It surprised me a bit that so many people were curious about making a Roast Beef. The hardest part about doing a Roast Beef is buying the meat. Start with spectacular beef and you are 85% of the way there. For our Holiday Meal Roast Beef, I purchased a 7.5 kilo ribeye roast from Santis delicatessen (no rib roasts on the market as no cow bones can be imported due to new Philippine laws as a result of mad cow disease). At PHP1700 a kilo, it was a total splurge, a once or twice a year luxury. I could have easily done with a 4 kilo roast, given all the other food, but I intentionally wanted leftovers. If you get the meat frozen, thaw it overnight in the fridge and if still quite cold, thaw it on your kitchen counter for a couple of hours before you are ready to cook it. Next, turn your oven at a relatively low 350-360 degrees…
I pat the meat dry with paper towels, salt and pepper it generously, as in GENEROUSLY and in the recent meal, added several tablespoons of cracked red peppercorns. Put it in 
a rack in a pan and stick in the oven for roughly 130-140 minutes for a rare roast. Unless you are an expert cook, I strongly suggest a meat thermometer which should tell you when the internal temperature of the roast is just right based on whether you want it rare, medium, etc. Please do not cook it more than medium; if you wanted it well done, get some tapa beef instead. Once the roast has reached the right internal temperature (check your thermometers for guidelines), take it out of the oven and let it rest at least 20 minutes before carving it. The rest time allows the juices to be “re-absorbed†or whatever that means scientifically… trust me, it works, let the meat rest a little. Slice medium sized slices and serve warm or hot (having a heated platter is a good trick to avoid fat solidification or sebo). If you have active caveman genes, as I seem to have, you will start to salivate just at the smell of the roast in the oven. Most folks are intimidated by roast beef because it tends to be special occasion fare, but compared to our own lechon which has to be spun and roasted on a spit for hours under a watchful eye(s), roast beef is completely and utterly simple to do. Just find good beef to begin with! This roast was tender and pretty good. I did, however notice that it wasn’t as aged as I would have liked and therefor the moisture content and concentration of flavor wasn’t what it used to be like in the old days (say 5 years or more ago!). If I were doing a dinner with just roast beef as the main course, I would plan on at least 3/4 pound per guest or for 12 guests about a 4-5 kilo roast.
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Nothing could go wrong with Angus rib eye roast beef even if you are a novice cook unless you do not have a working oven. It is a no fuss no muss dish, just showers it with salt and pepper before throwing it in the oven. How hard is that? You already have a top notch meat to begin with and rib eye cut has a marbling fat that will yield juicy meat. I prefer mine medium rare for doneness with a dab of horseradish and au jus gravy. I agree with you a meat thermometer is in order to avoid guessing work of doneness and resting it for 20 minutes before carving is a must to avoid all the precious juices from running away from the meat and ending up on the cutting board. To age my roast beef, five days before baking it, I wash and pat dry and keep it in a poked holed aluminum foil pan to drain and keep the poked pan in a bigger pan to catch the drip and stick it in the upper rack of my refrigerator and cover the pan with another poked aluminum pan.
P1700 per kilo does sound pricey. If you go to the restaurant suppliers like PTC and the like, the price of a slab of CAB is P1,100, while a higher quality meat (forgot the name)from the same supplier goes for P1400. You can call them at 255-8831.
so did you have any leftovers, and what did you do with them, MM? I look forward to roast beef so i can have philly steak sandwiches the next few days, dipped in its own gravy. yum!
Yummy! Just had a standing Ribeye Roast last night. With Horseradish and Mustard…delicious! I like to cook until rare about 120-125 degrees and then finish on the grill. Just 30 seconds per side on a hot grill makes it perfect and it gives me the “tostado fat” that I like but God knows I don’t need! Thats a good tip Maria Clara. I will try that “aging process”.
If anyone needs another source for Ribeye , Rack of Lamb and Leg of lamb, you can try my friends over at Red hot Trading. They have differnt grades of beef. Sometimes but very rarely they have prime, but they always have USDA Choice which is pretty good. They are the company behind Chilis and the distribute to many restaurants and hotels. Look for Agnes at 0921-588-3254.
Hello. Since Santis is just a hope and a skip away, opted to get a slab of angus ribeye at P1,700 per kilo instead of making more phone calls to Bacchus. Bacchus Mkt branch didn’t seem to know anything about their beef import. FYI, found out that Santis also sells premium wagyu kobe beef at P4,200 per kilo! This should be a very interesting and intriguing must-try.
Thanks Marketman! You have made this sound so easy! :) Now I see much impressed guests in my future…heehee :)
I love the picture of the meat…I like my meat rare to medium rare. Like my brother and I like to say: “Still moo-ing” :)
Yum. A standing rib roast will be the centerpiece of our Christmas dinner, which I am hosting this year. I follow Ina Garten’s recipe, which calls for starting the meat out at a searing 500 degrees for a short period of time, before lowering the heat for the rest of the cooking time. Yum.
MM,
My sister used to cook roastbeef with bacon on top so when the drippings are then processed they form part of the gravy. Yummy . If i want medium well how long should I cook it and what temp ?
fried neurons, aridelros et al… the high heat start is supposed to sear the “skin” of the roast so that moisture doesn’t just ooze out. It is a good approach. However, a low heat throughout also maintains moisture as well. Actually, I find the cuts of meat in manila now inferior to previous years and as Maria Clara brilliantly suggests, I think I have to “age” my own meat by reducing moisture content in the freidge to concentrate flavor…
Jevi, you need an internal temperature of about 160F for a medium roast beef. Get a meat thermometer, it is better than second guessing the roast. Some cuts of beef cook faster than others…
yum yum yum!!
Hi Alicia,
Tried calling red hot trading but the number seems to be out of order, would you have another number?
Hoping to try to cook roast beef on the 30th.
thanks