Cooking A Joint Of Beef

Carving your joint of beef, whether it is with a rechargeable electric knife or a manual one, is of course essential if you are to get the best from it in terms of both texture and flavor.

However, not matter how well you carve it, a joint of meat which is badly cooked is not going to be as enjoyable as it could be.

Cooking that fine joint of beef is not complicated but there are a few rules which you will need to follow.

First of all get good quality beef

If your beef is of low quality there is little you can do to make it tasty or tender. Only shop at a reputable butcher who knows how to hang meat for the right length of time and how to joint it properly. Bright red, vacuum packed beef from the supermarket is not what you want here . The meat should be a deep red and flecked with fat. If there is no fat then the meat will be dry. If there is a layer of fat on the meat do not remove it until after cooking.

Prepare the Meat

Weigh the meat so that you can calculate cooking times. Put the meat into the roasting pan making sure it is of an adequate size. Do not rub the meat with salt as this draws out the moisture and you will end up with dry, stringy meat.

Put It In The Oven

Start off with a hot oven to seal the flavor and juices into the meat - around 475 F for about 20 minutes. Then reduce to 375 F and cook for a further 15 minutes per pound.

Rare, Medium or Frazzled?

If you like you meat quite rare then this could be end of the cooking time. Otherwise continue to cook for 15 minutes more and then check the meat again using a skewer. Keep checking until it is done to your liking.

Resting -Important and Very Often Overlooked.

Never, ever, take meat from the oven and try to carve it straight away. Beef must be allowed to rest for at least 20 minutes after being taken from the oven. This allows the muscle fibers to relax and become tender. Cut it before this and you will have tough meat. Cover the joint with foil whilst it is resting to keep it hot.

Carving

Now you are ready to plug in your rechargeable electric knife or wield your freshly sharpened manual one !

 For help with carving methods you may now wish to refer to our page on how to carve beef.