Cook the perfect roast beef for Sunday lunch or a dinner party. Well help you achieve tender, juicy meat whether youre cooking a rib, sirloin or fillet.
Roast beef is one of those classic dishes that suits any occasion. A simple family supper or a dinner party with guests to impress can both be instantly improved with a showstopping centrepiece of roast beef. Read our guide for everything you need about how to achieve the perfect result, from roast beef cooking time to oven temperature, resting time and serving suggestions.Advertisement
Beef or Lamb
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Cooking Level
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Temperature out of the oven
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Temperature after resting in a warm place
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Rare
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48-52°C
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55-60°C
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Medium Rare
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55-59°C
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55-60°C
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Medium
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60-66°C
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55-60°C
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Well done
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67-71°C
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55-60°C
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What temperature should roast beef be cooked at?
If you don’t have a meat thermometer, check your beef is roasted by piercing it with a skewer. The juices should run red for rare, pink for medium and clear for well-done. Also, a meat thermometer should read 40C for rare (it will rise to 54-56C, medium-rare, as it sits) or 48C for medium (it will rise to 65C).
Its essential you rest your joint for at least an hour so the juices are reabsorbed. If you carve the beef too soon, it will be dry rather than juicy. Some juices will be released as it sits and you can tip these into the gravy.
How to cook roast beef
When it comes to roast beef, the received wisdom is that it should always be cooked on the bone – whether its a sirloin joint or rib roast – as the bone conducts heat and adds flavour. However, this doesn’t suit everyone and some of our most popular recipes are bone-free and much easier to carve. Buy what suits you best.
More important than the bone is the fat – don’t be tempted to trim it off, as it will baste your meat while it cooks. You can always cut it away when you serve it. If you want the fat to make a crust, then you have to sprinkle or rub it with flour and/or mustard powder to absorb the fat released on the surface.
Generally, roast beef is cooked at a high temperature to caramelise the outside, then the temperature is turned down. This method can also be reversed with a lower temperature to start before a blast of heat at the end. As an example, see our herb-scented slow-roasted recipe.
From Rare to Well-Done: Meat Temperatures for Perfect Steaks
FAQ
What temperature should beef be for medium?
What temperature do you pull beef for medium?
Is 140 degrees OK for beef?
What is medium rare beef UK?
What temperature should beef be cooked at?
The safe internal cooking temperature for beef is 63°C (145°F). To ensure beef is safe to eat, cook it until it reaches this internal temperature and use a food thermometer to check the temperature at the thickest part of the meat. However, for beef mince, ensure the internal temperature reaches at least 71°C (160°F).
What temperature should a meat thermometer read?
A meat thermometer is useful for large joints. Push the probe into the meat as close as possible to the centre (avoiding any bones) and leave it for 20 seconds before taking the reading. Rare beef should read 50C, medium 60C and well done 70C. It’s crucial to rest any roast meat after it’s cooked.
What temperature does meat need to rise?
This is a guide to the core temperatures meat needs to reach for different degrees of cooking, from rare to well done – remember that it will rise by 6 to 8 degrees when left to rest in a warm place. Use it as a guide, and you’ll always get the meat the way you and your family likes it.
What temperature should beef mince be cooked at?
However, for beef mince, ensure the internal temperature reaches at least 71°C (160°F). What Is The Safe Internal Temperature Of Pork? Pork’s internal temperature needs to reach a minimum of 75°C (167°F) to ensure it’s safe to eat.