If you have a fancy dinner or a family roast coming up, chances are you may want to cook a beef joint. If this leaves you in a flap, don’t fear for we have all the information you need to know…

Cooking a beef joint can seem like a terrifying prospect. It takes a lot of effort and can go wrong so easily. However, this can all be down to a poor choice of cut and not knowing how to cook each cut. Nailing down just a few different recipes can show all of your friends and family that you are a force to be reckoned with in the kitchen. Here are just a few different ideas on cooking various beef joints.

Whilst it would be easy to think that knowing how to cook one piece of beef would be a catch-all for beef products. However, sadly that is not the case. There can be a huge difference between the cuts and how you cook them.

Fore ribs: The fore ribs are one of the prime roasting cuts because of the lean muscle that is also nicely marbled. The joint itself is usually covered with a natural layer of fat and is better when roasted on the bone. One tip that can be especially helpful is to get the butcher to semi-detach the backbone from the ribs so that the joint is easier to carve.

Sirloin: Often preferred as a steak cut due to the strip of fat located around the outside edge that provides flavor and texture. However, it can also be used as a fantastic tasting joint of beef. It may have less natural fat compared to the fore rib but is much more tender. Due to this, it can be more expensive.

Topside, Silverside, and Top Rump: These three cuts are all great for roasting as they can produce tender lean slices of roast beef. These muscles are used continuously by the cow and so are the leanest cuts available. You may sacrifice flavor here for tenderness, but this can be combatted by wrapping thin sheets of fat around the outside of the joint.

Fillet: This is by far the leanest cut of beef there is on the market. In any good quality fillet, there will be no fat and when cooked correctly, it should be the most tender piece of beef you have tried. This should be used in much more classic dishes like the beef wellington rather than on a roast beef dish. Even then it can be utilized most efficiently as a steak to create that dream meal.

Tips for cooking beef

One of the most fundamental tips for cooking beef is to let the meat come to room temperature. This is called blooming the steak. It prevents any residual water from stopping the meat from being cooked the way you want it. You can either grill the meat or roast it. If you have a large joint then roasting it over a long period is always recommended. Grilling steaks on the other hand should be done at high temperatures with 4 turns and only 2 flips.

Before the meat is served, it should always be allowed to rest so that the meat will remain tender.

Beef Joints

These can be enjoyed at a family dinner without the stress of worrying that you will ruin the meat. Just remember to ask your butcher for advice and to cook the meat in the way that it is meant to be cooked.