Roast Beef - Northern European Recipe

Roast Beef

🌍 Northern European, British Difficulty: ●●○○○

🍳 Equipment: Roasting tin, meat stand

The classic British Sunday joint — sirloin or ribs roasted with dripping, served with gravy and horseradish. Mrs. Beeton's recipe is characteristically simple, letting the quality of the meat speak for itself.

Ingredients

• 1 joint of beef (sirloin, ribs, or aitchbone), about 4–6 lb
• Beef dripping
• Salt and pepper
• Gravy (from pan juices)
• Horseradish or horseradish sauce, to serve

Method

1. Prepare — Rub the joint with dripping and season well with salt and pepper. Weigh the meat to calculate cooking time.
2. Roast — Place the beef on a trivet or meat stand in a roasting tin, and roast in a hot oven, basting frequently with the dripping from the tin.
3. Baste — Spoon the hot fat over the meat at regular intervals throughout cooking to keep the surface crisp and the interior moist.
4. Rest — When cooked to the desired degree, remove from the oven and let the meat rest for 15–20 minutes before carving.
5. Make gravy — Drain off most of the fat from the roasting tin, add a little boiling water or stock to the sediment, and scrape up the browned juices. Season, boil up, and strain.
6. Serve — Carve into thin slices and serve with gravy and horseradish, or horseradish sauce.

Tags: beef, dripping, horseradish · Source: Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management (1861)