Cooking topside of beef

April 6, 2008 10:01 AM

I have a topside of beef - it weighs 0.65 kg - it's not huge really. What's the best way to cook it? I don't have a slow cooker or anything fancy. I have a roasting tray and foil. Anyone got any ideas?
posted by mooreeasyvibe to food & drink (13 comments total)

Experiment? Seriously, this sounds like the perfect opportunity to experiment with your own recipies.
posted by InsanePenguin at 10:11 AM on April 6

Well I spoke to my mum.

She said put it in a very hot oven for 20 mins. To seal it apparently.

Then reduce the temp to 180 and cook for an hour.

I'll let you know how it turns out.

Meanwhile if someone wants to stop me whilst I'm doing this and offer any other suggestions they'd be welcome.
posted by mooreeasyvibe at 10:15 AM on April 6

Take some time with it and prep your own rub!
posted by robocop is bleeding at 10:20 AM on April 6

Seconding the rub. Good beef has a great flavor of its own, but the right seasoning is always a plus.
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 10:24 AM on April 6

Salt, pepper. Heat the oven up to the maximum. Throw in a couple of onions. Do like mooreeasyvibe said.

Now, the secret:

Take it out of the oven. Cover it in foil to keep the heat in. Let it rest for the same amount of time it spent in the oven.

Use the drippings to make the gravy.
posted by popcassady at 10:31 AM on April 6

Oh, I see, you are moreeasyvibe!

Yeah, do what your mum said. The initial sizzle browns the meat; deepening the flavours. You turn down the oven temperature to cook the inside of the meat. If you have a meat thermometer, you want to get the inside of the meat to: 60C -- rare; 70C -- medium; 80C -- well done.

The resting lets the beef relax -- the juices redistribute, and the meat becomes more tender.
posted by popcassady at 10:41 AM on April 6

Thanks.

It's looking pretty good so far. I chucked some onions and garlic in the roasting tray. I'm not sure how hot the beef is as I haven't got a thermometer.

I don't know if I can wait for the resting stage - it smells darn good.
posted by mooreeasyvibe at 10:46 AM on April 6

I don't know if I can wait

You must wait. If you carve into it prematurely all of the delicious juices will run out, leaving you with dry, less than tasty meat. Be strong!
posted by mumkin at 11:04 AM on April 6

Also, another point of note: the longer you can cook your meat (without overcooking it), the better.
posted by popcassady at 11:10 AM on April 6

Yeah, I think you're right, from looking round the net most sites recommend longer cooking.

I think a slow cooker sounds like the way to go.
posted by mooreeasyvibe at 11:20 AM on April 6

You don't need a slow cooker. Just bung it in the oven, covered with some liquid (a darker beer is excellent, or red wine) and a little bit of fat of some sort, at 200F for about 8 hours if you want to go that route.

When roasting, the whole thing about cooking it on high to 'seal in the juices' first is a load of poppycock (debunked by Alton Brown, amongst others). But there is a very good reason to sear meat first: Maillard reaction; caramelization of sugars in the meat deepens and enriches the flavour. Don't do it in a super hot oven though--do it in a screaming hot cast-iron or stainless steel pan.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 12:02 PM on April 6

Use a meat thermometer if you can. The secret is a nice char on the outside (thus the initial hot oven treatment and maybe some sort of rub that makes it all tasty) but leaving it really hot willd ry the meat out too quickly, which is why you follow up with a slower heat that will get the core temperature to where you want it to be. ding!

"Locking in the juices" is a myth. It'll dry out if you let it, no matter how nice the sear.
posted by drmarcj at 12:11 PM on April 6

Well, it's been eaten, all of it, and it was excellent.

Thanks for the advice folks.

Now a couple of glasses of wine.
posted by mooreeasyvibe at 12:20 PM on April 6