Cooking Beef?

[Panter]

As title really......

We're going away for Christmas, we've hired a little cottage on the side of a mountain in Wales.

Anyway, we travel up Christmas Eve and the plan is to cook a roast dinner Christmas Day.

Mrs Panter wants to get a decent bit of beef, which sounds fine, but how easy is it to cook, beaing in mind we'll be using a "strange" oven?
I don't want to waste a load of cash on something that needs a bit of expertise to get the best out of.

Any advice?

 

[ttcycle]

It's fine to roast - if you want to do it traditional style and with low fuss just season it, rub in garlic and herbs and a bit of oil- put some onions and garlic at the bottom of the roasting tin and off you go (there are more complicated things you can do such as browning it, different flavour combos etc but best to keep it simple sometimes) - the butcher should give you a good idea of timings and heat of the oven for the meat you get and depends whether you want it well done, medium or rare. Worth remembering to pick a piece of beef with a good bit of fat on it and through it for flavour and for the meat to be self basting. Enjoy- makes me hungry thinking about it!

 

[Fnaar]

...or like a friend of mine, try to cook the meat (turkey in this case) on 'plate warmer' setting (in cottage oven) and give up 10 hrs later and feed it to the seagulls

 

[Cab]

Seriously, panter, first find out the dimensions of the oven. rental cottages often have tiny ones and you don't want to get there and find it doesn't fit the oven! (I have experienced this myself).

Seconded. You don't want a gorgeous joint of, say, rib on the bone, uncookable because it won't fit in the oven.

 

[accountantpete]

Beef on the Bone. Oil in baking tray,pop the beef on top with a little seasoning and put in the oven at Gas Mark 4 for 2 hours adding onions,carrots and parsnip to roast along the way. Use the juice as a base for the gravy.

It's the pan that won't fit not the beef!

ps - look for a dark red bit of Welsh beef that's been hung...mmmmm

 

[Panter]

It's fine to roast - if you want to do it traditional style and with low fuss just season it, rub in garlic and herbs and a bit of oil- put some onions and garlic at the bottom of the roasting tin and off you go (there are more complicated things you can do such as browning it, different flavour combos etc but best to keep it simple sometimes) - the butcher should give you a good idea of timings and heat of the oven for the meat you get and depends whether you want it well done, medium or rare. Worth remembering to pick a piece of beef with a good bit of fat on it and through it for flavour and for the meat to be self basting. Enjoy- makes me hungry thinking about it!

Fantastic, thank you

Seriously, panter, first find out the dimensions of the oven. rental cottages often have tiny ones and you don't want to get there and find it doesn't fit the oven! (I have experienced this myself).

...or like a friend of mine, try to cook the meat (turkey in this case) on 'plate warmer' setting (in cottage oven) and give up 10 hrs later and feed it to the seagulls

Thanks for the thought, but we've actually stayed at the place a few times.
It's a full size oven, and there's nothing wrong with it but it's quite old, and electric (which we're not used to) and we've only ever done basic stuff in it before.

I just didn't want to try something too ambitious which is gonig to be sensetive to a few degrees variation here and there.

 

[Panter]

Beef on the Bone. Oil in baking tray,pop the beef on top with a little seasoning and put in the oven at Gas Mark 4 for 2 hours adding onions,carrots and parsnip to roast along the way. Use the juice as a base for the gravy.

It's the pan that won't fit not the beef!

I'm feeling hungry now

 

[theclaud]

Seriously, panter, first find out the dimensions of the oven. rental cottages often have tiny ones and you don't want to get there and find it doesn't fit the oven! (I have experienced this myself).

Good point. A forerib takes up a lot of space. A boned and rolled version is a good compromise...

 

[philipbh]

Meat Source

Excellent butcher in Welshpool (if you are going that way, of course)

http://www.rikkilloyd.co.uk/shop/

My connection in the Snowdonia Hospitality Trade swears by them

 

[mangaman]

I think a lovely bit of beef would be safer to cook in a strange oven than, for example, a turkey, which you may find would never cook properly.

Obviously depends how well done you like it but you can err on the undercooked side and give it plenty of time to rest

It'll be great!

 

[Panter]

Fabulous, thanks all

Thanks for that link philbh, unfortunately we'll have to get it locally (Costco) before we go as I don't know what time I'll finish work Christmas eve.
Would've been nice to get it from a Welsh butchers, there's a lovely one in Bala we usualy use when we're there