Christmas roast beef doesn’t need a prime rib price tag. A cheap topside joint gets studded with garlic and rubbed with rosemary and orange zest. A blast of high heat gives it a crust, then a low oven keeps it pink and tender all the way through. It takes 15 minutes of hands-on work and about 2½ hours in the oven, which frees you up for the sides on Christmas Day or any Sunday roast.
Key ingredients & substitutions
- Topside roast: Sold as round roast, rump roast, or bottom round in the US. It’s lean and cheap, which is why it needs a low oven. Roast it hot the whole way and it turns tough. Silverside, sirloin tip, or chuck all work with the same method.
- Garlic: Fresh cloves, cut into chunky wedges and pushed into the meat. They soften as it roasts and season it from the inside. Garlic powder won’t do the same job.
- Orange: Zest only. It doesn’t make the beef taste of orange; it lifts the richness. Lemon zest works, or leave it out.
- Fresh rosemary: Gives the classic roast flavor. Thyme works on its own or mixed in. Dried rosemary is too harsh here.
- Olive oil: Carries the rub and helps the crust brown. Any neutral oil works.
- Salt and black pepper: Salt goes on early, ideally the day before. It seasons the meat right through and dries the surface for a better crust.
How to make Christmas roast beef
- Salt the beef. Pat the joint dry. If it’s loose or uneven, tie it with kitchen twine in 2-3 places. Rub salt all over. For the best crust, leave it uncovered on a plate in the fridge overnight. If you’re short on time, salt it 1 hour before cooking.
- Take the chill off. Take the beef out of the fridge about 1 hour before roasting so the center cooks evenly. Heat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan, 375°F).
- Stud with garlic. Cut the garlic cloves into halves or thirds. Make shallow slits all over the joint with a small knife and push a piece of garlic into each one.
- Stud with garlic. Cut the garlic cloves into halves or thirds. Make shallow slits all over the joint with a small knife and push a piece of garlic into each one.
- Rub it. Mix the orange zest, chopped rosemary, pepper, and olive oil. Rub it over every surface.
- Roast hot, then low. Put the beef on the middle oven rack, with a roasting tin on the shelf below to catch the drippings. Roast for 30 minutes, then drop the oven to 110°C (90°C fan, 225°F) without opening the door.
- Cook to temperature, not time. Allow roughly 55-65 minutes per kg (25-30 minutes per pound) after the oven goes down, and start checking 30 minutes early. For medium-rare, pull it out when the thickest part reads 52-54°C (125-130°F). My 1.87kg joint took 1 hour 45 minutes.
- Rest it. Cover the beef loosely with foil and rest it for 30 minutes. The temperature climbs a few degrees and the juices settle, so the slices stay moist. Make the gravy while it rests.
- Slice thin. Snip off the twine and slice thinly across the grain with a sharp knife.
Tips for Getting It Right
Tough, grey roast beef almost always comes from cooking it past medium. Topside is lean, so a few extra degrees cost a lot of tenderness.
- Use a meat thermometer. Oven times vary too much to trust the clock.
- Pull the beef 3°C (5°F) below your target, because it keeps cooking as it rests.
- Note the weight before you bin the packaging, so you can estimate the cooking time.
- Don’t skip the 30-minute rest. Slice too soon and the juices end up on the board.
- Slice thinly across the grain. Lean cuts get chewy in thick slices.
Variations
- Onions in the pan: Add thickly sliced onions and a splash of beef stock to the roasting tin. They soak up the drippings and make a richer gravy.
- Herb swap: Use thyme or sage instead of rosemary, or mix them.
- A little heat: Add ½ teaspoon of smoked paprika or chili flakes to the rub.
- Red wine gravy: Add a splash of red wine to the drippings and let it reduce before thickening.
What to serve with roast beef?
- Vegetable: Air Fryer Carrots, sweet and caramelized, and they free up oven space. Mashed Cauliflower is great if you’re keeping the carbs low.
- Starch: Air Fryer Diced Potatoes, crisp edges with no fight for the oven. If mash is more your thing, try these creamy mashed potatoes.
- Salad: Wedge Salad, cold and crunchy against the rich beef.
- Extra: Horseradish sauce and Yorkshire puddings make it a proper British roast.
- Looking for more sides for this Christmas Roast Beef? Check out this post of Over 60 Christmas Side Dishes!
Frequently asked questions
Topside (round roast) gives the best value. It’s lean, slices neatly, and turns tender in a low oven. Silverside, sirloin tip, and chuck also work with this method; rib and sirloin roasts are more forgiving but cost far more.
Take it out of the oven at these internal temperatures, then rest for 30 minutes:
– Rare: 48°C (118°F)
– Medium-rare: 52-54°C (125-130°F)
– Medium: 57-60°C (135-140°F)
– Well done: 68°C (155°F)
It rises a few degrees as it rests.
Yes. Salt it the day before and leave it uncovered in the fridge, which seasons it better and gives a browner crust. You can mix the rub a day ahead too. Roast it on the day, because reheating a whole joint overcooks it.
Pour the drippings into a pan and top up with beef stock to make about 480ml (2 cups). Bring it to a simmer. Mix 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch with the same amount of cold water, whisk it in, and simmer for about 2 minutes until thickened.
Find the lines running through the meat and slice across them, as thinly as you can. Cutting with the grain leaves long fibers that chew like jerky.
Keep sliced leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, or freeze in portions for up to 3 months and thaw overnight in the fridge. Leftovers are best cold in sandwiches. To reheat, warm thin slices briefly in a pan with a spoonful of gravy.
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Christmas Roast Beef Recipe
Ingredients
- 4-4.5 lbs topside roast or round roast, rump roast, bottom round
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 4 garlic cloves halved or in thirds
- Zest from 1.5-2 medium oranges
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 1 sprig of fresh rosemary leaves finely diced
Instructions
- Pat beef dry. Tie with twine if loose. Rub all over with salt. Refrigerate uncovered overnight, or at least 1 hour.4-4.5 lbs topside roast, 2 teaspoons salt
- Take out of fridge 1 hour before roasting. Heat oven to 190°C (170°C fan, 375°F).
- Cut garlic into halves or thirds. Make slits in the beef and push garlic in.4 garlic cloves
- Mix zest, rosemary, pepper, and oil. Rub over the beef.Zest from 1.5-2 medium oranges, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 sprig of fresh rosemary, 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- Set beef on middle rack with a roasting tin below. Roast 30 minutes.
- Reduce oven to 110°C (90°C fan, 225°F). Roast until the thickest part reads 52-54°C (125-130°F) for medium-rare, about 1 hr 45 min for 1.87kg. Start checking 30 minutes early.
- Rest 30 minutes, loosely covered with foil.
- Remove twine. Slice thinly across the grain.
Notes
- Cook to temperature, not time.
- Pull 3°C (5°F) below target. It rises while resting.
- Pull temps: rare 48°C/118°F, medium-rare 52-54°C/125-130°F, medium 57-60°C/135-140°F, well done 68°C/155°F.
- Rest the full 30 minutes.
- Slice thin, across the grain.
- Leftovers: fridge 4 days, freezer 3 months.