Cooking crap beef slowly - advice needed

[craigjm]

I have just been presented with the beef joint for dinner tonight. Horror of horrors its a morrisons "roasting joint" that doesn't even tell you what cut it is. OK so the label says heat oven to 200 and roast for medium for 20 mins per 500g and 20 mins over so for this 1500g joint thats 80 mins. Now that sounds to me like tough as old boots timings. How do I calculate it to cook it much slower, whilst still roasting it because i dont have a slow cooker, so that it comes out medium and edible?

[HarryFlatters]

craigjm said:

so that it comes out medium and edible?

I wouldn't even try tbh...

If you do, I'd probably sear it in a pan, then lob into the oven to as low as it'll go and keep checking it with a meat thermometer. It'll take a while, but shouldn't overcook. Cooking it at 200C sounds like a perfect way of making something that you can resole your shoes with :|

What I'd do is cube it and braise it.

[Sowler]

Meat thermometer in there and cook at about 160 ish until the internal temp is at 45 degree c then remove, cover it and rest for about 20 mins. The internal temp will continue to rise and will probably reach about 55-60 which should give you a medium beef.

[craigjm]

Yeah problem is i dont have a meat thermometer and there is no option to braise etc because they are expecting a roast.

[tricky1962]

A pot roast?

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2875673/potroas...

[Foliage]

Beef curry, cut it into strips, marinade it for 24hrs then fry it off.

[Sowler]

You should be able to get a meat thermometer quite easily. I've even seen them in Tesco these days.

[craigjm]

Sowler said:

You should be able to get a meat thermometer quite easily. I've even seen them in Tesco these days.

I do need one really guess this is the excuse to buy one!

[Sowler]

The heat proof ones I find best. As in you just stick it in the joint and chuck the whole lot in the oven and you can monitor the temp through the window in your oven without having to keep taking the meat out to probe check the temperature.

[21TonyK]

The only way I have ever made anything labelled "roasting joint" or top/silverside for that matter is to slow roast to an internal temp of about 50 as described.

Then, allow it to cool and then chill it before slicing really thinly.

[barryrs]

I second the braising option; an inch of water in the tin and tightly covered with foil if you dont have a pot big enough.

[Dan_1981]

I've pot roasted a few of these types of joints before and they come out 'OK'

Better than done straight in the oven.

[rsbmw]

a roasting joint like that probably won't have the connective tissue required to make slow cooking viable - you're probably better off following instructions and cooking it to medium

[craigjm]

Ive just got myself an oven proof thermometer and I'm going to try the suggestion above about lowering the temperature and cooking to 50ish

[fttm]

whack in some carrots onions and celery with a small amount of stock/wine/water cover with foil then as roast as slowly as time restraints allow .

[Bradgate]

I would definitely cook topside / silverside medium-rare to retain as much succulence as possible.

I would season well, sear properly on all sides in a hot pan then roast at about 180c (covered with beef fat if possible) for 25 mins per kg, followed by a good rest under foil.

[calibrax]

No matter how you cook it, when you slice it, slice it very thin. Otherwise it will be chewy and hard to eat.

[Sharted]

A similar piece of meat turned up on Sunday although half the size.
I've never got this right before but this week was the exception.

Seared on all sides in a piping hot pan.

Mixed up some mustard powder, olive oil, salt and pepper to cover the little bit of browned fat.

In the oven for under 30 mins at Gas 4 and rested for a long time.

Sliced thinly was very rare and tender.

I was chuffed as normally these little, lean joints are tough as a Gurkha's foreskin.

[BrabusMog]

Sharted said:

I was chuffed as normally these little, lean joints are tough as a Gurkha's foreskin.

I've not heard that one before!

[craigjm]

I went with the Sowler and Tony2k option after picking up a cheap in over meat thermometer. At 160 it took the same amount of time to cook to medium as the packet said it would at 200!! It was OK for cheap meat i guess, definitely medium and not tough. Will see what the rest is like cold later. Thanks guys.