How to cook roast silverside
Preheat the oven to 250°C / Fan 230°C / Gas 9, sear the meat for 15 minutes in the oven. After searing reduce oven temperature to 190°C / Fan 170°C / Gas 5 and cook for:
Rare: 10-12 minutes per 450g
Medium: 14-16 minutes per 450g
Well Done: 20-22 minutes per 450g
: We would recommend this joint is cooked to medium bearing in mind that the residual heat in the joint can cook it on as much as 10°C, so the roast can be removed early and allowed to finish cooking as it rests.
Once your joint is cooked to your liking, remove from oven. Place on a board or platter, cover with foil and leave to rest for at least 20 minutes. Once rested, carve the meat across the grain in thin even slices.
A nice way to cook roast silverside
Ingredients
1kg silverside with no added fat
2 tbsp olive oil
8 young carrots, tops trimmed (but leave a little, if you like)
1 celery stick, finely chopped
200ml white wine
600ml rich beef stock
2 bay leaves
500g onion
a few thyme sprigs
1 tsp butter
A tsp light brown or light muscovado sugar
2 tsp plain flour
Method
STEP 1
Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Rub the meat with 1 tsp of the oil and plenty of seasoning. Heat a large flameproof casserole dish and brown the meat all over for about 10 mins. Meanwhile, add 2 tsp oil to a frying pan and fry the carrots and celery for 10 mins until turning golden.
STEP 2
Lift the beef onto a plate, splash the wine into the hot casserole and boil for 2 mins. Pour in the stock, return the beef, then tuck in the carrots, celery and bay leaves, trying not to submerge the carrots too much. Cover and cook in the oven for 2 hrs. (I like to turn the beef halfway through cooking.)
STEP 3
Meanwhile, thinly slice the onions. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and stir in the onions, thyme and some seasoning. Cover and cook gently for 20 mins until the onions are softened but not coloured. Remove the lid, turn up the heat, add the butter and sugar, then let the onions caramelise to a dark golden brown, stirring often. Remove the thyme sprigs, then set aside.
STEP 4
When the beef is ready, it will be tender and easy to pull apart at the edges. Remove it from the casserole and snip off the strings. Reheat the onion pan, stir in the flour and cook for 1 min. Whisk the floury onions into the beefy juices in the casserole, to make a thick onion gravy. Taste for seasoning. Add the beef and carrots back to the casserole, or slice the beef and bring to the table on a platter, with the carrots to the side and the gravy spooned over.
