Roast Beef with Caramelised Onion Gravy Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the best cut of meat for roast beef and gravy? ›

My first choice for a beef roast is a top-round roast (also known as inside round). If you can't find one where you are, other good options are top sirloin roast, bottom round roast, or eye of round roast.

When cooking a roast in the oven, keep it uncovered until roasted to the desired doneness. After removing from the oven, tent with foil and let stand 15 minutes before carving. This allows the juices to redistribute, preventing them from draining out during carving—and preventing dry, disappointing meat.

It is typically cooked low and slow for several hours until it becomes tender and flavorful. Because of its versatility and affordable price, gravy beef is a popular cut for a wide variety of dishes and is an excellent choice for slow-cooking recipes that require a rich, flavorful sauce.

Gravy beef is a cut that comes from three main areas; the hind leg and the front leg (also known as shin) plus the neck area. It is rich in flavour and is traditionally used with the bone in for excellent stews and soups.

When roasting meat and poultry, set the oven temperature to 325°F (163°C) or higher. Explore the charts below to learn how to get great results every time you cook.

Tenderloin. The most tender roast of all—it's under the spine— with almost no fat or flavor. It's tapered in shape, the middle being the "center cut." The labor involved and waste produced in trimming and tying a tenderloin drives up the price.

To give your meat a flavourful crispy exterior, cook uncovered on a rack set in a shallow roasting pan. Don't add water! Invest in a digital thermometer that lets you monitor the temperature of your roast – or even alert you when it's done – without opening the oven door.

Season it well: Season the beef generously with salt, pepper, and any herbs or spices you like. Be sure to rub the seasoning into the beef to ensure it's evenly coated. Get the temperature right: The ideal temperature for roast beef is 52°C for medium-rare, 58°C for medium, and 68°C for well done.

There are several reasons why this could have happened even after so much cooking. First, your choice of a rump roast could be a factor since cuts from the hind quarter are very muscular and, since muscles are the most resistant to breaking, this cut is quite stubborn when it comes to becoming tender.

Whether hosting a holiday cookout, serving up some stir-fry or tackling game meats, baking soda is the go-to meat tenderizer to help make your steak, chicken or turkey silkier, juicier and yummier.

How do Chinese make beef so tender? ›

In Chinese cooking, proteins like beef, pork or chicken are velveted first before stir-frying them. There are several ways to velvet, but at its most basic level, it involves marinating meat with at least one ingredient that will make it alkaline. This is what tenderizes the meat, especially cheaper, tougher cuts.

My beef gravy recipe is delicious for sure – but it's also bare bones. There's so much you can do to spice things up! One easy way to improve your gravy is to add a good balance of flavors — mustard, wine, or vinegar for acidity and some herbs for freshness, for example.

What is the gravy at KFC made of? The restaurant uses a simple combination of gravy powder, water, and – their secret ingredient – chicken crackling. This is a collection of the browned bits and pieces leftover from frying their world famous chicken.

If your gravy is on the skimpy side, you can thicken it quickly with flour or cornstarch. But don't add your thickener directly to the gravy, which will create lumps. Instead, try stirring in three or four tablespoons of flour or cornstarch into a small amount of cold water until you have a smooth paste.

The best cut of beef for roast beef:

There's no single cut of beef that is necessary to make roast beef; some common cuts include top-round roast, top sirloin roast, bottom-round roast, and eye of round roast. We usually use a top-round roast, but a bottom-round roast would work too. If you're unsure, ask your butcher!

Topside, silverside and top rump

These three prime cuts are all fantastic for roasting, as they are very tender and can be carved into large lean slices. However, because the muscles used for these cuts carry less marbling, they are usually sold 'barded'.

While both are large, tough cuts of budget-friendly beef, the main difference that sets these two roasts apart is where on the animal they're cut from. Top round roast is cut from the rear leg and is more lean than chuck roast, which is cut from the shoulder and contains more fat.

The cross rib roast is part of the chuck, but there are some differences between the two cuts. The cross rib roast is taken from the part of the chuck just before the prime rib, so this part naturally has a higher fat content. The chuck tends to be tougher and leaner, which is why it is so often slow-cooked.