Everyone's done it.
Probably more than once... destroyed a perfectly good piece of beef in an oven.
Why?
Because they didn't know the rules of roasting beef or the steps that needed to be taken.
Imagine you're cooking an egg. You know how long it takes to cook a soft boiled egg. And you know that if you leave it in the pan for too long you'll end up with a hard boiled egg.
Armed with that knowledge you can cook any egg – brown, white, big or small and it'll come out just the way you want it.
It's the same with beef.
What we'll do now is tell you about the rules and then move onto the steps.
Once you've read it you'll be able to roast any joint – or steak – in an oven. And it'll come out exactly how you wanted it to.
Let's start with the rules.
The basic rules you need to know before you start
Grass fed beef is different to grain fed beef. You cook it a different way
Grass fed beef is much leaner than grain fed beef.
Because grass fed beef has so little fat in it – which acts like an insulator of heat – it cooks 10-30 percent quicker than grain fed beef.
But leaner doesn't mean tougher – cooked with care, grass fed beef is juicy and tender.
The rule is simple... cook it slowly and evenly. And, if it's a dry heat, at lower temperatures.
You should never cook grass fed beef beyond Medium (Medium-rare is better). And that means your core temperature target should not be higher than 60°C. Don't be fooled by the pinkness. Grass fed beef retains its pinkness at higher temperatures than grain fed.
Bring beef to room temperature before you cook it
This is important if you're cooking it in a hot oven or hot pan. If the meat's not at room temperature you'll over cook the outside and under cook the inside. This rule doesn't apply if you plan to Sous vide it.
Dry beef thoroughly before you sear it
Pat it down with a paper towel – then dry it again with a fresh paper towel. If you put moist beef in the pan it won't get a good sear.
Always sear your beef
This is important for two reasons.
Hygiene. Heat kills bacteria and bacteria live on the surface of red meat, not the middle. So as long as you heat the surface to at least 74°C it'll be safe to eat. You need to sear all the surfaces.
Flavour Between 140-165°C an important reaction takes place, it's called the Maillard reaction. It's a complex process that involves proteins and sugars and it produces that Umami flavour on the surface of the beef.
As soon as the beef's gone a deep brown colour it's seared. It usually takes about a bit over a minute per surface. If there's a fatty edge – like Sirloin or Picanha – sear that too.
Searing beef doesn't “lock in the juices”. It does the opposite. So don't over sear it.
Choose the right oil
All oils and fats have a smoke point.
It's the temperature at which they stop shimmering and start smoking. And it's a sign your oil is beginning to break down and release chemicals. When that happens it can give the meat a burnt or bitter flavour – and release free radicals that are harmful to you.
You want to choose an oil with a smoke point on or above 180C, or you won't get the, all important, Maillard reaction.
Beef fat is good and so are some vegetable oils. Click here for a full list
What sort of meat thermometer do you need?
Do a bit of research before you buy a meat thermometer. There are dozens of different ones on the market. Broadly speaking they fall into three groups.
How to choose a meat thermometer
Know your temperatures
It's all about the core temperature of the meat. And every cut of beef reaches these levels of “doneness” at the same temperature.
0-40°C Raw – deep red
40-49°C Blue – cool red
50°C Rare – warm red
55°C Medium-rare – dark pink
60°C Medium – greyish light pink
63°C Medium-well done – greyish with a hint of pink
68°C Well done – greyish brown
You choose the “doneness” you'd like your beef to be and the temperature that goes with it.
Cook to a temperature – not to a time
Let's say you like your beef Medium-rare. For a perfect Medium-rare the oven must be set to exactly 55°C which is the temperature all beef gets to Medium-rare. It'll take a long time but you'll get restaurant quality results.
The hotter you set your oven above 55°C the quicker and more unevenly it'll cook. And only the bit in the middle will be cooked to the “doneness” you want. The hotter the oven the smaller that bit in the middle gets – and the more the rest of your beef gets over cooked and dry.
So, you trade time-saving for tenderness and evenly cooked meat.
But, as long as you've got a meat thermometer, you can decide what that trade off will be. For a full list of temperatures click here
How to take the core temperature
Put the thermometer into the thickest part of the cut and make sure it's not touching any bone or fat.
Carryover cooking
The higher you set your oven above the core temperature you're aiming for the more carryover cooking you'll get. Especially with grass fed beef.
Carryover cooking is when the core temperature of your meat continues to rise – even though it's not in the oven. It's because the outside is much hotter than the inside and that heat eventually flows to the coolest part – heating it by as much as 5°C. So you'll need to take it out of the oven when it's a few degrees lower than your target temperature.
To allow for carryover cooking stop cooking when it's 5°C lower than your target core temperature. See more on carryover cooking
Hygiene
Bacteria can settle on the surface of cuts of raw beef (they're not present in the middle) so be careful how you handle them.
Never let raw meat come into contact with ready-to-eat foods in your fridge. As you can cross-contaminate them with bacteria.
Searing beef at 74°C destroys all bacteria on the surface.
How to slow roast Beef
Slow roasting is done by measuring the internal temperature of the joint. Not by how long it's been in the oven. Think of it as the oven roast equivalent of Sous vide.
It isn't really ideal for gas ovens as the most common cooking temperature (Medium) is 60°C which is Gas Mark 0.4. But it can be done.
Why slow roast
Slow roasting a joint at low temperatures prevents the moisture from being squeezed out. There's very little shrinkage and the juices stay in the meat. It also means your joint is evenly cooked the whole way through – unlike “fast-and-hot” cooking which cooks your joint well done on the outside, then graduates to Medium-rare at its deepest point.
The steps
What you'll need
- Instant read thermometer
- Roasting pan
- Oil
- Aluminium foil
- Clean cloth
- Meat thermometer
Step 1
Guesstimate the cooking time. Depending on the size of the joint or steak – and how well you like it done – it'll take between 2-6 hours to cook. More if it's a very big joint.
Step 2
Thaw the beef. Take it out of the freezer, remove the vacuum pack and let it thaw in the fridge uncovered for 24-48 hours (or more depending on size). Keep it well away from other food, especially food you eat straight from the fridge like salad vegetables or fruit. Never thaw your beef in a microwave cooker.
Step 3
Bring the beef to room temperature. Leave it standing at room temperature loosely covered with a cloth. How long it takes to come to room temperature depends on the size of the joint. It could take up to 4 hours.
Step 4
If you plan to salt the beef make sure you do it at least 45 minutes before it goes in the oven.
Step 5
Pre-heat the oven to the desired “doneness” you like.
Step 6
Dry the meat thoroughly. Then dry it again.
Step 7
Heat a griddle or a large cast iron frying pan till it's smoking hot. It'll take about 4 minutes on high (don't use a light and flimsy frying pan as you'll never get it hot enough). If you're using a pan, put a bit of oil or beef fat in it. If you're using a griddle, rub a bit of oil on the meat.
Step 8
Sear the meat when the pan/griddle is super hot, put the joint in and sear it on all the surfaces, to get a nice crust. Make sure everything's well browned – it'll add to the flavour and get rid of any stray bugs on the surface. For a large joint this should take 6-8 minutes in total.
Step 9
Put the meat in a roasting pan and into the oven.
Step 10
Keep an eye on the core temperature of the meat and take it out of the oven when it hits your target temperature. If you've set the oven hotter than your target temperature, remember to knock off a few degrees to allow for carry-over cooking.
Step 11
Leave the joint to rest at room temperature loosely covered in foil. If you've set the oven to the exact temperature you want the core temperature to be there's no need to rest it. The higher you set the oven from your target core temperature the longer you'll need to rest it. Anything up to 1 hour.
Bon appetite.