Fore-rib is usually the cut that gets the vote as the special occasion roast beef joint. Here, though, we offer an equally delicious alternative, and one that is perhaps a little easier to cook.
Roasting a joint like this on the bone is the best way to maximise flavour and, I think, makes it slightly easier to achieve an even cook throughout the meat. The rest is crucial, though. Roasted together, the Jerusalem artichokes and shallots turn sweet, sticky and deeply savoury, which is exactly what good beef calls for. The crispy bone marrow is a naughty little addition.
Serves: 6-8
Prep time: 45 minutes
Cook time: 4 hours
Ingredients
Crispy Bone Marrow
Beef Stock
Method
For the Sauce
- To make a really great sauce, you need plenty of time, so get that on first.
- Preheat your oven to 200°C.
- Place the bones on a roasting tray and roast in the oven for 25–30 minutes, until well browned.
- Meanwhile, set a large pan over a high heat with a tablespoon of olive oil. Add the carrots, garlic and onions, season with salt, and begin to sweat the vegetables. Keep the heat at medium and stir regularly, allowing the vegetables to take on a little colour as they soften. A lid will help speed this up. This should take about 20 minutes.
- Remove the bones from the oven and, once the vegetables are soft and coloured, add the bones to the pan, followed by the red wine. Bring to the boil and simmer for a minute, then add the rosemary, thyme, star anise and stock.
- Bring the pan back to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and let it bubble away for an hour.
- Remove from the heat and leave to rest for 20 minutes, allowing the bones to release any last remnants of flavour into the sauce.
- Pass the sauce through a fine sieve and discard the vegetables.
- Return the sauce to the stove in the same pan and reduce over a medium heat until you reach the desired consistency and flavour, probably about another hour. The finished sauce should have body and a deep beef flavour, gently offset by the wine. Taste for seasoning. I like to add a couple of drops of sherry vinegar, or whichever vinegar you prefer.
For the Sirloin
- Take the sirloin out of the fridge at least 4 hours before you intend to cook it, so it can come up to room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 210°C.
- Season the joint well with salt and place it on a roasting tray. Put it in the oven and set a timer for 20 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 150°C and cook for a further 1–1¼ hours.
- Remove from the oven and leave to rest somewhere warm for at least 1 hour.
For the Jerusalem Artichokes, Shallots and Cavolo Nero
- Return the oven to 180°C.
- Cut the Jerusalem artichokes into halves, or thirds if they are on the larger side, and tip them into a roasting tray.
- Cut the shallots in half lengthways and add them to the tray. Season with salt, then add 3 of the garlic cloves, the thyme and 3 generous knobs of butter. Toss everything together, then roast for 25 minutes.
- Remove the tray from the oven, turn everything with a spoon, then return it to the oven for a further 20 minutes. Once out of the oven, season with a splash of sherry or Muscatel vinegar.
- Bring a pan of salted water to the boil.
- Roughly chop the cavolo nero leaves and blanch them in the boiling water. Drain in a colander.
- In a separate pan over a medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the 2 remaining garlic cloves. Fry for 30 seconds, then add the cavolo nero and a pinch of salt. Turn the heat down and cook gently for 10 minutes.
For the Crispy Bone Marrow
- To draw out some of the blood, soak the bone marrow rounds overnight in cold water with a pinch of salt.
- Remove the marrow bones from the water. With a little pressure, the marrow should pop out cleanly from one end.
- Cut each piece of marrow into 3 horizontally, ready to coat in flour, egg and breadcrumbs.
- Place the breadcrumbs, eggs and plain flour in 3 separate bowls.
- Toss each marrow piece first in the flour, then the egg, and finally the breadcrumbs. Repeat until all the marrow has been coated.
- Heat a fryer or a pan of oil to 180°C. Fry the marrow nuggets for about 3 minutes, until crisp and golden.
To Serve
- Remove the sirloin from the bone, running your knife as close to the bone as possible, then carve the meat. Arrange it on a large platter and serve with the rest of the elements alongside. Then get stuck in.


















