Roastbeef for Dummies (base recipe)

There is nothing that you can wrong with a Roastbeef... and there is everything to be done wrong.

I plan to publish a few recipes to cook a perfect roast beef. I will start with a recipe that - unless you have two completely left hands - will always succeed.

Buy the right meat

Cooking a good meal from cheap meat is complete coincidence. In the kitchen, however, coincidence should be excluded as far as possible.

Don't save on meat. Eat less but buy good quality

For this reason it is always advisable to buy good meat. It is up to your own taste whether you buy an entrecôte or a sirloin steak. Fillet is of course also possible, but it is a bit exaggerated for a start.

Season the meat

When it comes to roast beef, I'm one of those people with a clear opinion: the meat must be seasoned thoroughly beforehand. This leads to a tasty crust.

Opinions differ on a steak, we'll get to that later.

Season with salt, pepper and plenty of thyme. Of course, spice mixtures are also possible, but please note that these often consist mainly of salt.

Searing hot is the key

The meat must be seared hot from all sides. Especially the fat side must be seared a little longer. It may become a little dark, even black. No, this does not close any pores, because meat has no pores. But it leads to the fact that the juice remains in the meat.

Trick for dummies: use a meat thermometer

With a meat thermometer the optimum core temperature can be achieved with pinpoint accuracy:

Medium rare (English): 50-54 degrees outside roasted, 50% inside raw

Medium: 54-56 degrees outside browned, 25% inside raw

medium well: 56-60 degrees inside light pink

well done: completely fried through 60-65 degrees

Let the meat rest

An old trick is to let the meat rest for a while under the aluminium foil after the oven. The rule of thumb is: let the meat rest exactly as long as it was in the oven.

Ingredients

For 4 people:

1,2 kg Roast beef (entrecôte or sirloin steak)

thyme

salt, pepper

vegetable oil

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees.

Season the meat well on all sides and let it marinate for at least half an hour.

In a large pan, heat the oil and brown the meat on all sides.

Put a meat thermometer into the meat.

Place the meat on a fireproof dish and put it in the oven.

Leave the meat in the oven until the desired core temperature is reached.

I recommend 55 or 56 degrees.

Take the meat out of the oven and cover it with aluminium foil.

Let it rest for at least 15 minutes.