To Roast Beef
Place the clean cut side of the meat upon a very hot pan. Press it close to the pan until seared and slightly brown. Reverse it and let the opposite side become similarly seared and brown, then put it at once into the oven, the heat of which should be the same as for bread, and leave it undisturbed till cooked. If the oven is not too hot, the meat will require no basting. When the temperature of the oven is right and the cooking is going on properly, the meat will keep up a gentle sputtering in the pan; but if, upon opening the oven door, this sputtering is not distinctly audible, more heat is required, and the temperature of the oven should be increased. If, however, smoke should be discernible in the oven, the heat is too intense and should be lessened, as the drippings in the pan will not brown and smoke unless the heat of the oven is too great. For roasting beef in this manner, after it has been seared, fifteen minutes should be allowed for each inch in thickness; the roast may be without regard to its width or weight. A roast of beef that is three inches in thickness will cook rare in three-quarters of an hour; a roast that is six inches in thickness will cook rare in an hour and a half, and so on in about the same ratio with different sized roasts. If a roast is desired medium or well cooked, additional time must be allowed, and it can thus be cooked to suit any taste.