Roast Beef and Yorkshire Puddings

Where This Goes Wrong

A meat thermometer removes all the guesswork. Weight-based timings are only a starting point.

Rest for 30 minutes minimum. The beef stays hot and carves far better.

The Yorkshires need the oven at full heat and the fat smoking. That is why they go in after the beef comes out.

Making Roast Beef and Yorkshire Puddings

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1. Take the beef out of the fridge 2 hours before cooking. Make the Yorkshire batter now and rest it: whisk the flour, eggs, milk and salt until smooth.

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2. Heat the oven to 240°C / 465°F. Rub the beef all over with the mustard powder, flour, salt and pepper.

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3. Set the onions, carrots and thyme in a roasting tin as a trivet and sit the beef on top.

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4. Roast 20 minutes at the high heat, then reduce to 180°C / 350°F.

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5. Cook for 15 minutes per 500 g for rare, 18 for medium-rare, 22 for medium. Use a thermometer: 52°C / 126°F at the centre for rare, 57°C / 135°F for medium-rare.

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6. Lift the beef onto a warm board, cover loosely with foil, and rest at least 30 minutes. Do not skip or shorten this.

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7. Raise the oven to 230°C / 445°F. Divide the dripping between a 12-hole bun tin and heat 10 minutes until smoking.

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8. Pour the batter into the smoking fat, filling each hole halfway, and bake 20 to 22 minutes without opening the door.

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9. For the gravy, pour off most of the fat from the roasting tin, set it over heat, stir in the flour, then the wine, scraping hard. Add the stock and Worcestershire, simmer 10 minutes, strain, and season.

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10. Carve the beef thickly against the grain and serve with the puddings and gravy.

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Related guide: Prep, cook and total time.

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What's Going On Here

A high initial blast of heat browns the exterior before the interior begins to overcook, and the long rest afterwards lets the muscle fibres relax and reabsorb juices that would otherwise flood the board. The Yorkshires go in only once the beef comes out, because they need a much hotter oven than the beef ever did.

After You've Cooked It

Cold roast beef keeps 3 days and makes excellent sandwiches. Yorkshires keep 2 days and re-crisp at 200°C / 390°F for 4 minutes.

Good With

• Roast potatoes, of course
• Horseradish sauce and English mustard
• A good claret or a pint of bitter

Sides from the same cuisine on this site: Buttered Peas, Cheese Scones, Creamed Leeks.

Questions and Answers

Roast Beef and Yorkshire Puddings Nutrition Facts

Per serving, an approximate calculation from the ingredient list. Treat it as a rough guide: weights that include bone are counted as if all of it were eaten, so the figures run high. The calories include 4 g of alcohol a serving, which is not part of the protein, carbohydrate or fat. How the figures are worked out.

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