Helping buying a joint of beef

YORKSHIRELASS

Hi

I need to buy a joint of beef for dinner tomorrow night for a special occasion. We can rarely afford joints of beef and I dont want to make an expensive mistake. I am going to splash out a bit so what should I buy and how long should I cook it for? Also, how much do I need for 5 adults and 2 kids with enough left over for a few sandwiches?

Your advice would be great, especially as I have got my mum and MIL coming round and would like to impress them both!

scottishminnie

If I'm going to buy beef for dinner and then use cold for sandwiches I tend to buy silverside (may also be called topside). If I'm being a bit more frugal I buy brisket.

In terms of cooking I like it well done so I work on the basis of 30 minutes per pound and 30 minutes over and above. So for a 3lb joint that would be 3x30 = 90 minutes + 30 over =total of 120 mins or 2 hours and I would cook at 180c in a fan assisted oven.

Amount - well hubby and I like our food as do most of our friends and family so I go for 12/14 oz per person. I guess I would be looking at 4.5 -5 lb joint for you but that's just a personal opinion. Maybe some other less greedy people can give a view too:)

It freezes well once cooked so it's not a disaster if you have too much.

Hope your meal goes well:)

Meant to say if you buy at a butchers they will probably ask if you want a piece of suet/fat for the top. I usually take it, drape it over the joint before wrapping loosely in tinfoil and popping in a casserole dish with the lid on.

Lagopus

I'd ask the butcher. You're in the same situation as we were a bit back, we went to our local supermarket (Booths) who have a good butchery department - I told them how many folk we were feeding etc - they sold us some nice silverside and told me how long to cook it for etc. We ended up paying £17 for it!!! But, it fed 6 of us for a roast, was delicious and lasted for sarnies for lunch the next day, cold meat the next night and stir fry the night after.

Good luck!

Mrs_Chip

It really depends how much you have to spend. I always buy rolled sirloin for special occasions, but it is very expensive!

There is not too much fat on the inside of the joint, so not a lot of waste, and cooked on the rare side it is delicious hot or cold. It does not need a lot of cooking, to get the best out of it.

Rolled rib is very tasty, but more fatty.

Rib on the bone is delicious, very dramatic to bring and carve at the table.

a 1.5 - 2 kilo rolled joint should give you plenty of meat and leftovers, you will need a bigger joint if it is on the bone.

meritaten

best advice? go to a high street butcher and tell him exactly what you said here! my guess is that he would recommend a cheaper cut of meat that you roast for longer.
If you have to get it from the supermarket - then look for a nice big piece of brisket - dont get fooled by a bright red colour - buy the one with the darker meat and a good bit of fat running through it - its called marbling and it gives the beef its tenderness and flavour. It wont shrink as much either. Cook it low and slow! only the expensive cuts can be cooked quickly - but they DONT have the flavour of the cheaper cuts.
If you cannot get brisket then Topside or Silverside are good joints - but they should be cooked more quickly - They need fat added to them though, rub them with butter or lard or oil and rub some salt and pepper on them. the oven needs to be higher - medium to high heat.
most important - leave the joint to 'rest' for at least 15 minutes before slicing - this allows the meat to relax and reabsorb its juices. then make the gravy and if the meat is a bit cold you can warm it up in the gravy!
hope this helps - but if you are still not sure - then there are plenty of recipes for Roast Beef on www.foodnetwork.co.uk

BitterAndTwisted

Good call about the colour. Decent beef that's been hung for long enough should be a nice deep claret colour and not that pale scarlet you generally see in the supermarkets. Often, when choosing a cut it's a choice between tenderness and flavour" the former more expensive and the latter cheaper This really is a time to have a chat with a good, local independent butcher. Also, I reckon 6-8 ounces per person off the bone should be enough. I always used to rest roasted meat for at least 20-25 minutes before carving. Plenty of time to make the gravy and get the oven up on high to crisp up the roast potatoes. If you like roast beef pink cook it for 15 minutes per pound with another 15 minutes on the end.

YORKSHIRELASS

Thanks everyone, some really helpful stuff there. Following your advice I am off to the butchers this morning. I just find sometimes they start talking about different cuts of meat and I feel like I should know what they are talking about. At least you have given me some information to start with so I have an idea.

Last time I cooked a joint of beef I got brisket and I think I overcooked it because we couldnt even carve it - it just fell to bits! Good advice about resting it too, one of those things you know you should do but can get forgotten when you are wanting to get it on the table.

donny-gal

Brisket I always do in the SC with beef stock, and cook carrots around it too. Other joints of meat I still use the SC but pop them in dry on high for 3-4 hours depending on size, they always come out tender (DH hates to have to chew meat). You should seal the joints before putting them in the SC, but I just pop them straight in. DG

hotcookie101

For a proper, traditional roast, you really can't go wrong with rib, preferably on the bone. Cooked rare (I use HFW timings-30mins at 230, then drop temperature to 160, then 10 minutes per 500g, then REST for at least 30 mins) it is unbeatable! However, some people don't like rare, I'm not really a fan of "brown" beef, unless it's in stew, but I do brisket slow roasted in an italian tomato sauce that I then shred the leftover beef into to make ragu. If you like rare, I would highly recommend rib over topside-it is SO much moister (and don't waste your money on a supermarket one-get one from a good butcher where the meat is well hung. I got a 3.5kg rib of beef, on the bone, from white poll beef, hung for 4 weeks, from the farm shop last week for £35. Yes its :eek: expensive, but we have it once in a blue moon, and it will feed us for a few days!)

Its dark dark red, dull looking as it is properly dry aged-the moisture has evaporated so you get more for your money

chef002

I hope all went well for you, but, frankly, you shouldn't be starting from this point on a 24 hr timetable.

I would pot-roast - always safest if you are not fully cognisant with the meat on offer from your supplier - good roasting beef is expensive - and roast topside is for caterers as you can slice it very thinly - silverside and brisket have a lot of flavour if cooked long and slow - I suggest a hike around charity shops looking for a cheap secondhand copy of the Good Housekeeping Cookbook - a good standard text for any domestic cook. Read it and good luck for the future.

nuttyrockeress

Hiya,

To tag on to this post, we have friends and their 3 children coming for a buffet this evening. There will be 9 of us in total.

I have just picked up a 3Ib joint of topside from the butcher which I want to cook and use so people can take slices to go on rolls.

Can anyone recommend the best way to get this quite tender and not too chewy but not well done?

Usually I would cook on a high temp for 30mins and reduce for the remaining time - I would rub the beef in flour and mustard powder and pepper.

Any recommendations please?