Best Slow Roasted Beef Cooks Illustrated Recipe 45 Recipes

SLOW ROAST BEEF

Steps:

• IMPORTANT NOTE: Take the beef out of the refrigerator at least one hour before you want to start cooking.
• PREPARE: Heat the oven to 80°C / 175°F and place a roasting dish large enough to hold the beef on the middle rack. Rinse the beef and dry well with paper towel.
• SEAR THE BEEF: Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil and the butter in a frying pan over a high heat. When the butter is hot and sizzling, brown the beef well on all sides. It's important to get plenty of colour on the beef at this point as the slow cooking later will not colour the beef at all. It should take around 10 minutes in total.
• MAKE THE GLAZE: Meanwhile, whisk together the remaining oil, mustard and paprika.
• ROAST THE BEEF: When the beef is well browned on all sides, remove from the heat. Season generously with salt and pepper, then brush all over with the mustard mixture. Place in the preheated roasting dish, insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the meat and roast in the oven for 2.5-3 hours until the thermometer reads or 60-62°C (140-144°F).
• MAKE THE GRAVY: To make the gravy, heat the butter in the pan that you browned the beef in. Cook the onion, celery and garlic over a medium heat, stirring until softened, around 10 minutes. Stir through the tomato paste and flour, cook for a further two minutes, then pour in the wine.
• THICKEN THE GRAVY: Use a wooden spatula or spoon to scrape up all the browned on flavour on the bottom of the pan, then stir in the beef stock. Simmer until thickened, season to taste with salt and pepper, then strain into a clean saucepan and keep warm.
• REST THE BEEF: When the beef is cooked, remove from the oven, cover with tinfoil and a tea towel and rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.
• MAKE YORKSHIRE PUDDINGS: To make the Yorkshire puddings, whisk together the flour and sea salt in a small bowl or jug. In a separate bowl whisk together the milk, water and egg, then stir the egg mixture into the flour until completely combined. Set aside for at least half an hour.
• COOK YORKSHIRE PUDDINGS: After the meat is out of the oven, turn the heat right up to 230°C / 450°F. Divide the oil or fat between 4 muffin tins and heat in the oven until smoking. When the fat is hot, quickly divide the batter between the tins. Return to the oven and cook without opening the oven door for 15 minutes until puffed and golden brown.
• SLICE AND SERVE: Serve the roast with gravy and Yorkshire puddings, I like to serve mine with honey glazed carrots and green beans.

SLOW-ROASTED BEEF

Steps:

• Pat roast dry with paper towels. Rub generously with salt (at least 1/4 cup) and pepper on all sides. Shake the roast gently, allowing any excess salt and pepper to fall off.
• Place a wire rack in a small rimmed baking sheet or lay 5 to 6 metal skewers across a large plate or baking sheet. Place roast on top of rack or skewers, making sure it is fully elevated above the bottom of the baking sheet. Place elevated roast on the bottom rack of your refrigerator, uncovered (or loosely covered with foil, if you are squeamish about raw meat), and let rest undisturbed for at least 24 hours and up to 48 hours.
• Transfer baking sheet with elevated roast directly from the refrigerator into a cold oven and set oven temperature to 225 degrees. Cook until the center of the roast reaches 120 degrees for rare, or 130 degrees for medium, as tested with a digital thermometer. Depending on the oven and the exact geometry of the roast, this will take 1 to 2 1/2 hours.
• Remove baking sheet with roast from oven and set on a trivet or on top of your stovetop. Let the roast rest on the baking sheet for at least 30 minutes.
• Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet (any heavy skillet without a nonstick coating will do) over high until lightly smoking. Sear roast, turning occasionally, until well browned on all sides, about 4 minutes total.
• Carve into thin slices with a sharp knife and serve what you'll eat today. When finished, carve remaining roast. Carefully lay fanned slices into zipper-lock freezer bags in layers no thicker than 1/2 inch. Squeeze out as much air as possible and stack sealed bags on an aluminum baking sheet. Place in freezer until completely frozen. Store frozen for up to 2 months.
• To thaw, place one bag of frozen sliced steak on an aluminum baking sheet at room temperature until defrosted, about 45 minutes. It is important to use an aluminum sheet, as the high thermal conductivity of aluminum greatly speeds up the thawing process. Use thawed sliced steak as desired.