Roasting beef: choose the method before the gravy

Know your beef joint before choosing cooking times. A helpful guide to preparation, carving and making the most of a traditional roast.

A roasting joint deserves a proper introduction

“Beef for Sunday” is an excellent intention, but it is not quite a cooking instruction. Before the potatoes are peeled, find out the cut, weight and preparation of the joint you are buying. If the description simply says roasting beef, ask which recipe and method the team recommends for that piece.

It is a small conversation with a very useful result. Otherwise you can find yourself holding a joint in one hand and reading three contradictory internet timings in the other, which is not the relaxed start anyone was hoping for.

Match the recipe to the meat

A leaner joint prepared for slicing needs a different approach from a cut intended for a long braise. Do not assume every piece sold for roasting will also become falling-apart beef in a slow cooker. Ask first, then choose the recipe.

Check whether the meat is rolled or otherwise prepared, and use cooking guidance that accounts for that. Whole intact beef can have different requirements from rolled meat. The FSA explains the distinction in the link below. A food thermometer and suitable instructions are more useful than deciding it looks about right from the other side of the oven door.

Carving is part of the cooking

Have a stable board, a sharp carving knife and a warm serving dish ready. Follow the recipe’s resting instructions, then look at the direction of the muscle fibres before slicing. Cutting across them rather than following their length can make a noticeable difference to the eating.

Try a small slice first and adjust your angle. There is no prize for carving with unnecessary speed, however enthusiastic the audience. Keep the first portions comfortable and offer more. Thin, neatly arranged slices with hot gravy often make a more welcoming plate than a single heroic slab.

Give the leftovers an actual destination

Decide whether you want enough for another meal when buying, rather than discovering afterwards that you have catered for people who were never invited. Cold beef can be lovely in sandwiches with mustard and crisp leaves, or served with a sharp dressing and a substantial salad.

Cool and refrigerate cooked leftovers within two hours, then eat within 48 hours or freeze. If reheating, do it only once and heat thoroughly throughout. Keep the portions you intend to save separate from the serving platter where possible.

Most of all, give the beef a straightforward plate: vegetables you like, a potato worth looking forward to and gravy within easy reach. Sunday lunch does not need to be complicated to feel like somebody has taken care of you.

Explore the relevant Malpas range
https://www.malpasfarmshop.co.uk/product-page/3-5kg-uk-fresh-roasting-beef-2-5kg-uk-fresh-skin-on-boneless-pork-loin

Read next
Pork crackling: give your roast a proper crunch
https://www.malpasfarmshop.co.uk/portfolio/pork-crackling-guide

Cooking Chateaubriand: a calmer Sunday centrepiece
https://www.malpasfarmshop.co.uk/portfolio/cooking-chateaubriand

Further guidance
Food Standards Agency: Cooking your food
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cooking-your-food/cooking-your-food

Food Standards Agency: Chilling, freezing and defrosting
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-chill-freeze-and-defrost-food-safely/how-to-chill-freeze-and-defrost-food-safely

For illustration purposes only.