How to cook British beef
Buying a good bit of beef is half the job. The other half is cooking it the right way, and that depends on where on the animal it came from.
The cuts along the back (fore rib, sirloin, fillet and rump) barely work, so they're naturally tender. They want quick, high heat and are best served pink. The neck, chest and legs work hard all day and are full of connective tissue. Rush them and they're tough. Give them long, gentle cooking and that tissue melts into rich, tender meat and a sauce with real body.
Below is how we'd prepare it, how to tell when it's done, and how to get the best from every cut on our counter. If you're ever unsure, just ask us when you buy it.
Preparing beef
Take it out of the fridge first. Give steaks 20–30 minutes and joints about an hour. Meat that goes in fridge-cold cooks unevenly, and you get a grey outside before the middle is ready.
Pat it dry. Use kitchen paper to dry the surface. Wet meat steams instead of browning, and browning is where the flavour comes from.
Season properly. Salt it either just before it goes in the pan, or at least 40 minutes ahead (overnight in the fridge is even better for joints). In between those times, the salt draws moisture to the surface and you'll struggle to get a good crust. Add pepper at the end, because it burns in a hot pan.
Trim with care. Take off any tough silver skin and hard sinew, but leave most of the fat on. It bastes the meat and carries the flavour.
Brown in batches. When you're browning diced beef, don't overcrowd the pan. Too much at once drops the temperature, and the meat ends up stewing in its own juices instead of browning.
Always rest it. Rest steaks for 5 minutes and joints for 15–30 minutes, loosely covered with foil. The juices settle back into the meat instead of running all over the board.
Carve against the grain. Look at which way the fibres run and slice across them, not along them. The same piece of meat will eat noticeably more tender.
A myth worth losing: searing doesn't "seal in the juices". We sear for colour and flavour, which is reason enough.
How to tell when it's done
A digital meat thermometer is the best few pounds you'll spend in the kitchen. Push it into the thickest part of the meat, away from any bone. These are the temperatures to aim for after resting:
Rare: 50–52°C
Medium-rare: 55–57°C
Medium: 60–63°C
Medium-well: 65–67°C
Well done: 70°C and above
Meat keeps cooking while it rests, so take steaks off the heat about 3°C before your target and joints about 5°C before.
Slow-cooked cuts work differently
Shin, brisket and neck are safe to eat long before they're ready. They only turn tender once the connective tissue breaks down, at around 85–95°C, and that takes time as well as temperature. Forget the clock and test them: when a fork or probe slides in with no resistance, they're done.
Food safety: what can be pink and what can't
Whole steaks and solid joints can be served pink. Any bacteria are on the outside and are killed when you sear or roast it.
Mince, burgers and sausages must be cooked right through. Mincing spreads the outside all through the meat. Cook until there's no pink in the middle, the juices run clear and the centre reaches 70°C for 2 minutes (or 75°C).
Boned and rolled joints should be cooked through too. Rolling folds the outside surface into the middle of the joint, so the Food Standards Agency advises cooking rolled joints until the juices run clear. If you want a pink roast, buy it on the bone or as a solid, unrolled joint, and ask us if you're not sure which you've got.
Cooking methods
Best for: Fore Rib, Sirloin, Fillet, Rump, Topside and Thick Flank.
Start in a hot oven at 220°C (200°C fan) for 20 minutes to brown the outside, then turn it down to 180°C (160°C fan). After the first 20 minutes, allow roughly:
Rare: 15 minutes per 500g
Medium: 20 minutes per 500g
Well done: 25 minutes per 500g
Treat those times as a starting point and use the thermometer to decide when it's actually ready. A bone-in rib cooks a little slower than a boned joint of the same weight. A long, thin joint cooks faster than a short, thick one.
Best for: Sirloin, Ribeye, Rump, Fillet, Flat Iron and Bavette
Get a heavy frying pan or griddle smoking hot before the steak goes in. Oil the steak, not the pan.
For a 2.5cm steak, allow roughly 1½–2 minutes each side for rare, 2–3 minutes for medium-rare and 3–4 minutes for medium. Thicker steaks need longer, and a thermometer takes out the guesswork.
Turning the steak every minute is fine. It cooks more evenly, and the "only turn it once" rule is a myth.
For the last minute, add a knob of butter, a crushed garlic clove and a sprig of thyme, then spoon the foaming butter over the steak.
For steaks thicker than about 4cm, sear both sides hard, then finish in a 200°C (180°C fan) oven until the thermometer says it's ready.
Rest for 5 minutes before you slice it.
Best for: Chuck and Clade, Thick Rib, Brisket, Silverside, Topside and Thin Rib.
Braising means cooking the meat partly covered in liquid, in a dish with a lid, at a low temperature.
Brown the meat well all over, then take it out of the pan.
Soften onions, carrots and celery in the same pan and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom.
Put the meat back and add stock, wine or ale until it comes about a third to halfway up the meat.
Cover with a tight lid and cook at 150°C (130°C fan) for 2½–4 hours, depending on the size and cut, until it's tender.
The meat and the gravy come out of the same pot.
Best for: Neck and Clod, Chuck and Blade, Shin, Leg and Brisket.
Stewing means smaller pieces, fully covered in liquid.
Dice the meat into 3–4cm chunks. Smaller pieces dry out and fall apart before the sauce is ready.
Dust the meat in seasoned flour if you want a thicker gravy, then brown it in batches.
Cover with liquid and cook at a gentle simmer, where the bubbles barely break the surface. Do it on the hob or in the oven at 150°C (130°C fan). If it boils hard, the meat turns tough and stringy however long you cook it.
Allow 2½–4 hours. In a slow cooker, allow 7–8 hours on low.
Stews are even better the next day, once the flavours have had time to settle.
Barbecuing and smoking
Best for: steaks, flat iron and bavette over direct heat; brisket, thin rib and short ribs low and slow.
Set up two zones. Pile the coals on one side for direct, searing heat and leave the other side empty for indirect, gentler cooking.
Steaks: sear them over the hot side, then move them to the cool side to finish without burning the outside.
Low and slow: keep the barbecue at 110–125°C. Brisket and ribs can take a long day, and brisket often sits at around 65–75°C for hours while it renders (known as "the stall"). Wrapping it in butcher's paper or foil gets it through the stall faster. It's done when a probe slides in with no resistance, usually at 90–95°C.
Rest a smoked brisket wrapped for at least an hour before slicing it. Don't skip this step.