Topside of Beef Roast Dinner

Method

Prepare

1. Take the chill off the beef

   Take the beef out of the fridge a while before cooking so it loses some of its chill.

2. Season the beef

   Mix the sea salt with 2 tsp dried rosemary. Pat the 1.5kg topside dry and rub it with 1 tbsp oil, then season it well all over with the rosemary salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roughly chop 2 medium onions and 2 medium carrots ready for the roasting tray.

Light Charlie

1. Light Charlie

   Light Charlie with good-quality lumpwood charcoal and bring the oven to around 200°C (390°F). Set a Cooking Rack low in the oven, close to the charcoal, for searing. Once seared, the beef moves into a roasting tray higher up in Charlie, where the heat is gentler and more even.
   Why this mattersThere is no need for smoking wood. The lumpwood charcoal and the initial sear give the beef plenty of flavour.

Sear and roast the beef

1. Sear the beef

   Put the seasoned beef directly onto the low Cooking Rack above the charcoal. Sear on all sides until you have a good, deep brown crust, then lift it out of Charlie.

2. Build the roasting tray

   Scatter the roughly chopped onions and carrots over the bottom of a deep Roasting Tray. Sit the seared topside on top and pour 250ml red wine and 500ml beef stock into the tray around the meat. Keep the liquid below the meat so the joint roasts rather than being submerged. Adjust the initial stock amount to suit your tray.

3. Roast the beef

   Put the Roasting Tray on a higher rack in Charlie, away from the strongest direct heat. Close the door and roast at around 200°C (390°F). Insert a temperature probe into the centre of the thickest part of the joint and, for medium beef, aim for around 57 to 60°C (135 to 140°F) before resting.
   Why this mattersTopside is a lean joint and dries out quickly if it goes too far. Upper racks are gentler, so moving it up after the sear lets it roast evenly while the probe tells you exactly when to take it out.

Potatoes and carrots

1. Parboil the potatoes and carrots

   While the beef roasts, parboil 1.5kg floury potatoes until the outsides begin to soften. Drain thoroughly and shake them in the colander to rough up the edges. Peel 750g carrots, halve them lengthways and parboil until partly tender, then drain well.
   Why this mattersRoughing up the parboiled potatoes creates a craggy surface that catches the hot dripping and turns really crisp in the oven.

2. Heat the dripping

   Heat 120g beef dripping in a second roasting tray in Charlie. Carefully add the parboiled potatoes and halved carrots, turn them through the hot dripping and season with sea salt.

3. Roast the potatoes and carrots

   Roast at around 200°C (390°F), turning them during cooking, until the potatoes are deeply golden and crisp and the carrots are tender and caramelised. Keep them roasting while the beef rests.

Rest and gravy

1. Rest the beef

   Lift the beef out of the roasting tray and rest it somewhere warm for 20 to 30 minutes before carving. Keep everything left in the roasting tray for the gravy.
   25 min timer

2. Start the gravy

   Use the onions, carrots and cooking liquor left behind by the beef as the base for the gravy. Add a little more red wine and beef stock if needed, scraping up the browned bits from the roasting tray.

3. Finish the gravy

   Stir in 1 tsp cherry or blackcurrant jam. Reduce until rich and glossy, then taste before adding more jam and strain before serving.
   Why this mattersThe jam is there to balance the gravy, not sweeten it. It rounds out the acidity of the red wine and the richness of the beef juices, so start small and taste before adding more.

Hispi cabbage

1. Parboil the cabbage

   Cut the hispi cabbage lengthways into wedges, keeping the root intact so they hold together. Bring a mixture of beef stock and water to the boil and parboil the wedges until they begin to soften but still hold their shape. Drain thoroughly.

2. Char the cabbage

   Transfer the wedges to the Perforated Plancha on a low rack position close to the charcoal. Cook until the cut sides and edges have a good char while the centre stays tender and juicy. Finish with 25g butter and sea salt.

Serve

1. Carve and serve

   Carve the rested topside thinly across the grain. Serve with the crisp beef-dripping roast potatoes, caramelised carrots and buttery charred hispi cabbage, and spoon plenty of hot red wine gravy over the beef.