Sunday Beef
- Prep time: 1 day, 2:00:00
- Cook time: 5:00:00
- Serves: 4
Ingredients
-
1.5 kilogram beef joint (e.g. topside)
-
160 gram salt
-
10 gram fresh thyme
-
15 gram fresh rosemary
-
5 gram black peppercorns
-
2 dimensionless bay leaves
-
2 clove garlic
-
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
Method
- Prepare an 8% bine. Add the salt, pepper, garlic, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves to 2 kg of water. Bring to the boil and then allow to cool completely.
- Add the beef to the brine and leave in the fridge for 24 hours.
- Remove the beef from the brine and flush with cold, fresh water for 1 hour. Slice off a small piece, poach, and taste to check that it has been sufficiently de-salted. Continue rinsing with fresh water until saltiness is correct.
- Pat the beef dry with kitchen towel, and then vacuum seal it.
- Heat a sous vide water bath to 54 °C (this will cook the beef medium rare). Add the beef to the water bath and cook for 4 hours (or up to 5 hours).
- Remove the beef from the water bath. Take the beef out of the bag, reserving the cooking liquid for gravy. Put the beef on a warm plate and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
- Heat a large frying pan over a high heat for 5 minutes. Add the oil (it should smoke) and coat the pan. Wait 30 seconds to allow the oil to heat up. Treating the beef joint as a cuboid, use tongs to sear it on all 6 sides. This should take 30-60 seconds per side.
- Transfer the beef back to the plate. Allow to rest for 5 minutes. Carve and serve.
References