Roast beef

What is Roast Beef?

Roast beef is always a nice 'large' piece of beef with an optional thin layer of fat. Our butchers always cut the roast beef from the hindquarter of the cow (or calf). Roast beef is by itself always quite lean and can officially be called lean meat. Meat can receive the lean designation if it contains less than 20% fat. For mince, however, the threshold is slightly different; it can be called lean if it is 15%. Back to roast beef. Although we always cut it from the hindquarter – as our butchers find this the most suitable part, but that's beside the point – roast beef can also be cut from the thin loin.

Names for Roast Beef

When you think of Roast Beef, you naturally also think of roast beef, and that’s correct, as it is directly translated. But a rib eye roast, chuck roast, and sirloin roll are essentially all roast beef. They are all classics for a Sunday roast in any case, so indulge yourself!

Abroad, roast beef (hindquarter) is called eye of round. The Eye of Round gets its name very simply from its location in the cow. It is cut from the primal round (hindquarter in Dutch).

Seasoning Roast Beef

A roast beef doesn't actually need much. You can season it with salt and pepper or choose a nice rub to season the roast beef. Of course, you could also experiment with various spices for your roast beef. Fresh herbs like rosemary or dried spices like nutmeg, cloves, or cinnamon.. A great spice mix for roast beef is finely chopped fresh rosemary (without stems), finely chopped garlic, chili flakes, salt, and pepper.

How to Cook Roast Beef in the Oven

Roast beef can be prepared in various ways, and perhaps one of the most popular methods is cooking it in the oven. Therefore, below is a preparation method for roast beef in the oven in 7 steps!

1. Plan ahead, thaw the roast beef a few days in advance (or a few hours in cold water), and take it out of the refrigerator 5 hours before cooking to reach room temperature.
2. Preheat the oven to 120°C for even cooking and heat the pan or grill to maximum heat.
3. Sear or grill the roast beef all around brown in a large pan with butter or on the grill until it is completely brown and any fat edges are nicely crunchy.
4. Move the roast beef to the preheated oven, place the seared roast beef in an oven dish, and add the rendered fat.
5. Time: Use the schedule below for your own planning; these times are indicative. Always measure the core temperature for these types of meat. Use the temperatures from the core temperature schedule.
6. Resting: let the meat rest for 10 minutes before slicing/serving.
7. Season the meat after searing or afterwards with salt and pepper or a rub of your choice.

Can Roast Beef Be Cooked Sous Vide?

Roast beef can certainly be cooked very well sous vide! It's important to double-check that the vacuum packaging is still completely intact. Sometimes the meat in the freezer or during transport might have shifted slightly, causing a hole in the vacuum seal. This is not something you want when placing it in a water bath. Therefore, it is best to reseal it if there is a hole in the packaging. Everything is good and the meat is already thawed? Then use the following settings for your sous vide device: for rare, 52 degrees in 3 hours; medium/rare, 54 degrees in 3 hours; and for medium, 57 degrees in 3 hours. Then sear the roast beef for a golden-brown crust and let it rest a bit longer.

Roast Beef Core Temperature

Although a steak can sometimes be cooked by feel, it's much better to monitor the core temperature when cooking a roast. Measuring is knowing! Therefore, here are the desired core temperatures for roast beef:

Rare roast beef: 52 degrees Celsius
Medium rare roast beef: 54 degrees Celsius
Medium roast beef: 57 degrees Celsius
Well-done/Rose roast beef: 62 degrees Celsius

How Many Grams of Roast Beef per Person

Roast beef is a popular roast that can be beautifully prepared as a whole piece. As a guideline, you can follow the weights below per person.

Roast Beef as a Main Course

Small/Normal eater: 150-250 grams
Big eater: 250-400 grams
Carnivore: 400-600 grams

Buying Roast Beef Online

Buying roast beef online is easy. We have beautiful roasts. For the Sunday Roast, to impress during a dinner party, or just because you can. Order your roast beef or roast online at The Butchery and we deliver it quickfrozen – preserving all flavor and nutrients – to your home! It can then go straight back into the freezer, handy if you want to use it later! Feel free to add to your shopping cart with freezer fillers such as homemade burgers, braadworst, chicken fillet, or a fine roast for Sunday. Shipping is free from 60 euros.

Roast Beef Quickfrozen Delivered

When you order roast beef from us, you automatically receive it deeply frozen at your home. How exactly does this work? We'd be happy to tell you! As soon as the roast beef arrives, our butchers get to work with the meat. The roast beef is expertly trimmed and portioned, or nicely cut to size. Then we vacuum seal the roast beef and apply a product sticker after weighing. We strive to freeze the meat within an hour after production. This ensures that nutritional values and flavor are best preserved. Our team packs the order together in the freezer in the morning (for evening delivery) and packages it in an insulated bag with a generous scoop of dry ice. Therefore, your order is only on the road briefly, and you are assured that your order arrives frozen at your home!

Want to read more? Check out our article on Quickfrozen: how, what, and why!

Ordering Roast Beef Online

Ordering roast beef online is ideal, as you can choose whether you want roast beef from Black Angus USA or, for example, a calf roast from the Dubbel AA Redcoat calf. Additionally, you can also choose your preferred weight! Order roast beef online and you have it at home lightning fast. If you order before 11 am on weekdays, it is already at home the same evening! Prefer daytime delivery? Can do, from Tuesday to Saturday we also deliver during the day. Make sure your order arrives at our place the day before delivery by 3 pm. By the way, we already have the fastest delivery option checked for you, but through the calendar, you can choose your delivery day yourself. Handy if you want to order for next week. Keep in mind that once your order is with the courier, there might very rarely be a one-day delay. But no worries, we pack your order well, and if the meat arrives completely thawed, we will neatly resolve it with you. Promised!