This is a recipe for a succulent fall-apart tender lamb shoulder that is slow cooked in a rich massaman curry sauce, presented in a grand roast lamb centrepiece form. My current most-made lamb shoulder recipe. Got 5 minutes to make it? 🙂

5 Minute Fall-apart Massaman Lamb Shoulder

This recipe is going to save you on those occasions when you need to serve a group and are pressed for time, yet still wanting to make something that looks impressive. I mean, we have a reputation to uphold, after all! 🙂

You literally just put everything in a pan, which takes all of 5 minutes, then leave it in the oven to slow roast for 4 hours.

And what comes out is extraordinary. The lamb meat is succulent fall-apart tender, swimming in a to-die-for massaman curry sauce with soft potatoes that literally melt in your mouth.

Plus, it can be made the day before because it reheats 100% perfectly (can’t say that about most roasts!) and it’s kid friendly because Massaman curry isn’t spicy.

Cynical? Don’t blame you!

If it sounds too good to be true – I don’t blame you for being cynical! This recipe works very specifically because it’s slow-roasted (allows time for the sauce and meat to develop flavour), we’re using lamb meat (more flavourful than chicken, pork and beef) and because we’re using a richly flavoured curry sauce as the braising liquid.

Need more proof? Head over to the Massaman Lamb Shanks. Same method. Glowing reviews!

Ingredients in Massaman Lamb Shoulder

A shortcut in this recipe is that we use store bought curry paste. In fact, homemade Massaman Curry paste doesn’t work for this recipe because it’s too fresh! We need the concentrated flavour of store bought.

Also, as mentioned above, using lamb here is a deliberate choice. In fact, traditional Massaman Curry is made with beef but I opt for lamb because it’s a stronger flavoured meat.

1. Lamb shoulder

Lamb shoulder is a cut of lamb that needs to be cooked long and slow to give the tough meat fibres time to break down and become tender. You can’t cook shoulder to blushing pink like a traditional Lamb Leg, it’s just too tough.

• Where to get it – These days, you can find shoulder in regular grocery stores here in Australia. It used to be cheaper than lamb leg but now it’s about the same price. But, it is more succulent and has better flavour than lamb leg!

• Get bone in because the meat is juicier. Trust me on this, I’ve tested bone-in and boneless side by side. The difference is phenomenal! (See FAQ for more information).

• Other lamb cuts – For lamb shanks, use the Massaman Lamb Shanks recipe (it’s slightly different). Boneless lamb shoulder will work but reduce the cooking time by an hour.

• Other proteins – I don’t think beef chuck would add enough flavour into the sauce for this method of cooking (ie no searing meat prior). Beef short ribs do work (reduce bake time by about 1 1/2 hours, it was great). Pork shoulder will also work but I haven’t got my head around how good pork is with massaman curry sauce. Tasty, but perhaps better with beef or lamb? Chicken won’t work because it can’t be cooked long enough to give the sauce sufficient time to develop enough flavour. Bear in mind this recipe is designed with convenience in mind which means we need slow-cooking time for flavour creation!

2. THE CURRY PART

• Massaman Curry paste – Maesri is my preferred brand. Not all curry pastes are made equal! More on this below.

• Cinnamon and star anise – Flavour boost of two dominant spices in Massaman curry paste.

• Coconut milk – As used in traditional Massaman Curry sauce. Look for a coconut milk that is at least 80% coconut! Very economical brands can be as low as 30% which barely taste of coconut. I use Ayam (89%).

• Chicken stock/broth – To create volume to make a braising liquid to mostly submerge the lamb, as well as adding depth of flavour into the sauce. A shortcut – traditional Massaman Curry is made by braising pieces of beef in liquid to make a homemade stock which is used for the sauce.

  Get low-sodium so your sauce doesn’t end up too salty. (Though it won’t be a disaster if you don’t get low sodium as the giant hunk of lamb + potatoes will absorb the salt).

• Potato and onion – traditionally included in traditional Massaman Curry. Use whole baby potatoes, around 3cm/1.2″ wide is ideal, so they hold together and become beautifully soft and creamy inside. ⚠️ Do not use cubes of cut potato as they will disintegrate and make the sauce grainy!

3. Maesri curry paste

Here is the undisputed king of all store bought Thai curry pastes – Maesri. Restaurants use it, chefs use it, and food obsessed people like myself are mad for it.

And it happens to be sold at regular grocery stores and it’s the cheapest (currently ~$2.00).

I use it for all my Thai curries when I don’t have time / ingredients to make the curry paste from scratch – Red, Green and traditional Massaman beef curry. And any other recipe calling for a dollop or two of curry paste, from the peanut dipping sauce for Thai Satay Chicken to Thai Coconut Pumpkin Soup to Red Curry Pot Roast Chicken!

• Where to find Maesri curry paste – At your local grocery store! It’s sold at most metropolitan Coles and Woolworths grocery stores in Australia (Asian section), at Harris Farms, practically all Asian stores (it would be un-Asian not to carry it!) and here it is online in the US, Canada* and UK.

• Can’t find it? Use any Massaman Curry paste you can find. My personal order of preference (Aussie brands) – Ayam, Five Tastes and bringing up the rear is Volcom (it’s always too sweet).

* Obscenely expensive, please try to get to an Asian store!

How to make Massaman Lamb Shoulder

2 easy steps -put everything into a pan, bake 4 hours! You can also use your slow cooker – see recipe notes.

1. Sauce – Put the curry, coconut and stock in a roasting pan. Whisk until lump free (including pesky coconut milk lumps).

   💡If making ahead to reheat tomorrow, use a ceramic, glass or enamel coated cast iron baking dish rather than a metal one. I typically try to avoid keeping foods in any type of metal pans overnight. Just to be cautious!

2. Lamb upside down – Put the lamb shoulder in then turn to coat in the sauce. Then arrange it so it is upside down in the sauce. ie fat cap side / meaty side down, red boney side facing up. This way most of the meat is submerged in the liquid so it braises.

   Scatter the onion, cinnamon, star anise and potatoes around the lamb.

3. Slow roast high then low – Cover with foil. Roast for 1 hour 220°C/425°F (200°C fan) to get the heat going inside the pan (it’s a big hunk of meat there, which takes a while to heat up), then 3 hours at 180°C/350°F (160°C fan) or until the meat is fork-tender. This means that you should be able to pry the meat apart with two forks without any effort.

4. Brown it – Remove the foil and carefully turn the lamb over so. Spoon some sauce over then pop it back in the oven for 30 minutes until the surface is a lovely deep golden brown.

   Sauce adjustments – If you don’t have enough sauce when you remove the foil, just add water before browning the lamb. If there’s too much / too thin, just pop the pan back into the oven without the lamb (once browned). It’s so easy to adjust!

   Making ahead? After browning, let it fully cool uncovered then refrigerate overnight. On the day of, just reheat it in the oven covered for 1 hour. See recipe notes for directions!

5. Skim fat – Remove it from the oven and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Skim off the excess fat from the surface of the sauce using a large spoon. There will be a fair amount – around 1/2 to 3/4 cup (125 – 180 ml). Lamb shoulder is a fatty cut, and that is why it is so tasty! Don’t try to get all the fat because otherwise you’ll lose too much sauce. And remember, fat = flavour!

   💡If you refrigerated overnight, you can lift sheets of the fat off the surface of the sauce but be sure to scrape all the sauce off the underside!

6. Garnish and serve – If you’re posh (I’m not), transfer everything into a serving dish then sprinkle with the red chilli slices and coriander/cilantro. Serve with rice and tongs – no carving knife required here, this is not the carving sort! See the section below for various serving styles.

Serving styles

An odd-sounding heading perhaps, but it will make sense once I explain! Here are the 3 ways I have served this lamb in the past few months (it’s been regularly used since I invented it, so handy for groups):

1. Lazy format for familiar people eg family, casual lunch with the team – Leave the whole lamb shoulder in the roasting pan. It does get a bit messy as the meat-tearing progresses as the bone gets in the way, and also there are pockets of fat that I find people tend to avoid and leave in the pan. But, it’s less work for me to serve, and the whole lamb looks impressive! 🙂 I do this most of the time!

2. Meat fully removed – This one is easy for guests to serve themselves though lacks the visual impact of a whole lamb shoulder. Remove all the meat off the bone and separate into large-ish serving-size chunks. Remove and discard large identifiable pockets of fat. Squidge meat in sauce, garnish, serve with large serving spoon.

3. Bone removed, lamb in-tact – This is a good way to have visual impact of a whole piece of lamb but it’s easier to serve because the bone is removed. You literally just grab the bone and slide it out of the meat, taking care to keep the lamb in tact. Because the meat is so tender, it should slide out effortlessly.

What to serve with Massaman Lamb Shoulder

Rice is essential, for sauce soaking. Jasmine is my first pick (being Thai and all) though basmati is beautiful with it too, given the Indian influence of Massaman curry. They both have a slight perfume of flavour that goes so well with this dish but I’m sure nobody would snob other rice types on offer! 🙂

I’d suggest opting for a light and fresh side salad as this dish is quite rich. It’s pictured above with an Asian Slaw on the side. Some more suggestions: Leafy Asian salad, Chang’s Crispy Noodle Salad, Smashed Cucumber Salad, Japanese Slaw, Glass Noodle Salad (skip the chicken), or any fresh vegetables/salady things / blanched greens you want tossed with my simple 4 ingredient Asian Sesame Dressing.

Enjoy! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Fall-apart massaman lamb shoulder

Recipe video above. Fall-apart succulent lamb smothered in a rich massaman curry sauce with melt-in-your-mouth potatoes that will take you 5 minutes to prepare.

This larger-format version of Lamb Shanks Massaman Curry is made for groups: make up to 4 shoulders at once (serves 25 – 30!), reheats 110% perfectly (unlike lamb leg!), it looks impressive and a crowd pleaser. Plus it's kid friendly because Massaman Curry isn't spicy!

Course Main

Cuisine Thai-ish

Keyword lamb shoulder, Massaman Curry

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 4 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Resting 15 minutes minutes

Servings 6 – 8

Calories 478cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

• 2-2.25kg/ 4 – 4.5 lb lamb shoulder , bone in, excess fat trimmed (but leave thin fat layer on (Note 1)
• 114g/ 4oz (1/2 cup) Maesri Massaman curry paste (1 can) , or other brand (Note 2)
• 400g/ 14 oz can coconut milk , full fat (Note 3)
• 3 cups chicken stock/broth , low sodium
• 1 onion , halved then cut into 1 cm / 1/2″ thick wedges
• 2 cinnamon sticks (or 1/2 tsp powder)
• 2 star anise (won’t ruin if you don’t have this)
• 600g/ 1.2 lb small baby potatoes , whole (don’t cut cubes, Note 4)

Garnishes / serving:

• 2 large red chillis , finely sliced diagonally (optional)
• 1 cup (lightly packed) coriander leaves & sprigs (cilantro) , highly recommended
• Jasmine rice (basmati also excellent)

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Abbreviated recipe:

• Whisk curry, coconut and stock, put lamb in upside down. Add spices and potatoes, foil cover, roast 1 hour at 220°C/425°F (200°C fan), 3 hours 180°C/350°F (160°C fan) or until fall-apart. Uncover, turn lamb, 30 minutes. Garnish, serve!

Full recipe steps:

• Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F (200°C fan-forced).
• Whisk the curry paste, coconut milk and chicken stock in a pan until lump free. Put lamb shoulder in, turn to coat in the sauce then place it so it's upside down (ie meaty / fat side down).
• Place the onion, cinnamon sticks, star anise and potatoes around the lamb. Cover with foil.
• Slow-cook – Roast for 1 hour. LOWER the oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan) then roast for a further 3 hours. (Note 5)
• Check – Remove foil and use forks to check the meat is virtually “fall-apart-tender”, it should be by this time. If not, cover and keep cooking.
• Brown – Turn the lamb over, spoon over sauce. Bake uncovered 30 minutes or until deep golden. (Note 6 for sauce adjustments)
• Serve – Rest for 10 – 15 minutes. Spoon off as much or as little excess fat off surface, discard. Mix sauce well (it's quite runny, if it was thicker it'd be too rich). Transfer to a serving dish, if you like, sprinkle with chilli and coriander. Serve! (Note 7 for serving styles)

Notes

1. Lamb – Small lamb shoulders work too, but then there’s less meat 🙂 There’s enough sauce for a shoulder up to around 2.5kg/5lb, bone-ine. Boneless shoulder also excellent, ~1.75 kg / 3.5lb, it should be fall-apart by about the 3 hour mark. Lamb leg (bone-in) will also work but because it’s leaner, the meat is not as juicy.

Other meat that will work: boneless short rib, whole pork shoulder (bone-in), but please read in post for comments on these cuts. Chicken not recommended!

2. Massaman curry paste – best is Maesri brand, sold at most Woolworths (see here) & Coles in Australia, as well as Harris Farms and Asian stores. Also happens to be the cheapest at ~$2.10 a can. 

Otherwise, use whatever brand you can find (my preferences: Ayam, Five Tastes and lastly Volcom).

3. Coconut milk – not all coconut milk is created equal. Look for brands that are at least 80% coconut for better coconut flavour (check the ingredients), I use Ayam which is 89%.

4. Potatoes – small ones ~3cm / 1.2″ is ideal. Keep them whole or halve, with skin on. Don’t use peeled cubes of potato, they will disintegrate and make the sauce grainy.

5. Oven temps – Initial high temp roasting is to get heat inside the lamb and liquid, cuts down on slow roasting time by an hour. 

Slow cooker – 10 hours on low. Transfer everything to a pan (lamb upside down), 180°C/350°F (160°C fan) 30 minutes, turn lamb, 30 – 45 minutes until nicely coloured and sauce reduced (remove lamb and reduce in oven more if needed). Handy, but, oven roasting is better flavour (better caramelisation). 🙂

6. Sauce amount – If you don’t have enough sauce when you remove the foil (eg foil not on properly, extra large pan, lamb was not as juicy, oven runs hot), just add water before browning the lamb. If there’s too much / too thin, just pop the pan back into the oven without the lamb (once browned). It’s so easy to adjust!

7. Serving style – See in post for suggestions, section above the video. Whole, or boneless whole, or shredded. Different occasions for each!

8. MAKE-AHEAD BRILLIANCE – One of the rare roasts that reheats almost 100% perfectly (in fact, the sauce flavour gets better with time), making it excellent for making ahead for gatherings. Use a ceramic or glass baking dish, fully cool (whole) then refrigerate overnight in the dish. Take out of the fridge a good 2 hours prior, cover loosely with foil, reheat at 180°C/350°F (160°C) for 1 hour (2 shoulders each in separate pans took 1 hour 15 minutes).

Nutrition per serving assuming 8 servings. It will serve 6 comfortably with rice and a single side salad (lamb meat + the sauce is pretty rich), up to 8 if you had a couple of sides.

Nutrition

Calories: 478cal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 48g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 142mg | Sodium: 502mg | Potassium: 1100mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 2250IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 7mg

Lamb shoulder is a firm favourite for entertaining

See?

Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder

Ultimate Roast Lamb: 12-hour lamb shoulder

Middle Eastern Shredded Lamb with Chickpea Pilaf (Rice)

Slow Cooked Lamb Shawarma

Roast Lamb

Life of Dozer

If you told me 10 years ago I’d be sitting on the floor of a shopping centre with a dog watching a lightwall until the advert for my book signing came up, I’d have looked at you like I’m crazy.

Instead, people were looking at me like I’m crazy!! 😂

Here’s a fun little video I put together of Dozer’s visit to Warringah Mall yesterday to check out our lightwall! Truthfully, I was a little disappointed. I was secretly hoping for a giant photo of Dozer. I know, I know, I’m such an ungrateful brat! 😈

The post 5 Minute Fall-apart Massaman Lamb Shoulder appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

This years’ brand new Christmas main has landed! You’ll love the simple but highly effective cooking technique used in this Roast Beef Tenderloin recipe for blushing pink meat from edge to edge. Slathered in garlic-thyme-butter and served with a dreamy mushroom sauce, to say it is delectable is an understatement. I hope you love it!

A beef tenderloin recipe – worthy and safe!

Beef tenderloin, also known as eye fillet, is one of the most expensive cuts of beef. It’s loved for how tender it is and because of the price, typically reserved for special occasions. So I really do not want to stuff it up, and I want to cook it in a way that is worthy of such a luxurious cut of meat!

So this method I’m sharing today is low risk, but yields exceptional results. It’s a proven method I also use for standing rib roast (prime rib), which has been a reader favourite for special occasions for years.

Here’s what you need to know about this recipe:

1. Method – Seared to brown the surface, slathered with garlic-thyme-butter then roasted in a low 120°C/250°F oven for 40 minutes.

2. The low temperature means the beef cooks evenly from edge to edge. At the typical 180°C/350°F, you get a thicker band of grey, overcooked meat. I can live with that for lamb leg, being a much larger piece of meat. Not for tenderloin – it’s smaller, which means the ratio of overcooked meat is higher!

3. Safer – Using a lower temperature also makes this recipe safer because it won’t go from perfect-to-overcooked in a minute like it does at higher temps.

4. Overnight salting – A recommended step for the absolute best results: Sprinkle beef with salt the night before and leave overnight in the fridge, uncovered. This will season the meat all the way through into the middle.

5. Premium v economy beef – While I typically only make beef tenderloin for special occasions and so I splurge on good beef, I also tried economical tenderloin and was so impressed with the results. However, you need to trim and tie it yourself. In doing so, you can save ~70%. See the Economical Beef section below.

6. Creamy mushroom sauce – A special creamy mushroom sauce, an elevated version of the everyday mushroom sauce I use midweek, made using every drop of the precious pan drippings. There’s little drippings from tenderloin compared to other beef, so choosing the right sauce is important. More on the sauce below.

About The Creamy Mushroom Sauce

One of the reasons it’s taken me years to publish a beef tenderloin recipe was the sauce conundrum. Beef tenderloin needs a sauce that is worthy (this is an expensive meat!). If I had my way, I’d ask you to make homemade beef stock so we can serve this with a red wine sauce because it’s so luxurious (recipe on page 327 of Dinner). But many readers wouldn’t, and you can’t make red wine sauce using carton stock (doesn’t have the gelatine so never thickens and it’s far too salty).

As for gravy? Unlike larger roasts, tenderloin doesn’t create enough pan drippings to make a good gravy. It’s too lean and too small.

So instead, I’ve chosen what I think is the best sauce for tenderloin – a mushroom sauce that’s made using every drop of flavour left in the pan from roasting. This sauce is Dreamy – with a capital D. 100% worthy of tenderloin!

Ingredients

Here’s what you need to make this roast beef tenderloin.

1. Centre-cut beef tenderloin (eye-fillet)

Beef tenderloin, also known as eye-fillet, is one of the most expensive cuts of beef that is prized for its tenderness. The best part of the beef tenderloin for roasting is the centre cut because it’s cut from the thick end of a long piece of meat that tapers like a tai, and it’s a relatively uniform shape so it roasts evenly.

It usually weighs between 1 – 1.25kg (2 – 2.5 lb) and if you pick one up from a quality butcher, it should be neatly trimmed and tied, as pictured (once I slathered in butter!).

The cost will range depending on the quality of the beef, but is typically around $40/kg from grocery stores up to $90/kg at good butchers ($20/lb – $45/lb).

Economical BEEF options

Beef tenderloin is cheaper if you get smaller roasts (~400-500g/14 – 17oz) which come from small beef tenderloins (lacks the impact of a big beef roast), if you get the tail end of beef tenderloin which tapers to a thin point, or if you have a whole tenderloin that you cut, trim and tie yourself (you can save 60-70%).

The whole tenderloin below was $30/kg from Harris Farms (currently discounted to $20/kg!), compared to $90/kg for the centre cut tenderloin pictured above (though note beef quality comes into play here too, see box below).

I’ve done a separate post on how to trim, cut and tie a whole tenderloin to make your own centre cut for roasting – see How to Trim and Cut Beef Tenderloin for Roasting.

Garlic-thyme-butter slather

This is what we slather onto the surface of the beef before roasting. By using softened butter rather than just pouring over melted butter you get a good amount of garlic sticking to the surface of the beef which is just all sorts of good!

Thyme – If you don’t have fresh thyme, substitute with 1/2 tsp dried thyme crushed in your fingers to make it a powder.

Creamy Mushroom Sauce for Roast Beef Tenderloin

Here’s what you need for the creamy mushroom sauce which is heavenly with the beef! The magic ingredient is Marsala, an Italian fortified wine that gives the sauce a gourmet flavour. You need something for beef tenderloin – because it doesn’t produce enough drippings to make a good gravy like you can do with lamb leg, or red wine sauce like I make for beef prime rib (standing rib roast) without using a homemade beef stock (carton stock just doesn’t cut it). I really tried, but it just lacked flavour!

• Marsala – As mentioned above, this is the ingredient that gives this sauce a gourmet edge. It’s an Italian fortified wine that you can pick up cheaply (I usually get Boronia Marsala $10 for a 750ml bottle though pictured below is a different brand), keeps “forever” and you need it to make the midweek beauty Chicken Marsala!

  Don’t have it? Use white wine instead. It doesn’t have the earthy flavour marsala has but it’s nevertheless still going to be a delicious sauce!

  For a non-alcoholic version, the best substitute is low sodium chicken stock.

• Mushrooms – I use white mushrooms because I like the colour in the sauce, but you can use Swiss Brown / Cremini mushrooms if you prefer.

• Garlic – Not too much actually, just 1/2 a teaspoon. We don’t want to overwhelm the whole dish with garlic flavour and there’s already quite a lot in the butter slather!

• Chicken stock/broth – Because it’s better than water.

• Cream – Because we’re making a creamy sauce. Use thickened / heavy cream because it’s thicker than ordinary cream.

• Thyme sprig – For a perfume of thyme flavour in the sauce without ending up with loads of little black specks in the sauce. Though, you can substitute with dried thyme if you have to. But, be warned – black specks!!

How to make Roast Beef Tenderloin

Roasting in a low 120°C/250°F oven is the key here which actually doesn’t take that long (just 40 minutes). This yields exceptional results with evenly cooked beef from edge to edge (no thick overcooked band you get from higher temps) makes this recipe shockingly straightforward and virtually risk-free. Because you’ve got a meat thermometer, right? 🙂 Even a cheap $5 one from Kmart is better than winging it with a premium cut of beef like tenderloin!

** START THIS RECIPE THE NIGHT BEFORE by salting the beef. This does wonders to get seasoning into the flesh and to dry out the surface for a superior crust.

1. low-temp-roasting

1. Tied beef – If your beef is not tied, tie it with kitchen twine at 2.5cm / 1″ intervals. This will hold your beef together in a nice shape as it roasts. However, it’s not the end of the world if you don’t tie it! Your beef will just sort of sag a bit.

   Caveat – If you’re using an economical piece of tenderloin with flappy bits and the thin tail, tying is essential. See section above about preparing economical tenderloin.

2. Overnight salting (not deal breaker) – Pat the beef dry with paper towels, then sprinkle with salt and pepper all over. Place the beef on a rack on a tray then refrigerate uncovered overnight.

3. De- chill – Remove beef from the fridge 2 hours prior to remove some of the chill from the centre. This helps the beef cook more evenly by taking some of the chill out of the centre of the beef.

4. Butter Slather – Mix Butter Slather ingredients in a bowl.

5. Sear fast! Sear the surface of the beef all over in an ovenproof heavy based skillet on high heat (I use my 26cm / 10.2″ Lodge cast iron skillet). We want to do this step hard and fast, to minimise time on the stove so we minimise the thickness of the band of meat that becomes well done by then end of the roasting time!

6. Cool briefly – Then put the beef back on the rack to cool for 15 minutes. The purpose of this is so the butter doesn’t completely melt when you slather it on.

7. Slather 3/4 of the butter onto the beef – top and sides (not underside). Using softened rather than melted butter does wonders to make the garlic stick to the surface of the beef!

8. Slow roast 40 to 50 minutes – Transfer the beef into the skillet then roast for 15 minutes in a low 120°C/250°F oven (both fan and standard ovens). Then slather the remaining butter on and roast for a further 25 – 35 minutes (40 – 50 minutes total) or until the internal temperature is 53°C/127°F for medium rare. (See table in box above for other levels of doneness).

   Note: Typically, fan ovens are 20°C lower than standard for the same cooking speed. But at lower temperatures I find this not to be the case. Discovered this during 12 hour lamb testing!

9. Rest – Remove beef from the skillet and rest for 10 minutes. The internal temperature will rise to 56-58°C / 133-136°F which is medium rare.

   Note for roasting pros: It rises less than larger roasts (like a standing rib roast /prime rib which takes 1 1/2 hours in the oven) because it is not in the oven as long so the residual heat in the meat is less.

10. Slice thickly and serve with Creamy Mushroom Sauce!

HOW TO MAKE The mushroom sauce

As noted earlier, beef tenderloin does not create as much pan drippings as larger roasts with more fat. So we’re going to add a couple of extra steps and ingredients to make a beautiful sauce worthy of tenderloin without wasting a drop of flavour in the skillet!

What I do is use the butter / little amount of beef fat in the skillet to sauté the mushrooms, then all the meat juices as part of the stock for the sauce. The result? A dreamy mushroom sauce that’s worthy of any high-end steakhouse!

1. Roasting juices – Pour all the juices in skillet into a bowl, scraping out all the little bits of garlic.

2. Spoon off butter – Spoon or pour off 1/4 cup of the fat that rises to the top of the juices and pour it back into the skillet. Keep the rest of the juices/fat – we will add it into the sauce later.

3. Cook mushrooms – Turn the stove onto high. Once the butter is hot, add mushrooms and cook until they start to sweat. Then add thyme and garlic, and cook for a further 2 minutes until the mushrooms are softened.

4. Sauce – Add the chicken stock/broth and reduce by half. Then add the marsala, reduce by about half – this will cook out most of the alcohol. Then add the cream, pepper and all the remaining reserved roasting juices, including all the garlic bits (there’s lots of salt and flavour stuck in there).

5. Simmer on medium / medium high for 5 minutes until it reduces by half and the sauce is thickened to a thin syrupy consistency (it will thicken more as it cools in the time it takes to get from the pan to your plate). Taste – it should be slightly on the salty side (which will seem just right with each mouthful of beef). Add more salt if needed.

6. Transfer into a bowl with a spoon to serve with the beef!

What to serve with beef tenderloin

I actually shared the Brie Dauphinoise Potatoes on Monday with the intention of suggesting to serve it alongside this beef tenderloin. It’s worthy! Though, so is traditional no-brie Dauphinoise. 🙂

Also, from a practical perspective, it’s easy to time it. Make the Brie Dauphinoise first. Then cover to keep warm while you cook the beef. It’s a solid mass, it will stay warm while you’re roasting the beef.

While the beef is resting, pop the dauphinoise back in the oven to give it a 10 minute blast in the oven to re-warm the surface. Then voilà! Serve both hot and fresh. 🙂

More side suggestions

Few more classic roast beef side suggestions for you: Creamy Buttery Mashed Potato, Sautéed Green Beans with Garlic, Garlic Sautéed Spinach, Lemon Potato Salad. Or, have a browse of my vegetable sides recipe collection (it’s even sorted by vegetable), and more potato sides here. – Nagi x

PS Short note on leftovers: serve cold, thinly sliced, on rye with a smear of mustard, for the best roast beef sandwich you’ll make all year.

Watch how to make it

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Beef Tenderloin with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

Recipe video above. This recipe uses a simple but highly effective, low-risk slow-roasting technique for evenly cooked tenderloin that's blushing pink from edge to edge. No thick overcooked band!

A slather of garlic-thyme-butter gives the beef a tasty crust, and the drippings from roasting are used to make a magnificent creamy mushroom sauce.

Marsala, an Italian fortified wine you can pick up cheaply, is the secret ingredient in the sauce for a luxurious edge of flavour. But if you need to be alcohol free, see recipe notes.

Please get a meat thermometer to take the guess work out! It's far cheaper than the beef. (Note 4)PRO TIP: Season the beef the night before for best results. (Note 5)

Course Mains

Cuisine Western

Keyword beef eye fillet, beef tenderloin, Roast beef

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Overnight salting (optional, recommended) 2 hours hours

Servings 4 – 5 people

Calories 845cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Beef:

• 1 – 1.25kg/ 2 – 2.5lb centre cut beef tenderloin (eye fillet), tied (Note 1)
• 1 1/2 tsp cooking / kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

Garlic-Thyme-Butter-Slather:

• 75g/ 5 tbsp unsalted butter , softened
• 1 tsp garlic , finely grated or very finely minced with a knife
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves , finely chopped (Note 2)
• 1/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Creamy mushroom sauce:

• 150g/5 oz white mushrooms , sliced 3mm thick
• 1/2 tsp garlic , finely minced
• 1 thyme sprig (Note 2)
• 3/4 cup marsala , Italian fortified wine (Note 3)
• 1/2 cup chicken stock , low sodium
• 3/4 cup thickened cream (heavy cream)
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Instructions

• Prep beef – Pat beef dry with paper towels, sprinkle with salt and pepper all over. Place the beef on a rack on a tray then refrigerate uncovered 12 to 24 hours. (Can skip, Note 5)
• Butter Slather – Mix Butter Slather ingredients in a bowl.
• De-chill – Remove the beef from the fridge 2 hours prior to cooking. This helps the beef cook evenly.
• Sear – Heat oil in an ovenproof heavy based pan over high heat until smoking. (Note 6) Brown the surface of the beef all over, aggressively and quickly. Then put the beef back on the rack to cool for 15 minutes (so the butter doesn't instantly melt when you put it on).
• Preheat oven to 120°C/250°F (both fan and standard ovens) (Note 7).
• Butter – Put beef back in cooled skillet. Slather 3/4 of the butter onto the beef – top and sides (not underside).
• Roast 40 – 50 minutes – Roast for 15 minutes. Remove, slather remaining butter onto the top and sides. Roast for a further 25 – 35 minutes or until the internal temperature is 53°C/127°F for medium rare (Note 8 for other levels of doneness).
• Rest & serve – Remove beef from the skillet onto a cutting board and rest for 10 minutes. The internal temperature will rise 56-58°C / 133-136°F (this is medium rare). Slice thickly and serve with Creamy Mushroom Sauce!

Creamy mushroom sauce

• Roasting juices – Pour all juices in skillet into a bowl or jug. The fat will rise to the surface. Pour off 1/4 cup (60ml) of the fat back into the skillet (reserve the rest for later).
• Cook mushrooms – Turn the stove onto high. Once the butter is hot, add mushrooms and cook until they start to sweat. Then add thyme and garlic, and cook for a further 2 minutes until the mushrooms are softened.
• Sauce – Add chicken stock/broth and reduce by half. Add marsala, cream, pepper and remaining reserved roasting juices. Simmer on medium / medium high for 5 minutes until it reduces by half and the sauce is thickened. Taste – it should be slightly on the salty side (which will seem just right with each mouthful of beef). Add more salt if needed. Serve with beef.

Notes

1. Beef tenderloin – centre cut is the best part of the tenderloin for roasting. Thickest and even width so it cooks evenly. It’s best if tied so it holds its shape better, but not the end of the world if not. See in post about economical options. Smaller tenderloin works fine for this recipe but the roasting time will differ – just take it out when it reaches the target Pull Temperature (note 8).

You can save a lot by buying a whole beef tenderloin, trim and cut it yourself. See separate post for step by step here.

Beef quality – See the box in post about beef quality and price, grain v grass fed.

2. Thyme – Fresh is better than dried in this recipe. But you can substitute with 1/2 tsp dried thyme crushed in your fingers to make it a powder for the butter rub. Skip the thyme in the sauce (not as essential and dried will leave unsightly specks in the sauce).

3. Marsala is an Italian fortified wine (like port), you can get a 750ml/25oz bottles for $10 or less. No need to get an expensive one! Key flavouring – depth of flavour, complexity, warmth and touch of sweetness. Use dry marsala, not sweet (check label). Use leftover for Marsala chicken. Sub with port wine, sherry, or madeira, or white wine. For non alcoholic version, substitute with low sodium chicken stock/broth.

4. Meat thermometer – I use a Thermapen these days (read my thoughts here!) but before that I used this $10 one.

5. Overnight salting recommended for best results, seasons meat all the way through. If you don’t have time, skip this step. It’s still phenomenal! Read more in post about benefits of overnight salting.

6. Cooking vessel – I use my Lodge cast iron skillet, 26 cm / 10.5″.

7. Oven – Typically, fan ovens are 20°C lower than standard for the same cooking speed. But at lower temperatures I find this not to be the case. Discovered this during 12 hour lamb testing!

8. Internal temperature – Different levels of doneness. Medium rare is best! Be sure to take the beef out of the oven at the Pull Temperature.

Doneness	Pull Temp out of oven	Target Temp after rest
Rare	50°C/122°F	53°C/127.4°F
Medium rare (recommended)	53°C / 127.4°F	56-58°C / 133-136°F
Medium	56°C/133°F	60°C / 140°F
Medium well	60°C / 140°F	65°C / 149°F
Well done	Never!

9. Leftovers will keep for 3 days. Freezing not recommended.

Nutrition per serving, assuming all sauce is consumed.

Nutrition

Calories: 845cal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 72g | Saturated Fat: 34g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 27g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 213mg | Sodium: 934mg | Potassium: 810mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 930IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 5mg

Life of Dozer

The smell of roasting beef…..

The post A magnificent Roast Beef Tenderloin appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

I love a good roast lamb (proof). Here’s my classic recipe for lamb leg, rubbed with garlic and rosemary, served with gravy, peas, carrots and crispy roast potatoes (duck fat or classic). I hope you love it as much as I do!

The only thing you need to know for perfect roast lamb leg

I have a lot to say about roasting any kind of meat. Especially Australia’s favourite roast – the great lamb leg. But there’s really only one thing you need to know to make perfect roast lamb leg, every single time:

GET A MEAT THERMOMETER!!

It’s the only way you can take the guesswork out of cooking lamb leg so it’s perfect blushing pink and ridiculously juicy inside. Because – and here’s something Aussies don’t like to talk about – lamb leg is actually very lean so if it’s not pink, it’s dry. Full stop, end of story!

My meat thermometer – For most of my adult life, I was using a $5 thermometer I got on Ebay which never failed me. A few years ago I finally decided it was time to invest in a real one so I got a Thermapen which is pretty well regarded as the best (my thoughts here). Even if you can’t invest in a Thermapen – it’s the 21st century, and even cheap tech isn’t so bad. Invest in a $5 meat thermometer. That’s a lot cheaper than a wasted, overcooked lamb leg!

OK, I do have a few more “how to make the perfect roast lamb leg” tips!

1. Garlic rosemary rub – classic lamb flavours.

2. Start on high to get the colour going then lower heat.

3. Roast on a bed of garlic (or onion).

4. Make the gravy using the pan drippings. Roast lamb gravy is better than every other cut of meat – beef, chicken, pork, none of them compare!

What you need for roast lamb leg

Starting with the hero ingredient – the lamb leg! Get the best you can afford – yes, meat is like wine, the more you pay, the better the quality. Quality of life of the animal also comes into play there.

All that red ink you see is perfectly safe to eat and actually, you only see it on better quality lamb. You don’t typically see it on supermarket lamb.

Cut bone – Some (most?) butchers and almost all supermarkets sell lamb leg with the shank (bone) cut. Either fully cut off or partially cut so it folds. This is simply for practical reasons – shelf storage and packing space. For grandness, I like the bone in tact. But it doesn’t matter ,it’s purely a visual decision!

Rub for roast lamb leg

Here’s what you need for the rub: rosemary, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. Use fresh rosemary – dried is not the same!

Roast lamb gravy

All you need for gravy is flour for thickening and beef stock/broth for the liquid. You shouldn’t need extra salt for the gravy. I find the salt on the lamb that ends up in the pan drippings plus the salt in the beef stock is enough. But taste and add more if you want!

Why beef rather than lamb stock? Well, there’s a reason lamb stock is not typically sold at grocery stores! It’s just very…lamby. 🙂 Beef has a cleaner flavour. It doesn’t make the gravy taste beefy at all because there is so much lamb flavour from the drippings.

Why not chicken stock? It works fine but the gravy colour is paler. I like my gravy for roast lamb leg to be a really deep brown colour!

How to make roast lamb leg

Rub with rosemary and garlic, roast in a hot oven to get the colour going then continue at a lower temperature for 1 hour or until the internal temperature is 53°C/127°F (for blushing pink perfection). Rest for 20 minutes before carving. It will still be very warm even after 1 hour – enough time to make duck fat potatoes!

The lamb leg pictured is a 2.75 kg lamb leg which is about the average size you get from good butchers. Supermarket lamb legs tend to be a little larger from slightly older animals which makes the meat a little less tender and a little stronger “lamby” flavour. Albeit, as you’d expect, cheaper than from butchers.

1. Make rub – Mix oil, garlic and rosemary in a bowl.

2. Rub then sprinkle – Slather the rub all over the lamb, then sprinkle the salt and pepper all over. It’s better to do it this way for more even dispersion of salt – if you put it in the oil, it doesn’t spread quite as evenly because it pools in the bottom of the bowl.

   I do this rubbing step in the roasting pan – why dirty a cutting board??

3. Garlic bed – Place cut garlic and rosemary under the lamb.

4. Hot oven 20 minutes – Roast for 20 minutes in a hot 240°C/475°F (220°C fan) oven. This will get the colour going on the lamb. It’s tempting to go longer to get even more colour on it but I find if you go beyond 20 minutes you end up with too much overcooked meat “ring” on the outer edges of the lamb.

5. 1 hour lower oven – Reduce heat to 200°C / 400°F (180°C fan) and roast for a further 1 hour or until the internal temperature of the lamb is 53°C/127°F for blushing pink perfection.

   Check the internal temperature at the 45 minute mark. Never rely on a recipe cook time for roast meat, use your thermometer! So many variables can affect the exact roasting time, from oven strength to pan heat distribution, the shape of the lamb leg and how cold the meat is right in the middle.

   See below for more information on lamb doneness and different size lambs.

6. Rest 20 minutes – Rest the lamb for 20 minutes before carving. During this resting stage, the lamb finishes cooking and the internal temperature will rise to 62°C/144°F which is perfect medium rare for lamb.

   Also during resting, the lamb juices get re-absorbed by the meat fibres so when you cut into the meat, the juices remain in the meat and eventually end up in your mouth. If you do not rest the meat then the meat juices leak out everywhere when you start carving the lamb.

Internal temperature of roast lamb leg

No credible restaurant would ever serve lamb leg at anything over than medium rare! But I do know some people like their lamb done a little more, so here are the internal temperatures for lamb leg at different levels of doneness.

Take the lamb out when it hits the “temperature out of oven”. After resting for 20 minutes it will rise to your target level of doneness.

How to make gravy for roast lamb leg

Gravy for lamb leg is made using the pan drippings after roasting the lamb. “Drippings” simply refers to the fat and meat juices left in the roasting pan after roasting the meat and it’s our express, free path to a killer gravy.

1. Heat drippings & cook flour – Once you take the lamb out of the roasting pan, put it straight on the stove to heat the fat. Add flour and stir it for 1 minute to cook it off – it will kind of be like a paste.

2. Pour in the beef stock, stirring as you go to help dissolve the flour.

3. Smush the garlic with a potato masher or even a smooth to help release the beautiful caramelised garlic flesh into the gravy.

4. Strain – Then just simmer for a few minutes until the gravy thickens to your taste then strain into a bowl, pressing the gravy liquid out of the garlic heads. Then pour into a jug to serve!

And that, my friends, is everything you need to know to be the king (or queen) of roast lamb leg from this day forth. The precision by which you roast your lamb to blushing pink perfection will be admired. Your gravy will be whispered about in your circles – the flavour!!! It’s incredible!

Just smile sedately, sit back and bask in the praise. There is no need to reveal your recipe source. 😎

The lamb leg in this post is pictured with duck fat potatoes (the best crispy potatoes in the world!) with peas and steamed carrots tossed with a little butter and parsley. If you don’t have duck fat, make my classic crunchy roast potatoes instead. They are still way crunchier than your usual way of making them.

Go forth and enjoy your new lamb-alicious world! If you’ve got your own lamb leg secrets, sharing in the comments below – readers love hearing what you have to say. – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Roast Lamb Leg with Gravy

Recipe video above. I love a roast lamb leg! My top tip is to use a meat thermometer. There's no way to guarantee perfect blushing pink roast lamb without one, even if it's a cheap one!

Rubbed with rosemary garlic and accompanied with a killer gravy for lamb. Serve with peas, buttered steamed carrots and crunchy roast potatoes (either classic or ultra crunchy duck fat potatoes).

Course Dinner

Cuisine Aussie, British, New Zealand

Keyword Roast Lamb Leg

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 40 minutes minutes

De-chilling and resting time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 6 -8

Calories 450cal

Author Nagi | RecipeTin Eats

Ingredients

• 2.75 – 3 kg / 5.5 – 6 lb lamb leg , bone-in (Note 1)
• 1 1/2 tsp cooking salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Rub

• 1 1/2 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves , finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves , finely minced
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Base

• 2 whole heads of garlic , halved horizontally (Note 2)
• Few sprigs rosemary (optional)

Gravy

• 4 tbsp flour , plain/all purpose
• 2 1/2 cups beef broth / stock , low sodium (Note 3)

Cups – Metric

Instructions

• Take lamb out of fridge at least 1 hour before roasting. (Note 4)
• Preheat oven to 240°C/475°F (220°C fan) with oven shelf in the middle.
• Rub – Mix rosemary, garlic and olive oil.
• Prepare lamb – Place lamb leg in a roasting pan. Coat with the rub using your hands, the sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Place garlic and rosemary sprigs underneath the lamb, garlic cut face up.
• Roast lamb leg for 20 minutes. Turn the oven down to 200°C/400°F (180°C fan) and roast for a further 1 hour or until the internal temperature reaches 53°C/127°F for medium rare (Note 5 other doneness). Check first at 45 minutes – everyone's oven is different!
• Rest – Remove lamb from oven. Transfer lamb to plate, loosely cover with foil and rest for 20 minutes to 1 hour (it will still be warm enough for serving!). The internal temperature will rise to 62°C/144°F (medium rare). Make gravy while lamb is resting – below.
• Serve lamb with gravy, duck fat or classic crunchy roast potatoes, peas and steamed carrots tossed with butter and parsley.

Gravy for roast lamb leg

• Drippings in pan – Discard rosemary sprigs. You should have around 4 – 5 tbsp of fat (drippings). If less, add butter. If much more, discard a bit.
• Add flour – Place roasting pan on stove over medium heat. When the fat starts to bubble, then add flour. Mix flour in and cook for 1 minute.
• Stock – Pour in half the beef stock and mix to dissolve sludge in, then add remaining beef stock and mix.
• Garlic squidging – Use a potato masher (if you're really keen like me) to mush the garlic to squeeze out the flavour (also helps flour caught in garlic to dissolve).
• Taste – Check salt and pepper (I don't add more).
• Thicken – Simmer for a couple of minutes, stirring, until it starts to thicken. Take it off the stove BEFORE the gravy is the thickness you want because it will keep thickening.
• Strain into a bowl, mushing garlic to squeeze all the liquid out. Then pour into gravy jug and serve with lamb!

Notes

1. Lamb leg – Recipe is based on a whole lamb leg. See roasting time table above for different lamb sizes. Sometimes the bone sticking out is removed, sometimes it is partially cut so it folds inwards. It doesn’t matter either way, but just ensure the bone inside the meat is not removed. (If it is, you have a butterflied lamb leg – use this recipe instead).

Boneless lamb – I love making Greek butterflied lamb leg. If yours is rolled and tied, you could make this recipe but the meat is not quite as juicy because it’s been cut to remove the bone so there’s more escape roots for meat juices! If you can, unroll the lamb to do the rub then roll it back up and tie again (excellent flavour infusion!). Also, cook time likely a bit shorter. I’d do the 20 minute high temp blast, lower oven then check at 40 minute mark.

 2. Garlic base – Elevates the lamb slightly so it cooks more evenly and allows the fat to drip over the garlic so the flavour infuses into the drippings that then forms the base of the gravy. Place garlic cut side up so the flavour infuses into the flesh of the lamb.

It is not garlicky at all because when garlic roasts, it becomes sweet and caramelised. It is my big secret for making a killer gravy for roast lamb! You can use 1 onion, quarters (skin on) instead of or in addition to garlic.

3. Gravy for lamb is best made with beef stock/broth because it has a deeper flavour and makes the gravy a beautiful dark brown colour. Store bought is fine, though homemade makes it ultra restaurant-worthy! If you cannot consume beef for religious or health reasons, then chicken broth can be substituted.

4. De-chilling lamb will make it cook more evenly. Cold lamb leg = overcooked on the outside by the time the inside is cooked.

5. Internal temperature of cooked lamb leg:

I highly recommend getting a meat thermometer for accuracy – only guaranteed way to get juicy lamb every time!

6. Holding – The lamb leg will stay warm for up to 1 hour, enough time to make duck fat or classic crunchy roast potatoes! The inside of the lamb is still warm even after 3 hours. 

7. Servings: A 2.5 kg/5 lb lamb serves 6 very generously and 8 comfortably. After taking into account the bone (500g/1lb) and meat juices lost during roasting, you should end up with around 1.7kg meat after cooking which is around 280g for 6 people (generous!) or 200g for 8 people. If you slice lamb thinly it will go further!

8. Nutrition per serving, assuming 8 servings and that all the gravy is consumed.

Nutrition

Serving: 275g | Calories: 450cal | Carbohydrates: 3.3g | Protein: 54.6g | Fat: 22.7g | Saturated Fat: 6.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 16.6g | Cholesterol: 169mg | Sodium: 381mg

Originally published October 2016. I have been very neglectful not updating one of my favourite recipes with sparkling new photos and a recipe video!

I told you – I LOVE roast lamb! See?

Greek Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb

Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder

Slow Cooker Roast Lamb Leg

Greek Butterflied Lamb Leg

Slow Cooked Lamb Shawarma

Ultimate Roast Lamb: 12-hour lamb shoulder

Roast Lamb

Life of Dozer

Original photo from when I first published this recipe in 2016 still holds true, so no need to update:

DOZER. Don’t breathe your stinky dog breath over my friends while they eat!

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Standing Rib Roast is considered by many to be the best roast beef in the world. Also known as Prime Rib, it’s a beef cut that’s incredibly succulent with superior taste. This recipe uses a safe, simple but highly effective roasting method so the beef is blushing pink all the way through.

Top tip? Pull the beef out before the target internal temperature as the meat continues to cook as it rests, taking medium rare beef to medium. Otherwise, it overcooks while resting!

Standing Rib Roast – don’t make this mistake!

The biggest mistake people make with prime rib is not factoring in that beef continues to cook as it rests. So if you pull it out of the oven at 52°C / 125°F, the target temperature for medium rare, it will rise to 55°C / 130°F or more once rested which is medium. Ie not much blushing pink left!

So you must pull the beef out of the oven before your Target Temperature. Here is a table of the internal temperature of Prime Rib for varying levels of doneness.

Prime Rib – simply the best

There’s no question – the Standing Rib Roast is the creme de la creme of roasts. Also known as Prime Rib, this is THE roast beef with superior flavour, texture and juiciness above all other cuts of beef.

It’s certainly not an economical cut. It’s an investment worthy of special occasions when gathering with like minded people who will appreciate that moment when you slice through the deep golden, garlic studded crust, those people in your life who will clap their hands with glee at the sight of the rose pink flesh, knowing that it’s going to taste as incredibly juicy as it looks…..

Prepare yourself for the ultimate roast beef experience – complete with a gorgeous Red Wine Sauce, a side of Parish Mash and Garlic Sautéed Spinach!!

How to choose the best standing rib roast

I know I’m stating the obvious here, but the better the beef, the better the eating experience. 🙂

TIP: If your budget doesn’t stretch to Prime Rib, use my Roast Beef Marinade to make the most of economical roast beef cuts!

America – If you’re in the States, the USDA has made it easy for you by grading prime rib: Prime (the best), followed by Choice then Select. The grading is largely based on the fat marbling and taste.

Here in Australia, we don’t have a consistent grading system. But what I can say for sure is that if you want a good quality standing rib roast, skip the supermarket and head to your local butcher. Grass fed or grain fed comes down to personal choice.

Grain fed typically has better marbling and therefore a richer, fattier flavour. Grass fed is usually less fatty but people (me included!) believe the flavour of the beef to be richer, more full of flavour and the meat to be more tender.

If you want top shelf, opt for dry aged beef. You’ll pay serious dollars for it – but it’s worth it!

The standing rib roast pictured above and below and used in the recipe video has been prepared the standard way we do it here in Australia: the fat cap trimmed and the bones scraped clean for presentation.

The foil: Some butchers will sell the standing rib roast with foil wrapped around the bones. It’s to stop the bones from browning, for presentation purposes only. It looks striking to have a dark brown crust, the pink meat and a white bone. If the beef comes with it, I leave it on. But I don’t do it myself.

How the beef is cut – Bone in / off / tied back on

This recipe will work fine whether bone in or out, or tied back on. But I’m a firm believer that anything cooked with the bone is juicier, so the thought of roasting a prime rib without the bone never crossed my mind.

Plus – I just think it looks grand with the bone in! And isn’t chewing the meat off the bone the best bit?? 😉

In the States, you’ll find some butchers remove the bone then tie it back on. Here in Australia, you’d have to ask for a special order to have the bone cut out.

The meat itself is so incredibly juicy (with the added bonus of the garlic herb butter!), I really doubt you’d notice a difference. So use what you can get, or whatever your personal preference is!

Ingredients you need

When you invest in a good piece of beef, you don’t need to do much to it.

But then again, a good slathering of Herb and Garlic Butter certainly doesn’t do any harm! 😂

Using softened rather than melted butter works much better because the garlic and herb bits stick to the skin, creating a terrific golden herb and garlic crust!

Feel free to switch the herbs to what you have / prefer. Also, dried herbs work too!

How to make standing rib roast

After slathering the beef with butter, blast it for 20 minutes in a hot oven to get the crust going, then roast in a relatively low oven of 120°C/250°F for a further 1.5 hours before resting for 20 to 30 minutes.

With this method, the high temperature creates a crust quickly, sealing the juices in. Then we turn the temperature down to roast it slowly and evenly so it’s blushing pink all the way through, rather than ending up with a thick overcooked band around the outside of the beef.

Target an internal temperature of 51°C / 123.8°F when taking it out of the oven (medium rare, recommended) which will rise to 56-58°C / 133-136.4°F after resting for perfect medium rare. See chart below for other doneness.

There are recipes “out there” that opt to use an even lower temperature and roast for up to 10 hours. This method cooks the prime rib so slowly that it’s evenly pink from edge to edge, then seared at the end to form a thin dark crust.

We actually prefer to have the textural contrast of a thin layer of cooked beef on the outer edge of the beef. It’s still 90% pink and cooked to medium rare throughout!

Never skip the 20 minute rest, essential to let the meat juices redistribute. If you don’t rest, the meat juice will run everywhere when you slice it = not as juicy.

Target internal temperature

Remember, as I explained at the very top, pull the beef out of the oven before your final Target Temperature as the internal temperature will continue to rise at it rests for 20 minutes. If you pull the beef out of the oven when it is already medium rare (56°C / 133°F), it will be medium after it rests – barely any blushing pink left!

Why I roast on a bed of onion, garlic & herbs

I like to roast my standing rib on a bed of onion, garlic and herbs which serves three purposes:

1. Elevates the beef off the base to encourage more even cooking;

2. Stops the drippings from burning (smokes out oven + can’t make a sauce from drippings); and

3. Adds more flavour to the drippings that is then used to make a sauce for the prime rib.

Sauce for Prime Rib – Red Wine Sauce

The drippings from the beef left in the pan are loaded with flavour and begging to be used for a sauce!

Red wine and beef is a classic flavour combination so that’s what I’ve gone with here. Essentially, we’re making a red wine jus by rapidly simmering beef broth and red wine in the same skillet the beef was roasted in until it reduces down into an intense flavoured, highly savoury sauce.

I like my sauces to have a syrupy consistency so I add a bit of cornflour (cornstarch) to thicken it. But this is optional – most red wine jus are not thickened, they are quite runny sauces.

What to serve with Prime Rib

For a high-end restaurant experience, you can’t go past Paris Mash(pictured below) – ultra rich and creamy mashed potato! Potatoes au gratin is an elegant French potato side option that’s ideal for making ahead. Otherwise, rich and creamy Cauliflower Cheese is a British roast dinner classic! For greens, Garlic Sautéed Spinach pairs exceptionally well with Prime Rib and is a Classic Steakhouse side!

Here are a few more options:

Classic Side Dishes for Standing Rib Roast

Paris Mash (Rich Creamy Mashed Potato)

Garlic Sautéed Spinach

Potatoes au Gratin (Dauphinoise)

Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots

Green Bean Salad

Potato Rosti

Side Salads

Just imagine that moment, when you carve up thick slices of this Standing Rib Roast that’s almost impossibly juicy, blushing pink on the inside with that salty, buttery, herb and garlic crust….

It’s so unbelievably tender, and it’s so perfect you know you could eat the whole thing plain…. But THEN, you add a drizzle of that incredible Red Wine Sauce…..

There. Are. No. Words. It’s almost as perfect as a meal gets. – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Beef Standing Rib Roast (Prime Rib)

Recipe video above. The juiciest, tastiest, BEST roast beef in the world is Prime Rib!! Also known as Standing Rib Roast, this is slathered in a herb and garlic butter, then roasted to juicy perfection. By using a lower but not super low oven temperature, we can be assured of a beautiful even cook throughout the whole roast, yet still have it on the table in a couple of hours. Bonus: lower temp = more forgiving!

Meat thermometer is a MUST!

Course Mains

Cuisine Western

Keyword Prime Rib, Roast beef, Standing Rib Roast

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 hours hours

Total Time 2 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Servings 6 – 8 people

Calories 671cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

• 2.5 kg / 5 lb standing rib roast / prime rib , bone in (Note 1)
• 1 onion , unpeeled, quartered (brown, yellow, white)
• 1 head of garlic , unpeeled, halved horizontally
• 5 sprigs thyme
• 3 sprigs rosemary

Garlic Herb Butter:

• 150g/ 10 tbsp unsalted butter , softened
• 5 garlic cloves , minced
• 2 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary (or 1 tsp dried)
• 2 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried)
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

Red Wine Sauce:

• 1 1/2 cups beef broth/stock , low salt
• 2 1/2 cups dry red wine (Note 2)
• 1 tbsp cornflour/cornstarch (optional, Note 3)

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Prepare Beef

• Bring Beef to room temp: Take beef out of the fridge 2 – 3 hours before cooking to bring to room temp (key tip for even cooking). Pat dry with paper towel.
• Preheat oven to 240°C/460°F (220°C fan). Adjust shelf so beef will be sitting in the middle of the oven.
• Garlic Herb Butter: Mix together.
• Roasting bed: Place onion, garlic and herbs in a heavy based oven proof skillet (or use a roasting pan).
• Slather 1: Spread a thin layer of butter on the underside of the beef (ie the bone side). Place beef on onion etc, butter side down. Spread about 2/3 of the butter on the top and sides (reserve some for Slather 2).
• Hot oven: Roast 20 minutes.
• Slather 2: Remove, spread over remaining butter. Turn oven down to 120°C/250°F (100°C fan).
• Slow roast: Roast for a further 1 1/2 hours, basting every 30 minutes with the juices in the pan, until the internal temperature is 51°C / 123.8°F in the centre (for medium rare, Note 4). Start checking the internal temp early.
• Rest: Transfer beef to plate. Cover loosely with foil and rest for 20 – 30 minutes. Internal temperature will rise to 56-58°C / 133-136.4°F (which is medium rare).
• Slice beef and serve with Sauce! For a classic high-end Steakhouse experience, serve with Paris Mash and Garlic Sautéed Spinach.

Red Wine Sauce:

• Place skillet with onion and garlic left in it on the stove over high heat. Add wine and beef stock, rapidly simmer for 10 minutes until it reduces by 2/3 or so, down to 1 1/2 cups or liquid.
• Lower heat to medium. Mix cornflour with 2 tbsp water. Drizzle in half and stir. Sauce will thicken in 1 minute or so. Add more cornflour water mixture if you want it thicker.
• Strain into bowl, pour into sauce jug.

Notes

1. Standing Rib Roast – also known as Prime Rib. Use any cut of prime rib – with the bones attached, trimmed and frenched (pictured ie bones scraped clean of meat and excess fat, excess fat mostly trimmed away). OR with bones removed but then reattached by tying it with string, with or without a thick layer of fat. The choice is yours!

Get the best quality you can afford. We don’t have standardised quality ratings here in Australia, but if you can, ski the supermarket and opt for your butcher instead. Get a smaller piece of better quality beef, rather than a large piece of lower quality!

In the States, prime rib is graded: Prime is best, then Choice then Select. 

Boneless rib eye or scotch fillet roast – this is just Prime Rib minus the bone. Cook per recipe but start checking internal temp 30 minutes earlier, as boneless meat cooks faster.

2. Beef stock/broth – important to use low sodium here otherwise the sauce might end up too salty. If it’s too salty, fix as follows: Add 2 to 3 cups of water and 2 potatoes chopped into 2.5cm/1″ pieces (or small enough so they are submerged). Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes – ensure potato doesn’t start to break down. Potato will absorb salt. Scoop out potato, reduce sauce again.

3. Wine – Use any red wine that’s not sweet or too oaky that’s good enough to drink. Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlots are all good options. I always rummage in the discount bins at liquor stores for bargains where you can get good bottles discounted up to 90%!

Win sub: If you cannot drink red wine, skip the wine and just use beef stock to make a terrific beef flavoured garlic-gravy.

4. Internal Temperature of Cooked Prime Rib: The internal temperature will rise by ~5°C / 5°F while it is resting so it needs to be taken out of the oven before it reaches your desired doneness. 

Doneness	Pull Temp out of oven	Target Temp after rest
Rare	49°C/120.2°F	53°C/127.4°F
Medium rare (recommended)	51°C / 123.8°F	56°C / 133°F
Medium	55°C/131°F	60°C / 140°F
Medium well done	59°C / 138.2°F	65°C / 149°F
Well done	Never!	n/a

• Pull temp is the temperature at which it should be removed from the oven;
• Target temp is the final temperature of the beef for each level of doneness, to which the beef will rise after resting for 20 minutes.

COOK TIMES for different sizes: Doesn’t increase that much with increased size because of the shape. Add 10 -15 minutes for each 1 kg/ 2 lb, but start checking the internal temp early just to be sure.

TIP: Once the internal temp hits 40°C/104°F, the internal temp increases by 5°C/10°F every 10 to 15 minutes. 

5. Cornflour/cornstarch is optional. This thickens the sauce slightly to a maple syrup consistency which is how I like it. But this sauce is essentially a Red Wine Jus and they are actually quite runny as they are not thickened in this way. It’s a personal preference – so if you don’t mind a runnier sauce, you can skip this.

6. Make Ahead: Best made fresh. Keeps warm for 1 hour and can be blasted in hot oven for a few minutes to freshen up the crust. For leftovers, I like to keep it whole then slice thinly. Microwave very gently until just warmed (and still pink!). Or slice thinly, bring to room temp, pile of rye bread with mustard and pickles and make the BEST Roast Beef Sandwich EVER!

7. Unpeeled onion and garlic: I leave them unpeeled because then they hold together better so they keep the prime rib elevated off the base of the skillet. Unpeeled onion collapses into a soft pile very quickly. The onion is strained out later when making the sauce.

8. Nutrition per serving. Calculated using an estimation of the bone weight, and assuming most of the fat is trimmed. Includes sauce.

Nutrition

Calories: 671cal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 64g | Fat: 44g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Cholesterol: 193mg | Sodium: 941mg | Potassium: 885mg | Vitamin A: 85IU | Vitamin C: 3.5mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 5.7mg

Originally published 30 November 2018. Post reviewed regularly and updated if necessary. Last updated December 2021. No change to recipe – this is a master recipe loved by many so I wouldn’t dare!

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