A little history
Many people have a vague idea of what roast beef is in cooking. This ancient English dish dates back several centuries. According to historical sources, it became widespread in the 16th century. To prepare it, they took a juicier piece of beef, rubbed it with salt and black pepper and fried it over an open fire. Hence the name roastbeef, which translates as “fried beef”. The subtlety lies in the fact that the outside of the meat is covered with a thin crispy crust, but the inside remains juicy and pinkish. According to the classical canon, blood should ooze on the cut.
Winston Churchill was a big fan of roast beef. Rumor has it that sometimes he prepared this dish with his own hands, while allowing himself unheard-of liberties. The fact is that the British Prime Minister fried pork roast beef, always adding a pinch of rosemary.
Spicy recipe from Yulia Vysotskaya
Yulia Vysotskaya suggests preparing a dish from steamed marbled beef. The main thing is that the piece should be dense and thick.
To correctly calculate the cooking time, Yulia Vysotskaya offers the following scheme:
- for roast beef with blood – 10 minutes. for every 400 g of meat plus another 20 minutes;
- for roast beef well done – 15 minutes. for every 400 g of meat plus another 20 minutes.
What ingredients will be needed?
For preparation you need to take the following components:
- meat – 700 g;
- juniper berries, coriander seeds, peppercorns - 1 tbsp. l.;
- Italian pepper, cloves - 1 pinch each;
- olive oil – 2 tbsp. l.
Step-by-step cooking process
Cook meat according to the following instructions:
- A piece of beef must first be washed and dried with a towel, and the spices must be ground in a mortar.
- Next, the meat is placed on cling film and rubbed with olive oil, spices, but not salt. The piece should be left for 60 minutes. for marinating.
- Then the beef should be placed in foil and in an oven preheated to a temperature of 190 ° C and fried for 25 minutes.
- Next, remove the meat from the oven, open the foil and continue baking for another 25 minutes.
- Ready roast beef should be left for another 15-20 minutes. for impregnation, and then cut into thin strips.
Submission rules
You can serve the dish on its own, with a side dish, or place each piece on bread.
Choosing the perfect meat
A fundamentally important point is what part of the beef is used for roast beef. Meat after freezing is not suitable for any reason. But you shouldn’t take fresh, fresh meat either. The British use aged meat for this dish. In the old days, the carcass was hung in cool cellars and left to “ripen” for 10 days. Today, refrigeration units are used for this. There is also a more practical method - wet aging, when a piece of pulp is placed in a vacuum package. This allows you to retain all the juices inside so that they help bring out the taste of the meat in all its glory.
Most often, fresh marbled meat is chosen for roast beef. Namely, the flesh from the thick or thin edge of beef, with a large number of fatty streaks. During cooking, they produce an appetizing juice, which soaks the pulp, acquiring a unique taste and the desired texture. It is quite acceptable to take a good piece of meat with ribs.
Preparatory stage
A distinctive feature of roast beef is that it is baked in one piece. On average, the weight ranges from 1.5 to 4 kg. A piece that is too small will quickly release all the juices, and therefore it will turn out tough and dry.
First, the meat is marinated. Just rub it on all sides with black pepper and leave it in the refrigerator for several hours. If you have long-aged meat, you can grease it with odorless vegetable oil and cook immediately. For a more expressive taste, add more spices - garlic, basil, barberry, your favorite dried herbs. Some cooks even coat the beef with honey.
Beef roast beef with mushroom sauce
What components will be required:
- beef tenderloin 4 kilograms;
- mustard – 5 large spoons;
- ground black pepper – 20 grams;
- salt to your taste;
- vegetable oil – 4 large spoons;
- cream - 1 glass;
- porcini mushrooms – 400 grams.
Cooking time will be 4-4.5 hours, calorie content – 240 kcal.
Process for preparing beef roast beef with mushroom sauce:
- We wash the piece of meat and remove the blood;
- We wipe it on all sides with paper napkins;
- Next, sprinkle salt on all sides and leave to stand for about 1.5 hours;
- Place a grill pan on the fire, add a little oil and heat it up;
- Place the tenderloin on the heated oil and fry it on all sides until golden brown, but not cooked;
- After that, put it on a plate;
- Cover a baking rack with foil and place the meat on it;
- The oven should be preheated to 200 degrees;
- Place the rack with the meat in the oven and leave to bake. Be sure to place a baking tray underneath to allow the juices from the meat to drain;
- Place mustard, ground pepper, salt in a bowl and add vegetable oil;
- Mix all ingredients;
- After 40-50 minutes, take out the meat, grease it on all sides with mustard sauce and place it back to bake;
- After 1-1.5 hours, the roast beef will be ready and can be removed;
- Then we start preparing the sauce. Wash the mushrooms and chop them into small pieces;
- Place a frying pan on the fire, pour in oil and add mushrooms;
- Fry the mushrooms for about 15 minutes;
- Next, fill the mushrooms with cream and juice that has separated from the meat;
- Cook the sauce for another 15 minutes;
- After this, cut the roast beef into small slices, put it on a plate and pour over the mushroom sauce.
We bake with precise calculations
To prevent the meat from losing its shape, it is evenly wrapped with twine and quickly fried in a deep frying pan on all sides. Do not use a fork or other stabbing equipment under any circumstances. Turn the meat only with special tongs or two wooden spatulas. It is extremely important not to damage the flesh at this stage. When roasting, the thin crust will reliably seal the juices inside, after which you can send the beef to the oven.
Initially, the temperature is set to the maximum value, and after 15–20 minutes it is reduced to 160–170 °C. In some recipes, the temperature is reduced to 80–90 °C. As for the duration of baking, chefs recommend 45–50 minutes per 1 kg of tenderloin. That is, on average, roast beef is baked for 1 to 3 hours. In this case, you need to periodically water the meat with the juice that is released.
Another important subtlety. Roast beef is never served piping hot - it is first allowed to sit. A small piece of meat will take 10–15 minutes, a large piece will take about half an hour. However, experts assure that roast beef acquires its ideal taste only 3 hours after cooking. During this time, he manages to release all the juice and then completely absorb it. This does not diverge from general recommendations, because roast beef can be served cold.
The British complement their favorite dish with hot sauce or mustard. Green peas, stewed vegetables, French fries or mashed potatoes are served as a side dish. On the holiday table, roast beef invariably accompanies Yorkshire pudding.
How and how much to cook roast beef
Beef roast beef is prepared without compromise. The classic recipe is baked in the oven, taking into account the type of meat, its weight and the preferred degree of doneness. As for the type of meat, it is often tenderloin, including bone-in. It can also be a sirloin (the side of the beef with thin layers of fat) or a rump (the upper part of the hind thigh). Choose a piece that is smooth and large. This way it will bake evenly. The presence of fatty layers has a beneficial effect on the softness and juiciness of the finished dish.
How and how much to cook roast beef
The classic recipe does not strictly declare how long to cook beef roast beef. This is because every meat lover has his own preferences regarding the degree of frying. The type of meat also matters: tenderloin has a looser structure of meat fibers, so it cooks faster. The sirloin is denser, so it will take a little longer to cook.
Conditions for preparing juicy meat: after preliminary frying, roast beef according to the classic recipe is baked in the oven for 30-40 minutes at a temperature of 160 degrees per 1 kg. Then take it out, wrap the meat in foil and leave for another 30-40 minutes. During the slow cooling process, the juices will be evenly distributed inside and the roast beef will be soft.
To more accurately determine the degree of doneness, use a food thermometer. At the end of baking, track the temperature measurement results inside the piece:
- 80 degrees – fully cooked;
- 70 degrees - medium done;
- 60 degrees – “meat with blood”.
If you prefer low-temperature cooking of roast beef, cook the classic recipe in the oven taking into account the following rule per 1 kg. meat: 2-3 hours at 90 degrees. Well, don’t forget to consider the type of meat used.
Classic performance
It's time to move on to practice. Let's start with a classic roast beef recipe. A minimal set of spices will help maximize the flavor of the meat.
Ingredients:
- beef pulp in one piece - 1 kg
- vegetable oil - 3 tbsp. l.
- coarse black pepper - 1.5 tbsp. l.
- coarse salt - to taste
Rinse the piece of meat in cold water and dry thoroughly with paper towels. Rub the beef with black pepper, place in a deep dish and cover with cling film. Leave to marinate for 8–10 hours. About an hour before cooking, take out the meat so that it has time to warm up to room temperature. Rub it with salt, grease it with oil and tie it with twine or thick thread made from natural materials. Heat a grill pan without oil, fry a piece of meat on all sides for about 3 minutes. Turn it over with precise movements and do not move it around the pan. Transfer the beef to a deep baking dish and place in the oven. We keep it at 220 °C for the first 20 minutes, then reduce the flame to 160 °C and cook for another 40 minutes. This is how we check readiness. We pierce the pulp with a sharp knitting needle - clear juice should appear from the puncture. Place the finished roast beef on foil, wrap tightly and let rest for at least half an hour. Cut the meat into pieces. A roast beef sandwich is a great treat!
Recipe 4: how to cook roast beef from marbled beef
Roast beef is a classic dish from Shakespeare's Middle Ages, traditionally using the rear quarters of beef to ensure juiciness and flavour. Various sauces and appetizers are combined with roast beef; the British serve it cold with green peas, mustard and horseradish. When served hot, it’s a great dish for a weekend evening paired with red wine. We will cook the meat according to the classic recipe - without using marinade.
- marbled beef 800 g
- olive oil 1 tbsp.
- French herbs to taste
- salt to taste
We tie the washed and dried meat with twine to give it shape and leave to warm to room temperature for about 1.5 hours.
Coat with butter, sprinkle with salt and a mixture of French herbs. Set the oven to 160 degrees.
Place on a hot frying pan.
Fry until golden brown on all sides.
Also, don’t forget to pack the ends.
Place the fried piece of meat in a baking dish (I just unscrew the handle of the oven-safe frying pan) and place in an oven preheated to 160 degrees for 40 minutes.
Remove the finished roast beef from the twine and let it rest for 20 minutes to distribute the juice throughout the piece, covering it with foil.
Cut the meat and place it on plates.
Meat under the influence
If you simmer beef in red wine, the roast beef will acquire exquisite tart notes and will turn out especially tender. Here you can get creative with a bouquet of spices.
Ingredients:
- beef tenderloin – 1 kg
- dry red wine – 200 ml
- meat broth - 200 ml
- fennel - 4 pcs.
- dried thyme - 1 tbsp. l.
- shallots - 4 pcs.
- garlic - 2 cloves
- vegetable oil - 5 tbsp. l.
- salt and black pepper - to taste
We clean the meat from films, wash and dry. Rub with pepper, thyme and salt, grease with vegetable oil. Fry on all sides until golden brown. Cut the fennel and shallots in half and place the cut side in a hot frying pan for a few seconds. Place the meat in a deep baking dish, pour in the broth and wine, add fennel, shallots and chopped garlic. Bake the roast beef at 170°C for an hour, basting with wine sauce from time to time.
Recipe in a frying pan in wine
The recipe for roast beef stewed in wine was invented by Spanish chef Marc Audibert. He suggests adding cheese to the dish.
What ingredients will be needed?
For preparation you will need the following components:
- beef – 600 g;
- red wine – 210 ml;
- broth – 210 ml;
- cheese “Dzhyugas” – 100 g;
- olive oil – 5-6 tbsp. l.;
- butter – 1-2 tbsp. l.;
- thyme, fennel - 1 bunch each;
- garlic – 2-3 cloves;
- shallots – 3-4 pcs.;
- salt, pepper - to taste.
Step-by-step cooking process
The roast beef is prepared as follows:
- Before you start stewing, you need to wash the meat, dry it with a napkin, cut off the film and veins, and then tie it with thread to preserve the shape of the piece.
- Next, the beef should be coated with olive oil, sprinkled with thyme and rub seasonings, pepper and salt over its surface, after which the piece should be fried in a frying pan on all sides until a crust forms. Next, move the piece into a heat-resistant bowl.
- Without washing the pan, fry the fennel, cut into 2-4 parts, and add to the container with the meat.
- Then you need to add peeled shallots and garlic cloves cut crosswise to the beef; season the vegetables with a pinch of salt.
- Next, pour butter, wine and broth into the container.
- Then the container should be placed in an oven preheated to 190 C and cooked for 25 minutes.
- After the end of the time, the roast beef must be left for another 5 minutes for the meat to rise.
Submission rules
The finished dish must be cut across the grain into thin layers and served with vegetables or salad and sliced cheese.
Caramel notes
Here's an unusual version of roast beef for those who are ready to experiment a little. Meat in caramel and soy sauce turns out tender and juicy.
Ingredients:
- beef tenderloin – 1 kg
- vegetable oil - 500 ml
- soy sauce - 50 ml
- brown sugar - 50 g
- Worcestershire sauce - 2 tbsp. l.
- garlic - 3 cloves
- fresh rosemary - 1 sprig
- ground oregano - ¼ tsp.
- salt and black pepper - to taste
We clean the tenderloin from films, wash it in water, dry it and grease it with 5-6 tbsp. l. vegetable oil. We tear off the needles from the rosemary sprig and mix with the garlic passed through a press. Combine the remaining vegetable oil, Worcestershire and soy sauce, add garlic, rosemary and oregano.
Pour some water into the pan, add sugar and cook thick caramel. Pour it into the marinade and mix well. Rub a piece of beef with salt and black pepper, wrap it with thick thread and fry in a frying pan on all sides. Fill a deep baking dish with marinade, place the beef and place in the oven at 200°C for 5 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 150 °C and bake until done. Baste the meat with marinade periodically. Place the finished roast beef in a tall pan, pour in the marinade, cover tightly with a lid and leave for 3 hours. Then cut into pieces and add to the salad.
Classic recipe for English roast beef with mustard in the oven
To prepare this dish, you need to choose aged meat rather than fresh meat - its taste is more intense. This method involves keeping the beef carcass in a cold cellar for about 3 weeks. The British cook meat in large pieces - 2-4 kg each; smaller pieces are baked differently than required by the original recipe. Another rule is that the meat must have a temperature of at least 24 °C.
Classic roast beef recipe with mustard
The calorie content of dishes prepared in different ways is presented in the table:
Heat treatment method | Number of calories per 100 g of finished product |
in the oven | 173 kcal |
in a slow cooker | 210 kcal |
in a frying pan | 384 kcal |
in foil | 238 kcal |
up your sleeve | 152 kcal |
with blood | 182 kcal |
What ingredients will be needed?
Roast beef (the classic recipe in the oven is prepared quite quickly) requires the following ingredients:
- beef – 2-3 kg;
- dry red wine – 260-300 ml;
- carrots – 500-600 g;
- onion – 150-200 g;
- sunflower or olive oil – 3-5 tbsp. l.;
- pepper, dry mustard and fine salt - to taste.
Step-by-step cooking process
Cooking roast beef is carried out in this way:
- It is recommended to wash the meat and thoroughly rub a mixture of salt, pepper and mustard into it.
- Next, take a deep frying pan and heat the oil in it.
- Then place the meat in a hot frying pan and let it brown. Then you need to turn the piece of beef over and fry the other side until a crust forms. After this, the piece should be transferred to another container.
- While the meat is frying, you need to chop the onions and carrots into small cubes.
- Without washing the pan, add vegetables to it and fry over medium heat, stirring constantly, until a crust appears.
- When the vegetables are ready, you need to move the meat back into the pan, pour in the wine and continue frying, turning the beef periodically. It is necessary to fry it until half of the wine has evaporated.
- Next, you need to take a deep container for cooking in the oven, for example, a cast iron patch. Then you need to put vegetables on its bottom, meat on them, then pour in the wine that remains in the pan, mixing with 200-250 ml of water.
- After this, the container must be placed in the oven, heated to 240-250 C, for 20 minutes. After this time, the temperature should be lowered to 160 C and cooking continued for another 2 hours.
- After braising, the roast beef should rest in the oven for another 30 minutes.
What can I add?
The main option for preparing the dish involves adding only pepper, salt and vegetable oil, which provides a natural flavor to the meat. To enhance the taste, the meat can be sprinkled with soy sauce.
Submission rules
Before serving, cut the roast beef into strips 2 cm wide and place on lettuce leaves. Onions from the marinade are placed in the middle of the piece of meat, and the dish can be decorated with parsley.
Multicooker to the rescue
If desired, roast beef can be cooked in a slow cooker. Try adding Svan salt and allspice. The meat will acquire a bright aroma and interesting flavors.
Ingredients:
- beef shoulder fillet - 1 kg
- black pepper - 1 tsp.
- allspice - 1 tsp.
- Svan salt - to taste
- olive oil - 2 tbsp. l.
Rub the prepared meat at room temperature with a mixture of peppers, grease with olive oil and leave for an hour. In the multicooker, set the “Frying” mode and the timer for 15 minutes. Fry the meat on all sides. Place the meat on the flat side in the multicooker bowl. Select the “Multi-cook” or “My recipe” mode, temperature 100 °C and cooking time 50 minutes. Close the lid and wait for the sound signal. Cool the finished roast beef, wrap it in foil and let sit for a couple of hours. If you put it in the refrigerator for another 2-3 hours, it will taste better.
Now you know in detail how to properly cook roast beef and please your family with a classic English dish. It will organically decorate the Christmas menu and the festive table for the old New Year.
Recipe 3, step by step: beef roast in the oven
Classic English roast beef, made from a whole chilled piece of beef. The dish includes sirloin meat from ribs, tenderloin or sirloin. To prevent the meat from losing its shape, it is tightly tied with twine, then poured with vegetable oil and baked for a long time in the oven. To preserve the juices inside the piece, wrap the finished meat in foil for 15 minutes.
- Beef (pulp) 1.3 kg.
- Garlic 4 cloves
- Vegetable oil 1 tbsp. l.
- White wine 1/2 cup
- Corn starch 1 tbsp. l.
- Ground pepper and salt
Remove the piece of beef from the refrigerator 2 hours before cooking. In order for the meat to cook evenly, it must be at room temperature.
We wash the beef, dry it with paper towels and tie it with twine to give it shape. Cut the garlic into thin slices. We make cuts along the entire piece with a knife and insert the garlic.
Rub the prepared beef with oil, sprinkle with ground pepper and salt.
Place the piece of beef on the grill, fat layer up, and place in a preheated oven at 190 degrees for 30 minutes. The fat will melt during baking and soak the meat inside. Place a baking sheet under the wire rack.
After 30 minutes, reduce the temperature to 110 degrees and cook the aromatic roast beef for 2 hours. We check the meat for readiness with a special thermometer; if the temperature inside the piece reaches 57-60 degrees, the roast beef is ready. Remove the piece, wrap it in foil and leave for 15 minutes.
Classic roast beef served with sauce. While the meat arrives in foil, take out the baking tray with the baked juices from the beef.
Place it over medium heat, add wine or beef broth (½ cup) and stir with a spatula. Dissolve cornstarch in a small amount of water and add to a baking sheet. Cook the aromatic roast beef sauce until it thickens. Season with salt and ground pepper.
Cut the finished aromatic roast beef across the grain into thin pieces, place on a plate, pour over the sauce and serve. In England, sliced meat is served hot or cold, usually without side dishes.
Roast beef is also cooked over an open fire on the grill or in a sealed container in the oven. For flavor, a piece of beef is sometimes brushed with Dijon mustard before baking.