Our slow roast silverside beef recipe shows you how to cook a melt in the mouth roast beef that the whole family will love.
Silverside beef is a cheap roasting joint that needs to cook low and slow to prevent the meat from drying out and being tough and chewy.
We will go over the best way to cook silverside beef in the oven, including preparation, cooking times and oven temperature.
This beef joint is slow-cooked in stock at low temperature covered with foil, which leads to tender, juicy slices of beef and delicious gravy.
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What is Silverside beef?
Silverside beef is a roasting joint that comes from between the rump and hind leg of the cow. The silvery covering on its membrane surface gives its name.
It's a relatively cheap cut of meat, which is very lean and, when cooked incorrectly, will be tough.
In the United States, silverside beef is often called outside or bottom round roast and can also be known as a rump roast - which is an entirely different joint in the UK!
Best Way to Cook Silverside Beef
The best way to prepare silverside beef is to slow roast it in the oven until well done, but don't think well-done means tough and dry!
Add liquid and use vegetables as a trivet to keep the beef joint moist and tender during the long cooking process to keep meat raised off the roasting tin.
Using this method, you can also slow roast topside beef; they are similar lean beef joints.
You can also use your slow cooker to cook this tender roast beef joint. We have got an easy-to-follow slow cooker beef roast recipe designed for slow cookers.
Ingredients
We detail the ingredients needed for your roast beef dinner, including suitable substitutes.
Silverside Beef Joint
You can find silverside joints in most supermarkets or butchers. We got the one shown here from Tesco; it's labelled an Irish slow roasting beef joint.
Remove beef from packaging, and pat dry with a kitchen paper towel. Allow it to come up to room temperature before cooking.
You do not need to add much flavour to the joint. A simple seasoning of salt and pepper will do.
If you can't find silverside beef, you can substitute it with topside beef for the same fantastic result.
Vegetables
Carrots, onions, garlic and thyme have a few purposes; firstly, they act as a trivet to prevent the beef from touching the base of the roasting tin.
It also prevents the beef from having a soggy bottom sitting in the stock.
Significantly, they add flavour and the beef dripping, wine and stock to the gravy created after roasting the silverside beef.
You can use other roughly chopped root vegetables as desired.
Olive Oil
Use olive oil to sear the beef joint before slow roasting. Other oils or butter can be used instead. Sear all sides until golden brown.
When cooking a roast beef joint, one of the most important steps is to sear it first. This seals in the juices and gives the meat a delicious crust.
The added flavours and juiciness make it well worth the extra few minutes of prep time.
Red Wine
This is optional but highly recommended. Red wine deglazes the frying pan after searing the silverside joint.
When mixed with stock and beef drippings, it helps make a delicious red wine beef gravy.
If not using red wine, use more stock.
Stock
Beef stock is added to the red wine and brought to a boil.
Pour it around the roasting tray. But not over the beef roasting joint. This liquid helps keep moisture during cooking.
More stock will be needed when making the beef gravy too!
Equipment
All you need is a roasting tray big enough for your silverside joint. Plus some foil to cover the tin.
A thermometer is handy but not a must-have as we give you cooking times.
We recently treated ourselves to a meater wireless thermometer, which connects to your phone and tells you the inside temperature of the meat throughout the cooking time without having to remove the joint from the oven!
A large pair of tongs helps to turn the beef joint during searing.
You may need some kitchen string to secure the silverside joint if not already netted.
Silverside Beef Cooking Times
Preheat the oven to a low temperature of 150°C fan / 170°C / 325°F / Gas Mark 3.
Beef roasting joint cooking times can vary depending on the oven and the size of the joint. Use the chart below for guidance.
Silverside Roasting Joint | Slow Roast Beef |
Oven temperature 150°C Fan 170°C 320°F Gas Mark 3 | Place beef joint on a trivet of vegetables with stock added and cover joint and tray with foil |
800 g | 2 hours |
1 kg | 2 hour 15 minutes |
1.2 kg | 2 hour 30 minutes |
1.5 kg | 3 hours |
2 kg | 3 hour 30 minutes |
Use the table above for cooking time guidance.
Internal Temperature for Slow Roast Beef
If you have a thermometer, this is the easiest way to check if the beef is ready.
The inside temperature you are looking for in perfectly cooked slow-cooked beef is at least 90°C / 195°F.
Resting Beef
Once the beef is ready, it is essential to rest it for at least 30 minutes, but longer is better. Please do not cut it before resting.
When you roast a beef joint, it's important to let it rest before slicing into it. This allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat, producing juicy and tender slices.
If you don't let the roast beef rest, all of the juices will leak out when you cut into it along with the heat. The meat will be dry and tough, and you'll be left with a disappointing dinner.
It will stay warm covered with foil, whilst you make all the delicious roast beef side dishes!
What to serve with Slow Roast Beef
We have all the recipes you need on our site for what to serve with your beef roast dinner, from our crispy roast potatoes coated with couscous for extra crunch.
Our deliciously sweet honey roasted parsnips and the must-have beef roast side dish is our ever-popular Yorkshire Puddings.
Not forgetting carrots and peas, horseradish sauce and of course, the gravy created from the leftover stock mixed with all the delicious beef drippings.
More Roast Dinner Side Dishes
Here are some more side dish ideas to go with roast dinners.
Beef Dripping Gravy
We also include the steps for creating a delicious gravy to complement this slow roast beef joint in the recipe card below or if you don't want gravy why not try out our Red Wine Jus which goes perfectly with beef.
📖 Step by Step Recipe
Slow Roast Silverside Beef Joint
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg Silverside Beef Joint
- sprinkle Salt and Pepper
- 1 large Onion - cut in quarters
- 2 Carrot - roughly chopped
- 4 cloves Garlic - whole
- 6 sprigs Fresh Thyme
- 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 200 ml Red wine - optional
- 300 ml Beef stock - use 500ml stock if not using wine
Gravy from beef drippings
- 500 ml Beef Stock
- 2 tablespoon Cornflour
- 2 tablespoon Cold Water
Instructions
Silverside Beef
- Approximately 1 hour before cooking remove the silverside beef joint from the fridge.Remove packaging and use some kitchen paper towel to pat dry.1.5 kg Silverside Beef Joint
- Season with salt and pepper, keep netting on.sprinkle Salt and Pepper
- Preheat the oven to 150°C fan / 170°C / 325°F / Gas Mark 3Cut vegetables into large chunks and place in a baking tray with thyme1 large Onion, 2 Carrot, 4 cloves Garlic, 6 sprigs Fresh Thyme
- Sear all sides of beef in a pan with hot oil until browned, using a large pair of kitchen tongs helps2 tablespoon Olive Oil, 1.5 kg Silverside Beef Joint
- Place the seared beef joint on top of the chopped vegetables
- Deglaze the pan with red wine for 2 minutes scraping any sediments off the pan to add flavour.200 ml Red wine
- Add stock and bring to the boil300 ml Beef stock
- Pour stock and wine from pan into the roasting tin but NOT over the beef.
- Cover the whole roasting tin with kitchen foil so that no steam escapes during cooking.
- Place in the 150°C fan / 170°C / 325°F / Gas Mark 3 oven for the following time depending on your joint size.800 g - 2 hours1 kg - 2 hour 15 minutes1.2 kg - 2 hour 30 minutes1.5 kg - 3 hours2 kg - 3 hours 30 minutes If you have a thermometer cook until the meat reaches at least 90°C / 195°F
- Remove beef from the roasting tray and cover with foil.Rest for at least 30 minutes the longer the better, plenty of time to make side dishes, see below to make the gravy.
- DO NOT slice the roast beef until rested.
- Serve with all the trimmings and the gravy
Gravy
- Sieve the juices from the roasting tray into a pan
- Use the back of a spoon to squeeze the garlic and vegetable juices and flavours through.
- Add extra beef stock, put on high heat.500 ml Beef Stock
- Mix cornflour with water in a separate bowl, then slowly pour into beef stock whilst whisking to thicken.2 tablespoon Cornflour, 2 tablespoon Cold Water
- Allow to boil, then turn down. Check consistency, use extra cornflour if thicker gravy is desired or add more water to thin out.
- Pour gravy over the plated roast dinner
Video
Nutrition
Can I cook silverside beef rare or medium?
The silverside roasting joint is very lean and not the best joint to serve rare or medium which is why we have only given you the well done slow roast method on this page.
If you want slices of rare, medium-rare roast beef, our fantastic boneless rolled rib of beef recipe will help you achieve it, this boneless joint of prime rib is at its best when cooked blushing pink inside, but it comes at a price!
If you can't afford such a luxury beef joint and you really want to cook silverside roasted rare or medium, you can follow cooking times for our topside beef recipe instructions.
But I do recommend sticking to the slow and low method for the best results when cooking a silverside beef joint.
It is not tough, dry or chewy when cooked this way despite looking well done.
We hope that this blog post has been helpful in teaching you how to cook silverside beef using the slow roast method.
If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below.
Bernie says
Hi, I am a complete novice to cooking and following your slow cooked silverside recipe (thank you) but I am cooking it the day before (still cooking in the oven)! What do I do when it’s cooked and how should I reheat it tomorrow (also should I slice today or tomorrow? Help please I have no clue!!
Luke and Kay says
Hi Bernie,
I'm so glad to hear that you found our slow cooked silverside recipe helpful! If you're cooking it ahead of time to enjoy later, you can slice it either today or tomorrow at your convenience.
To reheat properly, place the sliced meat in a lidded oven dish or a dish covered with foil. Add some gravy to the dish to prevent the meat from drying out and losing its moisture while reheating.
Reheat the dish in the oven for 25-30 minutes at 150°C fan/170°C/325°F until the meat is heated through.
I hope these instructions are useful to you and let me know if you have any more questions or concerns.
Happy cooking from Kay & Luke.
Dave says
I bought a joint of Silverside for Mother's day, cooked it according to the instructions on the pack, and yes, it was tough & chewy. Could I put the large chunk that remains back in a low oven or slow cooker to tenderise it a bit? Would be grateful if you could advise.
Luke and Kay says
Thanks for the comment Dave
To tenderise the already cooked meat, I would slice it and add gravy, then reheat it in the oven, cover with foil and cook for 30 mins at 150c fan/ 170 C / 325 F until tender
I hope this helps let us know how you get on.
Dave says
Thanks for that! I usually reheat Beef in a Pyrex dish (with lid) submerged in Gravy in the oven anyway, so will try the temperature & duration that you suggested. Many thanks!
Anna morgan says
I made this with silverside and it was outstanding. Can I use the same method with a toprump joint?
Luke and Kay says
Thanks for the question, yes you can; it will work perfectly with topside working with the same timings or you can use a quicker method for topside Roast Topside Beef Joint
Enjoy 🙂
Helen says
Definitely melt in the mouth beef. Very popular dish in my house.
Luke and Kay says
Thank you for your kind words about our slow roast silverside beef Helen; we're glad to hear that it's a popular dish in your house! 🙂
Simon Lee says
Wow. This was absolutely incredible.
I don’t cook roast beef joints. I am more into Brisket, lamb, short ribs etc.
I was in Costco at Christmas and purchased a Dry Aged Aberdeen Angus Silverside joint. Today, I decided to cook that and searched the Internet for some advice which is how I came across this site. I didn’t quite get having the internal temp at 90 with such a lean piece of meat, so researched more (this is the most information page on silverside) but in the end just trusted what was said.
I cooked a 2.5kg piece for 4hrs 15mins. It was absolutely amazing. Melt in the mouth beef with an excellent gravy. I can’t thank you guys enough. Certainly a joint I’ll be buying again soon.
You made my family very happy.
Kay says
Thank you for trying our Slow Roast Silverside Beef Joint, Simon. We're glad to hear that you enjoyed it! This is a great meal for any time of year and we're happy to have been able to help make your family happy. Thanks again for choosing us, and we hope to hear from you again soon.
If you like brisket, you will like our new recipe we posted out Slow Cooker Beef Brisket it's delicious 😉
Enjoy:)
Babs says
Cooked a 2.600 kilo of silverside for my family Sunday lunch as you set out your recipe and it turned out superb .This joint cost a lot of money so I was cautious how it was cooked but as my husband said it melted in your mouth many thanks
Kay says
Thank you for trying our Slow Roast Silverside Beef Joint recipe, Babs. We're so glad to hear that it turned out superbly and your husband enjoyed it! This is definitely a dish we recommend. Thank you for sharing your experience with us. 🙂
Amanda says
I bought a 1.8kg silverside joint today, for a new year dinner tomorrow and very glad I found your recipe as it seems very clear and straightforward. Not sure on quantities with my 1.8kg joint. I’ll do a bit of guesstimating. Will let you know how it turns out. Happy New Year!
Kay says
Hi Amanda,
Thank you so much for trying our slow roast silverside beef joint recipe! We're glad it's clear and straightforward to follow. I'm sure your dinner will be delicious. Let us know how it turns out.
Happy New Year 🙂
Amanda says
Wow! Well that was an absolute winner. Fabulously tasty and so tender. The smell during cooking was to die for. Thank you for your detailed instructions. Your site will be my go to from now on.
Annetta Viggers says
Can I cut a 4kg joint in half and roast them together in a tin for half the time.
George says
Best beef I ever cooked!!
Kay says
Thank you for your fantastic review of our slow-roast silverside beef. We're so glad that you enjoyed it and found it to be the best beef you've ever cooked! Your kind words mean a lot to us. 🙂
Peter MacDougall says
The best roast beef I have ever cooked. Perfect. Gravy top notch too.
Kay says
Thank you for your kind words, Peter! We're so glad to hear that you enjoyed cooking with our Slow Roast Silverside Beef Joint. The gravy is definitely a crowd-pleaser!
Dee says
Hi,
I have silverside for tomorrow’s dinner, it’s just under 3kg, I was wondering if I can take it out of the fridge the night before cooking (about 12 hours before cooking)or is this unsafe to do ?
Kind Regards
Dee
Kay says
Hi Dee,
It sounds like the perfect size joint for delicious roast beef, I wouldn't recommend keeping it out of the fridge no more than two hours before cooking.
Hope that helps,
Kay
x
Estelle says
Never had silverside before bought it by mistake, always had rump or topside, this recipe was perfect, feared the worst that it would be dry and tough. Thank you
Kay says
Thank you, Estelle, for the great comment and rating 🙂
Pleased to hear you liked our silverside beef recipe; if you like slow-roast meat joints, you might enjoy our Slow Roast Lamb Shoulder it's delicious 😉
Steve Heath says
Finally a no nonsense slow cook recipe for a cheaper cut of beef. Thank you, I get tired of chefs trying to convince me there's only one way to cook beef joints.
Kay says
Thank you Steve for the comment and rating 🙂
so pleased you liked our slow-cooked silverside beef recipe, this is one of our favourite Sunday roast dinners 😉
If you like slow-cooked recipes you might like our Slow Roast Lamb Shoulder or our Slow Cooked Leg of Lamb they are delicious!!
Enjoy.
Linda says
In love with this recipe. So comforting and perfect for the whole family to enjoy!
Kay says
Thank you, Linda 🙂
I hope your family really enjoys our slow roast silverside beef joint recipe 😉
Liz says
I don't think I have ever had a cut of silverside beef before! I love this idea - looks and sounds so delicious! Excited to give this recipe a try!
Kay says
Thank you so much, Liz 🙂
I hope you enjoy our silverside beef recipe; let us know how it goes?
Allyssa says
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing slow roast silverside beef joint recipe! Will surely have this again! It's really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!
Kay says
Thank you so much, Allyssa 🙂
It's fantastic to hear you highly recommend our slow roast silverside beef recipe 😉