A good roast can be let down by bad carving. Thick, ragged slices cut with the grain chew tough, even when the beef is cooked perfectly. The video shows a roast beef joint with a dark crust being sliced to reveal a pink centre. Here's the method.
Rest first
Once the beef comes out of the oven, rest it on a warm board, loosely covered with foil. A 1kg joint needs 15 to 20 minutes, and larger joints need up to 30. Resting lets the juices settle, so they stay in the meat instead of running across the board, and it gives you time to make the gravy with the pan juices.
Find the grain
Look at the surface for the long lines of muscle fibre. Always cut across those lines, not along them. On a rolled topside joint the grain usually runs along the length of the joint, so you carve rounds from one end.
How to carve it
- Remove the string just before carving.
- Use a long, sharp carving knife and hold the joint steady with a carving fork.
- Cut in long, smooth strokes, about 3 to 5mm thick for a Sunday roast. Thinner slices suit cold beef sandwiches.
- Carve only what you'll serve straight away and keep the rest whole and warm.
Doneness guide
- Rare: 50°C in the centre
- Medium-rare: 55°C
- Medium: 60°C
- Well done: 70°C
Take the joint out of the oven two or three degrees early, because it keeps cooking while it rests.
Which joint?
Topside is lean and classic for a family Sunday roast. Sirloin has more marbling and a fat cap that bastes the meat as it roasts. For full timings, see how to cook a sirloin joint in the oven.
