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I have a fairly large piece of beef (2.4kg) with very little fat on it. I was wondering what the best way to roast without drying it out would be please?
I know the temptation is to say that it needs to be slow cooked but I like my meat rare with a crispy crust and I really don't have time.
For the US crowd, silverside is the part of the round closest to sirloin, so it's a working cut and fairly lean.
In order to keep this juicy you'll need to bard it, in other words add fat. I'd do this by wrapping the whole thing up in streaky (US style) bacon and then sear it at high temperature to give it that crust before turning it down and continue the roasting at a lower temperature. So turn your oven up full-whack and let it get good and hot, then rub your roast with some salt, then into the oven for 20 minutes, then turn it down to 160 and roast it until it reaches 120F/50c. Remove and cover with foil, then let it rest for at least 30 minutes. If you don't let it rest it won't get tender at all.
In all honesty silverside isn't a cut I would roast, and I've tried. It just too lean and has too much connective tissue to be tender. It does make a good braise though, which is what I'd do with it.
I disagree with the accepted answer, which I don't think goes low enough. After searing first, I just cooked a 1.2kg piece of silverside at the the lowest temperature my fan oven would go, which was about 55C/130F for about six hours (until it reached 50C), then rested for 30 mins. Came out pink, tender and delicious.
No larding, no marinade, no liquid. Simple and straightforward, and is worth doing. You've just got to plan enough hours in advance.
