Can I Use The Slow-Cooked Black Treacle Ham Method For Beef?

Our answer

Nigella's Slow-Cooked Black Treacle Ham (from SIMPLY NIGELLA) wraps a gammon (a cured, but uncooked ham, usually from the leg) tightly in foil, with a little treacle and cooks it in a low oven for 12 to 24 hours. The ham is then glazed and finished in a very hot oven. It is a low-effort recipe for most of the time and works well for this cut of meat.

For beef, a lot would depend on the cut of beef that you are using. Unfortunately, most beef joints are too small and too lean for this type of very long cooking and don't have the covering of fat that a gammon ham has. So often the beef will end up being dry and overcooked. Some cuts, such as brisket, can be cooked "low and slow" on a barbecue or in a smoker, but generally these require closer monitoring than the ham, to make sure that the meat doesn't cook for too long and become dry. Pot roasting or braising are much better ways to slow cook tougher cuts of beef. For premium cuts, such as a (standing) rib roast, we would suggest a more conventional approach, such as NIgella's Roast Rib Of Beef With Port And Stilton Gravy.