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Roast Forerib of Beef

Ready in 2 hrs 5 mins

Recipe by Graham 

Roast Forerib of Beef is one of the grandest roasting joints of all, with plenty of fat marbled through the flesh, adding flavour and keeping the meat tender during cooking. (Rib-eye steaks are the boneless steaks cut from the forerib).

The forerib (known as rib of beef) is one of the traditional roasting cuts. Specifically, it is the joint of beef consisting of the 7th to the 10th rib counting from the head of the beast with the attached muscles and the half vertebrae from a side of beef but excluding the breast end of the ribs. Used for roasting on or off the bone and first class braising. Leaving in the bone adds flavour, and bone is a good conductor of heat so the meat will cook more evenly with the bone in.

Preparation Time

5 Minutes

Cooking Time

2 Hours

Ingredients for Roast Forerib of Beef

If you are not familiar with any ingredients, please check our International Cooking Terms page.

Currently displaying quantities in US Imperial Measurements

To serve 6 - 8:

9 lb Fore rib of beef
  duck fat (or goose fat)
  salt and pepper

How to Cook Roast Forerib of Beef

  1. Rub the beef with the duck fat or goose fat (you can use beef dripping or olive oil if you can't get the fat), then liberally apply salt and and freshly-ground black pepper all over.
  2. Place a heavy-based roasting tray on the hob on high heat and, when hot, add the beef. Sear the meat quickly on all sides to colour and crisp the outside (5-10 minutes).
  3. Transfer the beef immediately to a preheated very hot oven (Mk 9 - 475ºF - 240ºC) for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to moderately hot (Mk 5 - 375ºF - 190ºC) and roast for 30 minutes per kilo (rare), or 40 minutes per kilo (medium rare), or 50 minutes per kilo (medium), or 1 hour per kilo (well done). [15 minutes per pound (rare), or 20 minutes per pound (medium rare), or 25 minutes per pound (medium), or 30 minutes per pound (well done).]
  4. Remove the beef from the oven, transfer it to a carving board and cover with foil to retain the heat. Allow it to rest in a warm place for 15-20 minutes. Serve with Yorkshire Pudding, lots of fresh vegetables and Port and Stilton Gravy.
GRAHAM'S HOT TIP:
9lbs (4kg) of meat may seem a lot for 6-8 people but don't forget that a large percentage of that is bone. Get your butcher to prepare this joint for you. You want it French trimmed, on the bone, chined (which means it looks good and the vertebrae has been removed.)
 
GRAHAM'S WINE RECOMMENDATION:
Roast beef has the virtue of being one of the most uncomplicated dishes to match with wine. You can really drink any medium- to full-bodied red you enjoy. The rarer the meat is - and the more of a deeply savoury crust it has - the better it will deal with tannins and high levels of alcohol. In other words rare beef suits young, full-bodied reds while older, more delicate reds are sometimes better with beef that's cooked a little longer