Beef Rump Cap Roast

Recipe video above. Rump cap is considered by many to be the best cut for roast beef - prime rib quality without the price tag! But cook it wrong and it’s a chewy disaster. This recipe uses a safe, straightforward method that ends with pure roast beef bliss - edge-to-edge medium rare and a golden, crackly fat cap.

Ingredients

1. 2 kg/ 4 lb beef rump cap / picanha (more names: sirloin cap, coulette), silver skin trimmed off
2. 5 tsp sea salt flakes (or 3 1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt - Note 2)
3. 1/2 tsp black pepper

Sauce options:

1. Chimichurri butter (pictured, stellar!)
2. Roasted Garlic Butter (pictured, current obsession!)
3. Classic Chimichurri
4. Bearnaise sauce
5. Cowboy butter
6. Cafe de Paris
7. Creamy mushroom sauce
8. My favourite Blue Cheese Sauce (page 330 of Dinner)
9. Red wine sauce (page 327 of Dinner)
10. Dijon mustard, wholegrain mustard, horseradish cream (good ones!)

Instructions

ABBREVIATED RECIPE:

Score fat (cut right in), rub meat with 2 tsp salt, and 3 tsp on fat cap. Roast on rack at 140°C/285°F (120°C fan) until the internal temperature is 48°C / 118°F (~70 minutes - 1 1/2 hrs). Rest 30 minutes, brown fat cap quickly under very hot oven grill/broiler (3 min max). Serve immediately!

FULL RECIPE:

1. Preheat the oven to 140°C/285°F (120°C fan-forced).
2. Dry - Pat excess moisture off the surface of the rump cap with paper towels.
3. Score the fat cap with 2.5cm / 1" diamonds - cut well into the fat but don't cut into the meat. (But not a disaster if you do, unlike pork crackling!)
4. Rub salt - Rub the meat surface with 2 teaspoons of the salt and half the pepper (ie underside and sides). Then rub the remaining 3 teaspoons of salt and pepper into the fat cap.
5. Meat thermometer - Place the beef on a rack set on a tray. Insert an oven-safe meat thermometer into the middle of the thickest part of the beef, if using.
6. Slow-roast - Roast until the internal temperature is 48°C / 118°F, between 70 to 90 minutes (it varies! Note 3)
7. Rest - Remove from the oven and leave on the counter for 30 - 40 minutes to rest (do not cover). The internal temperature will climb to 56°C / 132.8°F which is perfect medium rare. (Note 4 for other doneness)

Brown fat cap:

1. Preheat - Halfway through the resting time, preheat the oven grill / broiler as high as it will go. Arrange the shelf so the surface of the fat cap will be 12cm / 5" from the heat element.
2. Brown - Grill rump cap for 2 - 3 minutes until the fat cap is golden and a bit crisp. Keep a close eye on it, it can burn quickly, and remove after 3 minutes even if not golden enough else you risk a band of overcooked beef.
3. Ready! The beef is ready to serve - there is no need to rest again.

Slicing to serve:

Cut the beef thinly into 8mm / 1/3" slices and serve with sauce of choice (you can go up to 1.25cm / 1/2" if you have wagyu). Don't be tempted to cut thick slices, this beef cut is not suitable for that! (Note 5 about grain direction)