How to Roast & Braise Beef Joint

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Learn how to make melt-in-your-mouth beef joint at home

Reviewed by Jennifer Levasseur

Last Updated: December 29, 2023 References

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Beef joint is versatile enough to please several people at once. It’s a dish that can shine at a potluck or during a fancy holiday meal. With a classic beef joint recipe, you can impress the taste buds of your guests and family for meals to come. If you’re hosting a special occasion, or looking to surprise your family with an impressively cooked beef, make sure your beef joint is the star of the meal with these helpful tips.

Ingredients

Roasted Beef Joint

5-6lb beef joint; sirloin, rib of beef, or topside
1 teaspoon of English mustard (optional)
1 teaspoon of flour (optional)
salt and pepper, to taste
1 small onion (optional)
2 carrots (optional)
2 sticks of celery (optional)
1 bulb of garlic (optional)
1 bunch of herbs; such as fresh thyme, rosemary, bay or sage (optional)

Braised Beef Joint

4-5lb beef joint; either topside or silverside
olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
2 medium onions
2 carrots
2 sticks of celery
1 bulb of garlic
1 bunch of herbs; such as fresh thyme, rosemary, bay or sage
3 cups of chicken or beef broth

Part 1

Part 1 of 4:

Choosing Your Beef Joint

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Tender cuts of meat, like sirloin and fore rib, are better for roasting, while leaner cuts of meat, like topside and silverside, are better for braising.
When purchasing beef, make sure the meat is a deep, dark red. Look for beef containing little streaks of fat throughout leaner muscle, and with an outside layer of firm, creamy-white fat.^{[1]
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Research source} It should also be slightly sticky with a little resistance when pressed.

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Make sure your beef joint has enough fat. Fat is essential to a moist and flavorful beef joint. You want to buy a beef joint that has a thick layer of fat on it. The fat will melt during the cooking process, infusing your beef joint with moisture and lots of flavor.
- If your beef joint does not have a layer of fat on top, which is likely with a joint of silverside, ask the butcher to secure fat to the meat.
- Like beef fat, beef bones will also impart rich flavor to your meat. If you purchase a boneless beef joint from a butcher, you can ask for beef bones to tuck under the beef joint when cooking.
Topside is a boneless, tender cut of meat that comes from the inner thigh muscle of a cow.^{[2]
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Research source} It’s a lean cut of meat, which means it doesn’t have much fat inside; but it does have a layer of fat on one side that melts during cooking, keeping the meat moist. It’s ideal for roasting, but also cooks well braised as a pot roast, and in stews, casseroles and pies.
It’s similar to the topside, except leaner. It’s more affordable than other cuts of meat; however, cheaper cuts of meat are not as tender once cooked. To keep this from happening to your silverside, it needs to be braised in liquid. You can also have it “barded,” if buying from a butcher, which means thin layers of beef fat are placed on top of the silverside to keep it moist while cooking.^{[3]
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It can easily be split into rib-eye steaks after cooking to serve several people. It’s great for roasting on the bone, which imparts great flavor; and it has a thick layer of fat to keep it moist while cooking.^{[4]
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It is just as tender as rib of beef, but leaner and costlier. Bone-in sirloin will impart more flavor, so look for a sirloin joint on the bone, or sirloin with undercut, which is the same as the sirloin joint, but with the tender fillet attached.^{[5]
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Research source} If you’d prefer your sirloin boneless, look for a striploin, rolled sirloin, or rolled sirloin with undercut.^{[6]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 4:

Prepping Your Beef Joint

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Take your beef joint out of the refrigerator thirty minutes before cooking. It needs to be room temperature before cooking in order to cook evenly. A general consensus for the amount of beef you should prepare to make sure you have enough (and even some leftovers) is about 5-6lbs per 6-8 people.^{[7]
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Season your beef joint. Season your beef joint simply with salt and pepper. Don’t season with too much salt because salt can draw out the juices and dry out your meat.
- If your beef joint is a leaner cut, like topside or silverside, rub it with olive oil before seasoning. If it already has a layer of fat on top, you don’t need to drizzle it with olive oil at all.
- Some people remove the layer of fat after roasting. But if you like the taste of beef fat, and plan on eating it, sprinkle it with a teaspoon each of English mustard powder and plain flour. This will give it a nice crispy texture.
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Wash and chop vegetables to cook along with the beef joint. The amount of vegetables you add to your dish depends on taste preferences. For roasting, adding an assortment of vegetables is optional. But they should be included when braising, since the vegetables will lend additional flavor to your beef joint during the slow cooking process.
- If you’re roasting your beef joint and prefer to let the taste of the beef shine, simply cut a small onion in half to tuck under the meat.
- For an added depth of flavor, wash and chop 2 medium onions, 2 carrots, 2 sticks of celery, and a small bunch of herbs, such as fresh thyme, rosemary, bay or sage. Break apart 1 bulb of garlic into cloves. Don’t worry about peeling them.^{[8]
  X
  Research source} You’ll place the vegetables in the bottom of your cooking dish, and then sit the beef joint on top.

Part 3

Part 3 of 4:

Making Roasted Beef Joint

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^{[9]
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Research source} Set your oven to the appropriate temperature while your meat reaches room temperature. Use this time to also prep your roasting pan and find a timer.
Fill the bottom of a roasting pan with either one small onion cut in half, or an assortment of chopped vegetables, garlic and herbs. If you do the assorted vegetables and herbs, drizzle them with olive oil. Then set the beef joint (fat side up) on top.
Insert an oven-safe meat thermometer into the middle of your beef joint, making sure the thermometer is not touching bone. Set the pan of beef in the oven just above the center, and allow it to cook at the initial temperature of 475°F. Set your timer for 20 minutes. When your timer goes off, turn down the temperature of the oven to 375°F.
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Watch your meat thermometer to determine when your beef joint is done. The temperature it reaches and the amount of time you let it cook depends on how well done you prefer your meat.
- If you’d prefer your meat rare, with a bright red center, allow it to continue roasting for an additional 20 minutes per pound. Add an additional 15 minutes for medium rare, or an additional 30 minutes for well-done, to the total cooking time calculated for a rare roast.
- For rare, it must reach a temperature of 120 to 125°F. For medium rare it must reach 130 to 135°F. For medium, 140 to 145°F. For medium well, 150 to 155°F. For well done, 160°F and up.^{[10]
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- Because the temperature of meat can rise 5 to 10 degrees during rest time, take it out of the oven 5 degrees before it reaches the desired temperature of doneness.
At least three times during the cooking process take the meat out of the oven to baste. Make sure to close the oven door each time you do so to keep the oven hot. To baste the beef joint use a baster, which is a large plastic suction, to suck up the juices of the beef. Carefully squirt the hot liquid all over the beef. If you don’t have a baster, you can use a large spoon. You may have to tip the roasting pan a little to scoop up the juices.
Lightly cover your roasted beef with foil paper and let it rest for at least 15 minutes and up to an hour before serving. As the meat relaxes, it will reabsorb its juices, ensuring your meat is juicy and full of flavor when served.

Part 4

Part 4 of 4:

Making Braised Beef Joint

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^{[11]
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Research source} While your beef joint reaches room temperature, set your oven to the appropriate temperature. Take out a large casserole pot and warm it over medium high heat.
When the meat is room temperature and your large casserole pot is hot, add a teaspoon of oil to the pot and brown your beef joint for about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove it from the pot once all sides are browned.
^{[12]
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Research source} Add the chopped onions to the pot and allow them to cook for 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to draw out the onion’s juices, and stir to keep the onions from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Then add the rest of your vegetables, garlic and herbs. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and let the vegetables cook for 4-5 minutes.
Add 3 cups of either chicken or beef broth to the pot and stir. Taste the liquid to see if it needs additional salt and pepper. You’ll want to make sure your broth has enough salt because without it your roast will lose flavor. The broth will keep your beef joint moist while cooking.
To ensure your meat is cooked to your desired level of doneness, insert a meat thermometer directly into the center. Don’t let the thermometer touch bone. Then cover with a top.
After 30 minutes reduce the oven heat to 300 °F (149 °C), and set a timer to allow the beef joint to cook for an hour and a half.
Check your thermometer to see if your beef joint is close to the temperature of your desired level of doneness. For rare, it must reach a temperature of 120 to 125°F. For medium rare, 130 to 135°F. For medium, 140 to 145°F. For medium well, 150 to 155°F. And for well done, 160°F and up.
As your beef joint rests, its temperature will increase 5 to 10 degrees. Cover it loosely with foil paper, and allow it to rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

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How do I know when the meat is medium rare, as I haven't got a meat thermometer?

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If you don't have a meat thermometer, a general instruction for medium-rare roast beef would be to cook it for 10 minutes per pound, plus 30 minutes. So a 6 lb roast would be 6 X 10 = 60, plus 30, which is 90 minutes (one and a half hours) at 400˚ F. Roast beef should be left to "rest" for 15 or 20 minutes before serving, as the temperature within the roast continues to rise even after it leaves the oven. This is the final stage of its cooking.

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Question

How do I roast sirloin beef undercut joint? I'm a bit concerned how to keep the fillet from becoming overcooked. I like my beef medium rare.

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The best bet is to use a meat thermometer ($6 - $10 at most grocery stores) and remove the roast when the thickest part of the meat reaches 130 - 135 ˚ F. Then let it rest for at least 15 minutes, and this will bring the roast to ideal medium-rare, which is just barely 140˚ F. If you don't have a meat thermometer, you can cook it for 10 minutes per pound, plus another 30 minutes, in a 400˚ F oven.

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Tips

Fat is essential to a moist and flavorful beef joint. If buying from a butcher, if your beef joint does not have a layer of fat on top, which is likely with a silverside, ask the butcher to secure fat to the beef joint.

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If you purchase a boneless beef joint from a butcher, you can ask for beef bones to tuck under the beef joint when roasting.

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When testing your beef joint for doneness, using a meat thermometer will ensure accuracy.

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Warnings

Be careful not to splash yourself when basting your roasting beef joint with the hot juices.

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Don’t use too much salt on your beef as it can result in dry beef.

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Don’t trim the fat off your beef joint. This will result in a dry beef joint once cooked.

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