fatted top side beef, best way to cook?

DilbertJones

slow cooker or roasted? which is tastiest and how?

Queenie

roasted!

15 mins per lb for rare
25 for medium
35 for well done (yuk!)
plus 30 mins extra



Don't forget the Yorkshire puds :drool:

DilbertJones

what makes roasted the best way?

what does slow cooking lack that roasted has

Queenie

SC is a less dense flavour - but more tender

Roasted brings out the full rich flavour of the beef and as you have a good layer of fat to keep the joint moist, it will have a stronger, richer flavour than if it were done in the SC.

In the SC, if you cook it a tad too long, it will go "streaky" when you cut it; in the oven it will hold it's shape better.

In the SC, even though you won't need to add any fluid, it will create a LOT of fluid from the joint; in the oven, it won't create *as* much juice and that again seems to reflect in the overall flavour.

Finally - I haven't found a way to roast potatoes around a meat joint in a SC (and roast tatties around a beef joint is to die for!) nor have I found a way to do the Yorkshires in a SC ... if you are doing tatties and Yorkies, you'll need to heat the oven anyway, so fuel wise, taste wise, oven over SC on this one.

But ... that is just my personal opinion

Queenie

One more thing, topside doesn't require the long, slooooow cooking that other joints of beef, such as brisket, do.

Cheaper cuts of beef require slow cooking to be edible! Topside isn't one of them.

DilbertJones

what a lovely detailed reply queeny, i shall take your advice on board.

just one more thing, roasted potatoes next to the beef joint in the same tray, would you use anything to coat the potatoes? if so what?and how? i have goose fat in the fridge

lil_me

I did mine in the SC for Christmas day as the oven was 'busy', cooked for about 3 hours and was a 2kg+ piece. Wrapped in foil, put in the SC with a little water for the stock, which made an amazing gravy. It was extremely tender, still rare in the middle of course, the fat just sort of slipped off, pleased I had an electric knife bought for me as a present to cut, but ever so lovely Just if you did want to do it in the SC, it is possible

tr3mor

Roast beef should be roasted, not slow cooked

grannybroon

Queenie

Just about every thread I go you have such marvellous advice - you are a star.

You were fantastic with my huge error Stardrops and Zoflora. I think of myself as a very sensible person with one or two senior moments. That was huge with the S & Z especially with grandchildren about the place.

Apart from keeping all these threads going what else do you do? Strickly Come Dancing, Superstar etc - you would win - your are the Queenie of OS!

GB

PS I slow cook every joint unless I forget to cut it in half before freezing and too big for SC. Large legs of lamb have to be done in oven but reckon savings we make elsewhere make up for extra leccie. Had SC for 10 years and couldn't live without it. I think flavour good. I only have reservations about cooking chicken as I am a bit funny about that - if slightly pink at all won,t eat.

Leccie down hugely now it is just the two of us. Bills horrendous when kids still at home.

grannybroon

lil_me

I didn't realise you could slow cook in foil with water for the stock. What a tip!

Ta

GB

grannybroon

robodan

I use the Dairy Cooking recipe for roastie pots. Put tin in to heat up about 220, add a mix of butter and olive oil for a couple of mins back in oven. Put in parboiled pots and keep basting with pastry brush and turning -30-45 mins depending on size. My family rave about them. Xmas day roasties fab!

GB