements for preparing such a dish, you are sure to prepare a very tasty and satisfying roast beef. The recipe for such a classic culinary creation does not recommend the use of salt and other aromatic spices. They can be used only when dinner is served to the table in sliced form. So, before you wash it thoroughly, cut off all unnecessary films and veins, as well as the surface layer of fat (if any). After this, the marbled piece of meat must be seasoned with refined olive oil. These components will give the dish a special aroma and contribute to its uniform golden crust coating.
Baking process
Before starting heat treatment, a flavorful piece of meat without bones and a surface layer of fat must be tightly rolled and then tied tightly with baking thread. This process should begin from the center of the product. Next, you need to preheat the oven to maximum, place the processed beef on a wire rack, and place a baking tray underneath, into which it is advisable to pour a little drinking water. This will significantly speed up the cooking of the roast beef, and it will turn out much juicier.
When baking boneless meat, it is recommended to turn it periodically. Within a quarter of an hour, the temperature in the oven should be about 250 ºС. Next, the degree must be reduced to 150 units and the dish cooked until the desired softness. It should be noted that beef is considered completely fit for consumption if a sharp knife is inserted into it, and a reddish juice emerges from the cut site. To avoid loss of broth when cutting roast beef, the browned piece must be wrapped in several layers of thick foil and left in this position for 20 minutes.
How to serve meat correctly?
After cooking rare meat, it should be cut into thin steaks directly in foil, beautifully arranged on a flat plate, and then presented to the table along with some side dish. It is also recommended to serve this dish with sauce, herbs and other snacks in the form of fresh vegetables. Bon appetit!
Marinated roast beef: step-by-step recipe
This dish is prepared no more complicated than the previous one. But unlike the classic version, this lunch turns out to be more flavorful and tender. This is due to the fact that after heat treatment the meat is marinated in a special sauce for several hours. But first things first.
So, the recipe for cooking roast beef with marinade involves using the following products:
- fresh young - 1.5 kg;
- bitter onions - 4 pcs.;
- peeled large garlic cloves - 2 pcs.;
- ground black allspice - 2/3 dessert spoon;
- table salt - add to taste;
- refined olive oil - 55 ml;
- wine or balsamic vinegar - 8 large spoons;
- soy sauce - 70 ml;
- dry white wine - 200 ml;
- ground coriander - dessert spoon;
- seasoning intended for marinade - use as desired (dessert spoon).
Meat preparation
Before you start preparing a delicious piece of beef, you need to carefully process it. To do this, you need to wash it well and cut off all inedible veins and films. Next, the meat ingredient must be rubbed with table salt and allspice, and then seasoned with refined olive oil.
Heat treatment of the dish
After the piece of beef is fully prepared and seasoned with spices, it should be placed in a heated frying pan and thoroughly fried on all sides until golden brown. Next, the appetizing meat ingredient needs to be placed on a baking sheet or any other form and sent to a very hot oven for a quarter of an hour. During this time, the piece will become even crispier and juicier. It should be noted that roast beef prepared according to this recipe comes with a small amount of blood. But those people who do not like half-raw meat can keep it in the oven for another quarter of an hour. In addition, the beef can be pre-placed in cooking foil and baked in this state.
Preparing the marinade
(recipes with photos are presented in this article) it turns out much tastier and juicier than prepared according to the method described above. That is why this option is especially popular among those who cannot imagine their life without hearty meat dishes.
After the beef is cooked in the oven, it should be placed on a large flat plate and then cut into small steaks up to one and a half centimeters thick. Next, you need to start creating a flavorful marinade. To do this, you need to mix the following components in one bowl: bitter onion rings, grated garlic cloves, wine or soy sauce, dry white wine, ground coriander and various seasonings. Place previously fried pieces of beef into the resulting marinade, close the lid tightly and place in the refrigerator for 6-10 hours, or better yet, overnight. After this time, the meat will be completely saturated with the sauce and will become as aromatic, juicy and tasty as possible.
Proper serving to the table
Marinated roast beef should be presented to guests on portioned plates along with their favorite side dish. In addition, it is recommended to serve the meat dish with wheat bread, lemon, mustard, garlic or some other sauce, as well as fresh herbs (cilantro, parsley, leeks, etc.) and a salad of raw vegetables. Enjoy your meal!
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