Christmas Roast (Roast Beef)
Beef loin with a herb crust, cooked to a perfect pink at a low temperature.
- Preparation
- 25 min
- Cook/bake time
- 1 hr 30 min
- Total
- 2 hr 25 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
Beef loin with a herb crust, cooked to a perfect pink at a low temperature. At 120 degrees in the oven, the difference between the edge and the core is small, so the meat becomes almost entirely pink instead of cooking in zones. The short, hard sear beforehand does not seal anything in, it creates roasted flavors.
Step-by-step instructions
- 1
Temper and salt the meat
Take the roast beef out of the fridge two hours before cooking, pat it dry, and season it all over with salt and pepper. Room-temperature meat cooks more evenly because the oven does not have to overcome the fridge temperature first. It must be dry, otherwise it will steam instead of searing.
- 2
Sear hard
Heat the oil in a heavy pan until it smokes slightly, and sear the meat vigorously all over for two minutes per side, including the ends. Take it out and let it cool briefly. This crust provides the roasted flavors, they will not develop in the oven at 120 °C.
- 3
Apply the herb crust
Mix the butter, rosemary, thyme, and garlic. Brush the seared meat thinly with Dijon mustard, it acts as a glue and adds acidity, and press the herb butter onto it. Place the meat on a wire rack over a roasting pan and scatter the onion underneath.
- 4
Cook at 120 degrees to core temperature
Slide the roast into the oven at 120 °C top/bottom heat and cook it to the desired core temperature: 52 °C for rare, 55 to 56 °C for medium rare, 60 °C for medium. For 1.5 kg, this takes about eighty to ninety minutes. The clock is an estimate here, the thermometer is the decision maker.
- 5
Let rest and make jus
Place the meat on a board, cover it loosely with foil, and let it rest for thirty minutes. The core temperature will rise by another two to three degrees, so plan for that. In the meantime, deglaze the pan drippings with the red wine, boil it down almost completely, pour in the stock, and reduce everything by half. Finally, stir in the cold butter and cut the roast across the grain into thin slices.
