We have the ultimate treat today for all you foodies out there. This is a classic Sunday recipe with a beef joint that helps you to learn how to cook melt in the mouth beef. Roast fore rib beef is extremely tender and makes for a gorgeous family lunch with the kids, or guests. This is a fantastic spread for beef roast dinner and will impress guests, or the kids. It could well turn into a go to for you. Believe it or not, this is an easy recipe for a tender roast, so give it a go and let us know how you get on. You never know, it might turn into a family favorite.
We have opted to use fore rib for our perfect melt in the mouth beef. This is because it is one of the leaner cuts of beef, which helps to improve both the flavour and the roasting process. It is possible to adapt this method to turn it into a slow cooker recipe. To do so, just follow the instructions for your slow cooker, both at the low temperature and the higher settings, adjusting cooking times accordingly. For example, you could cook this for 8 hours on the low setting for a family of four.
Ingredients for our roast beef recipe
For the Fore rib
If you can use a meat thermometer to measure the internal temperature of your beef after cooking, this is the best way of making sure cooking time is right, and it is cooked as you like it. Check point 5 for the cooking times you need for mouth tender beef.
- Roasting pan for the beef joint,
- 3.5kg of fore rib cut of beef. Chined and 2 bone min,
- 30ml olive oil,
- Sea salt,
- Freshly ground black pepper,
- Shallots (6), and halve them,
- Few sprigs thyme,
- 3 cloves garlic (could use garlic powder here if you wanted to),
- 75ml of port, and
- 1tbsp cornflour; mix this into a paste with the water.
For the gravy
- 200ml strong beef stock, and
- 100ml red wine
For the roast potatoes
- 1kg Maris Piper potatoes,
- 125g fat, preferably duck or goose fat,
- 2tsp flour,
- Sea salt, and
- 2 sprigs of fresh herbs, we use chopped rosemary for the perfect roast potatoes.
How to cook melt in the mouth beef: Our instructions
You need a relatively hot oven, so pop it on before the prepare the rest of the food
- Firstly, you need to make sure the beef is a room temperature. Then rub with oil and season really well, this will give your roast beef the best start possible to help create that melt in the mouth roast beef
- Roast the beef, after sitting it up on the bone at 220C degrees for 20 minutes.
- Remove the meat from the oven, and drop the heat down to 180C degrees.
- Grab your shallot halves, and the garlic, and add them to the beef and the roasting tin (If you are using a slow cooker, add these about half way through cooking; or adjust for personal preference)
- Now oven roast for 12mins per 500g for rare. 15mins for med rare. (Internal temp after cooking is 50 for rare, 54 for med rare). Make sure that you give the full cooking time if you have a large cut of beef. However, be careful you don’t get overcooked beef, so keep an eye on the time, perhaps using a timer for accuracy.
- Remove the meat from your oven or slow cooker, and cover with a little foil while it rests
- Pour the cooking juices into a small jug to allow them to settle over the next few minutes, and then skim off the fat, and other impurities.
- Put the tray on a high heat on your hob, and then stir and remove any of the bit of meat from the mixture. If you have used a slow cooker, you can do this in a frying pan
- Add the meat juices and other gravy ingredients and stir. Reduce the liquid you have by about a quarter (25%) Add the cornflour paste to thicken it
- For making the roast potatoes, you need to Peel them, and then cut into 50mm pieces, or quarter the potatoes. Again, the size of your potatoes is personal preference, but we have found that slightly smaller can make for crispier roasties, particularly when using Goose / Duck fat.
- Pass your spuds to the pan, with just enough water to cover them and them bring them to the boil
- Once they have boiled, drop the heat a little and cook for a further 2 minutes
- Take them out of the pan, and drain with a colander and then put them back into your pan,
- Shake them INSIDE the pan – this makes the edges of them slightly rough, then add flour to the pain and shake again. Make sure you are gentle as you don’t want to break up the potatoes. Don’t overboil either, as this will result in your potatoes “falling”
- Add your duck fat to a roasting tray in the oven, set at 220C degrees. Heat until it is smoking hot, and then gently add the potatoes to the hot fat on a single layer. Don’t just drop them into the oil, as you don’t want to get splashed with the hot duck fat
- Roast the potatoes for approximately 40 minutes. Turn them after about 15 minutes, and then towards the end of the cooking time – so with about 5 minutes to go
- Once they are as you like them – crispy we hope – serve with the sea Salk and rosemary sprinkled on top, and
- Finally cut lovely slices of your tender beef thickly, and serve with your gravy and all the trimmings.
We think that this recipe will give you some wonderfully tender beef. We hope it works for you.
Other serving suggestions include some gorgeous baby carrots to go with the roast potatoes, and fore rib. Don’t forget that if you don’t manage to eat all the beef you have here, the slices will be perfect for roast beef sandwiches for a few days afterwards too, if you keep them in the fridge after cooling down.
We do have a recipe card for this if you would like to print this out too?
Roast fore rib of beef
This is a delicious melt in the mouth recipe for roast fire rib of beef that is a great additional to your roast repertoire for Sunday lunch with the family. The kids will love it, and so will you; particularly if you stick with our roast tatties recipe as well!
Ingredients
For the fore rib
- Roasting pan for the beef joint
- 3.5kg of fore rib cut of beef. Chined and 2 bone min
- 30ml olive oil
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Shallots (6), and halve them
- Few sprigs thyme
- 3 cloves garlic (could use garlic powder here if you wanted to)
- 75ml of port
- 1tbsp cornflour; mix this into a paste with the water
For the gravy
- 200ml strong beef stock
- 100ml red wine
For the Roast potatoes
- 1kg Maris Piper potatoes
- 125g fat, preferably duck or goose fat
- 2tsp flour
- Sea salt
- 2 sprigs of fresh herbs, we use chopped rosemary for the perfect roast potatoes
Instructions
- Firstly, you need to make sure the beef is a room temperature. Then rub with oil and season really well, this will give your roast beef the best start possible to help create that melt in the mouth roast beef.
- Roast the beef, after sitting it up on the bone at 220C degrees for 20 minutes.
- Remove the meat from the oven, and drop the heat down to 180C degrees.
- Grab your shallot halves, and the garlic, and add them to the beef and the roasting tin (If you are using a slow cooker, add these about half way through cooking; or adjust for personal preference).
- Now oven roast for 12mins per 500g for rare. 15mins for med rare. (Internal temp after cooking is 50 for rare, 54 for med rare). Make sure that you give the full cooking time if you have a large cut of beef. However, be careful you don't get overcooked beef, so keep an eye on the time, perhaps using a timer for accuracy.
- Remove the meat from your oven or slow cooker, and cover with a little foil while it rests.
- Pour the cooking juices into a small jug to allow them to settle over the next few minutes, and then skim off the fat, and other impurities.
- Put the tray on a high heat on your hob, and then stir and remove any of the bit of meat from the mixture. If you have used a slow cooker, you can do this in a frying pan.
- Add the meat juices and other gravy ingredients and stir. Reduce the liquid you have by about a quarter (25%) Add the cornflour paste to thicken it.
- For making the roast potatoes, you need to Peel them, and then cut into 50mm pieces, or quarter the potatoes. Again, the size of your potatoes is personal preference, but we have found that slightly smaller can make for crispier roasties, particularly when using Goose / Duck fat.
- Pass your spuds to the pan, with just enough water to cover them and them bring them to the boil.
- Once they have boiled, drop the heat a little and cook for a further 2 minutes.
- Take them out of the pan, and drain with a colander and then put them back into your pan.
- Shake them INSIDE the pan - this makes the edges of them slightly rough, then add flour to the pain and shake again. Make sure you are gentle as you don't want to break up the potatoes. Don't overboil either, as this will result in your potatoes "falling"
- Add your duck fat to a roasting tray in the oven, set at 220C degrees. Heat until it is smoking hot, and then gently add the potatoes to the hot fat on a single layer. Don't just drop them into the oil, as you don't want to get splashed with the hot duck fat.
- Roast the potatoes for approximately 40 minutes. Turn them after about 15 minutes, and then towards the end of the cooking time - so with about 5 minutes to go.
- Once they are as you like them - crispy we hope - serve with the sea Salk and rosemary sprinkled on top.
- Finally cut lovely slices of your tender beef thickly, and serve with your gravy and all the trimmings
Notes
Just to provide specific notes on cooking times for you on this roast:
- 12mins per 500g for rare
- 15mins for med rare.
In addition, the internal temp after cooking is:
- 50C degrees for rare, and
- 54C degrees for med rare.
We have a number of other beef recipes for you, why don’t you take a look at these as well?
Beef recipes on KiddyCharts
Here are some other recipes that we have on KiddyCharts that include Beef in one form or another.
Moroccan beef tagine with green couscous
This is a gorgeous recipe from Morocco that offers a hearty meal for all the family. If the kids don't like Couscous, feel free to use rice instead!
Braised stout beef and carrot stew with parsley dumplings
This is a traditional stew with a twist - thanks to the addition of stout to the recipe. Dumplings are a favorite, so we've added some of those to this stew too.
Beef wellington
Beef wellington is a wonderfully traditional Sunday meal, and this is a simple recipe that all the family will love. Another great alternative family meal for the weekend.
Here are some other ideas for recipes with beef too for you as well, from other sites:
Beef recipes from the internet we like
Here are some more ideas for you and your beef joints - let us know if you try them and what you think.
Leftover Roast Beef Stroganoff
If you have any leftovers from this recipe - other than road beef sandwiches; why not try making a stroganoff like this instead?
Beef Steak Pie - House of Nash Eats
This is a slightly different kinds of a beef recipe - a pie for you to make. A lovely idea with beef anytime.
Asian Marinated Beef Tenderloin Recipe
This is another recipe for beef, and a tender cut again, this time tenderloin. Why not give this Asian inspired roast a try.
If you like this idea, as well as some of the other recipes that we have on the site, why not sign up to our weekly newsletter?
Personalised Sunday Brunch Cookbook
This recipe is actually taken from the Sunday Brunch cook book from Simon Rimmer available on Amazon – so why not go and check this out for other recipes for the family that are easy, and tasty? You can personalise this version with this version including the name of the person that you are perhaps wanting to gift it too.
There are some lovely recipes within the book, including the chocolate pie, this fabulous roast, a great butter beans recipe, and the tandoori lamb chops that we have shared with you over recent weeks on the KiddyCharts site.
Let us know how you get on with the recipes, and if you get the book, do come back and tell us what you think too.
Do explore the rest of the site as well, including our shop, as well as our free printable resources. We are a social enterprise, so every time we get a view you are giving a little to charity.
Thanks again for coming to see us,
Helen
Helen
Helen is a mum to two, social media consultant, and website editor; and this site is (we think) the only Social Enterprise parenting magazine!Since giving up being a business analyst when juggling travel, work and kids proved too complicated, she founded KiddyCharts so she could be with her kids, and use those grey cells at the same time.KiddyCharts has reach of over 1.1million across social and the site. The blog works with big family brands (including travel) to help promote their services, as well as offering free resources to parents of kids under 10.It gives 51%+ profits to Reverence for Life, who fund a number of important initiatives in Africa, including bringing running water and basic equipment to a school in Tanzania.Helen has worked as a digital marketing consultant (IDM qualified) with various organisations, including Channel Mum, Truprint, Talk to Mums, and Micro Scooters. She loves to be creative in the brand campaigns she works on.Get in touch TODAY!