Roast Beef
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the meat
Weigh the meat.
Wipe the meat.
If necessary, tie it up but do not skewer it.
Heat dripping in a roasting tin and place a trivet in it.
Put the meat in the tin.
Roast
Baste the cut sides and cook in a hot oven at 400°F (200°C) to form a casing around the meat.
Reduce the heat and cook for 15 minutes per pound plus an additional 15 minutes.
Baste frequently.
Place the meat on a hot dish when done.
Make the gravy
To make the gravy, pour off the fat from the roasting tin, leaving the brown sediment.
Add coarse sea salt and stir until brown, then pour in about ½ pint boiling water or stock.
Stir around the tin until all sediment is dissolved, bring to a boil, and boil for a few minutes.
Skim off the fat from the top, pour a little gravy around the meat, and serve the remainder in a hot sauceboat.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Beef roast
- Forms the main body of the dish; its connective tissue and fat soften and enrich the meat during slow roasting.
- Dripping
- Conducts heat to the meat surface and helps brown it, while adding rich flavour.
- Coarse sea salt
- Seasons the meat and helps the browned sediment in the tin develop flavour for the gravy.
- Boiling water or stock
- Lifts the browned sediment from the tin, dissolving it to form the body and flavour of the gravy.
The step that matters
Searing the casing in a hot oven. Browning the surface at high heat creates flavourful Maillard browning and a crust that seals in juices. Too low a heat gives grey, pale meat with less flavour.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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