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Roast Beef (Round rump loin or rib cut)
Round, rump, loin or rib cut of beef may be roasted. A six to eight pound piece is most economical. Wipe with damp cloth, place in roasting pan and sear well in very hot oven 500 degrees for 15 minutes. Then reduce heat to 400 degrees or 375 degrees, and continue roasting until tender. Season after first half hour's roasting. 1/2 cup hot water may be added to roasting pan if desired, but it is unnecessary, since the meat will have better flavor if roasted without it.
A standard interwar oven roast: blast heat first, then a long finish at moderate temperature. The method still works, but the doneness cue "until tender" is the weak point and should be replaced with a thermometer reading.
- Pick the cut deliberatelyRib and loin cuts take dry roasting well; round and rump are lean, muscular and turn dry past medium. If you use round or rump, pull it at rare to medium-rare and slice it thin across the grain.
- The sear500F for 15 minutes browns the surface and does nothing to "seal in juices" despite what the period believed. Have the roast at room temperature for an hour first and the pan and oven fully preheated, or the crust will not form in the time given.
- Finishing temperature400F is high by current practice for a long finish. Reducing to 325-350F gives a more even interior and less overcooked grey band under the crust. Keep the door closed while the oven drops.
- Cook to temperature, not to timeUse an instant-read or leave-in thermometer in the thickest part, clear of bone: 125F for rare, 130-135F medium-rare, 140F medium. Carryover adds roughly 5-10F on a roast this size.
- Rough timingAfter the initial sear, allow roughly 15-20 minutes per pound at 350F for medium-rare on a boneless 6-8 lb piece, possibly less per pound for rib on the bone. Start checking well before the estimate.
- SeasoningThe instruction to salt only after the first half hour probably reflects the then-common belief that early salt draws out juices. Salting generously an hour or more ahead, or the day before, seasons the interior and dries the surface for better browning.
- Skip the waterThe original is right. Water in the pan steams the underside and softens the crust; if you want pan juices for gravy, deglaze the roasting pan after the meat comes out.
- Rest before carvingTent loosely and rest 15-20 minutes for a roast this size. Carving straight from the oven loses a surprising amount of juice to the board.
- YieldSix to eight pounds boneless serves roughly 12-16; on the bone, count on about 10-12. Leftovers slice best cold.