Roast Beef Cooking Time Calculator
Enter your joint weight, oven type, and preferred doneness — get exact cooking times, temperatures, and a step-by-step roasting schedule. Perfect every time.
Calculate your roast beef cooking time
Enter your joint details below and get a precise cooking schedule — including a high-heat sear, main roasting time, and recommended resting period.
Your roast details
Fill in all fields for an accurate cooking time
Your Cooking Schedule
Times, temperatures & resting guide
Fill in your joint details and click Calculate to get your personalised roasting schedule, oven temperature, and resting time.
Choosing the right beef cut
Different cuts suit different cooking styles. Here’s a quick guide to the most popular roasting joints in the UK.
Sirloin
A premium, tender cut from the back. Great for special occasions — excellent for rare to medium. Has a good fat cap for flavour.
Best: Rare–MediumRib of beef
The king of roasting joints. Bone-in rib adds incredible flavour and keeps the meat moist. A true Sunday showstopper.
Best: Rare–MediumTopside
Lean and affordable, topside is the UK’s most popular roasting joint. Needs care to avoid drying out — basting is key.
Best: Medium–WellRump
More flavourful than topside with a slightly firmer texture. A great middle-ground cut with good value for money.
Best: MediumSilverside
Traditionally used for salt beef, but roasts well too. Lean cut — add plenty of fat or cook with vegetables and stock.
Best: Well doneBrisket
Tough but deeply flavoured — transforms into meltingly tender beef when slow-roasted low and slow for 4–6 hours.
Best: Slow & lowRoast beef temperatures explained
Use a meat thermometer for the most reliable results. These are the UK-recommended internal temperatures.
| Doneness | Internal core temp | Fan oven | Conventional oven | Appearance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rare | 60–63°C | 180°C | 200°C / Gas 6 | Deep red centre, very juicy |
| Medium rare | 63–68°C | 180°C | 200°C / Gas 6 | Pink throughout, juicy |
| Medium | 68–72°C | 180°C | 200°C / Gas 6 | Slightly pink centre |
| Well done | 75–80°C | 160°C | 180°C / Gas 4 | No pink, fully cooked |
Secrets to a perfect roast
Follow these pro tips to take your Sunday roast from good to unforgettable.
Use a meat thermometer
Timing alone isn’t enough — oven temperatures vary and joint shapes differ. A probe thermometer is the only reliable way to guarantee the right doneness every time.
Bring to room temperature
Remove your joint from the fridge 1–2 hours before cooking. Cold beef straight from the fridge takes longer to cook unevenly, leaving a cold centre and overcooked edges.
Always rest the meat
Resting allows the juices to redistribute throughout the joint. Tent loosely with foil for 20–30 minutes before carving — skipping this is the most common roast mistake.
High-heat sear first
Starting at 220°C for 20 minutes creates a deep brown crust and locks in flavour through the Maillard reaction. Then drop the temperature for the main cook.
Cooking times you can trust
Our roast beef cooking time calculator uses the same per-minute-per-kg formula used by BBC Good Food, Jamie Oliver, and the UK’s leading cooking schools — adjusted for oven type and doneness.
We don’t guess and we don’t round sloppily. Every calculation accounts for your joint weight, preferred doneness, and oven type to give you the most accurate estimate possible.
- ✓Per-kg cooking rates aligned with UK culinary standards
- ✓Fan, conventional, and AGA oven adjustments built in
- ✓Resting time always included — never an afterthought
- ✓Internal temperature targets from Food Standards Agency
- ✓Supports metric (kg) and imperial (lbs) weight inputs
- ✓No ads, no sign-up, no data stored — runs in your browser
Roast beef FAQs
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