Juicy, succulent topside of beef cooked in the slow-cooker with a delicious horseradish flavoured mushroom and onion gravy. This slow-cooker beef topside with horseradish is the perfect way to cook a deliciously tender beef joint time after time.
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Succulent topside in a slow cooker
As far as I’m concerned a slow cooker is the ONLY way to cook a joint of beef topside. Because topside is inclined to be tough it is ideally suited to the long, slow cooking time you get by using the slow-cooker. This method of cooking helps the fibres in the beef to break down, leaving you with a succulent roast that just melts in your mouth.
This is such a simple recipe to put together. All you have to do is brown the topside in a frying pan to seal in all the juices, then place it on a bed of mushrooms and onions in the slow-cooker. Once that’s done you just pour in a stock that has been flavoured with tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce and creamed horseradish and leave it for a few hours to let the slow-cooker work its magic.
I realise that horseradish is a bit like marmite – you either love it or you hate it! But you can adjust the amount that you add so that it’s not too strong. And what you end up with is a juicy joint of beef that slices like a dream, and a delicious mushroom and onion gravy with just the slightest tang from the horseradish.
Hubby is a bit of a food snob where roast beef is concerned, but even he said it was one of the nicest pieces of topside he’d ever eaten!
I like to serve the topside with a side dish of mashed potatoes and a selection of vegetables, but there’s no reason why you couldn’t serve it with rice instead, or even with slices of crusty bread. As long as you’ve got something to soak up all the delicious gravy you’ll be fine.
What you will need
Equipment
You will need a frying pan for searing the topside and obviously a slow-cooker. You will also need a sharp knife for slicing the onions and mushrooms, a chopping board to protect your work surface and a measuring jug for mixing the stock.
Ingredients
**Get the complete list of ingredients and full instructions for making this horseradish beef topside on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**
This recipe was made with a 900-gram (2 pounds) piece of beef topside, which will feed 4 to 6 people.
Topside – this is normally sold in a net to help the meat hold its shape. You can leave this net on the beef while it is cooking and remove it when you are ready to slice the meat.
Stock – if you have beef stock you can use that, otherwise make a quick stock by dissolving a beef stock cube in a cup of boiling water.
Onion – you can use either white or red onion. The onion should be cut in half from tip to root and then finely sliced and separated into semi-circles.
Mushrooms – once again it doesn’t really matter which mushrooms you use. You can use either white or chestnut mushrooms. I would tend to steer clear of using fancy oriental-type mushrooms such as shitake though. The mushrooms should be thickly sliced.
Tomato paste – this is sold in tubes or cans in the UK and is made from highly concentrated tomatoes. You may also know it as tomato puree.
Worcestershire sauce – to add additional richness to the gravy.
Horseradish – I used a jar of Hot Creamed Horseradish which I got from the condiments aisle in my local supermarket. If you can get it, you can use finely grated fresh horseradish instead. Just remember that fresh horseradish is far more potent than jars of horseradish sauce, so you will need to use less. Also, if you are grating fresh horseradish be aware that it will make your eyes water (worse than onions) so work in a well-ventilated room.
I find it impossible to get fresh horseradish in the shops where I live so I had to use the bottled variety in this recipe.
Sunflower Oil – for searing the beef.
Salt and ground black pepper – for seasoning.
How to make it
All of the work for making this beef topside with horseradish is in the preparation (which will probably take you around 20 minutes). The rest of the time it’s hands-off while the slow-cooker does all the work!
Slice the onions and mushrooms and arrange them on the base of your slow-cooker.
Heat the oil in a frying pan and sear the meat on all sides until it is starting to brown.
While the meat is browning, prepare the stock by dissolving a beef stock cube in 1 cup of boiling water. Then stir in the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish and salt and pepper.
Place the browned meat on top of the mushrooms and onions and pour over the stock.
You may find that you get a pile of pieces of horseradish on top of the beef when you pour in the stock. If this happens, just brush most of it off so that it ends up in the stock at the bottom of the slow-cooker.
Place the lid on the slow-cooker and cook it for the time and temperature shown below.
- High – 4 to 5 hours
- Medium – 5 to 6 hours
- Low – 6 to 8 hours
Once the beef has cooked, transfer it to a plate and remove the net. Cover loosely with a sheet of tinfoil and leave it to rest for 20 minutes.
While the meat is resting, turn the slow-cooker up to high and make a mixture of 2 tablespoons of cornflour and 4 tablespoons of water. Stir this into the mushrooms and onions in the slow-cooker and leave on high, stirring occasionally until the gravy has thickened.
You may not need to use all the cornflour, so add it gradually until the gravy is at the thickness you like.
Slice the meat to your desired thickness, and arrange it on a serving plate. Pour some of the mushroom and onion gravy over the top and serve with fresh vegetables and mashed potatoes. Pour the remaining gravy into a gravy boat and serve on the side.
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FAQ
Horseradish belongs to the same family as both mustard and wasabi. Surprisingly, because these vegetables are not spicy, cabbages, cauliflower and broccoli also belong to the same family!
Horseradish is grown for its long tapering root which is used in making horseradish sauce.
The horseradish root has a pungent spicy taste when fresh, which weakens over time from exposure to air and heat. This is why horseradish sold as a condiment is far less spicy than freshly grated horseradish.
Creamed horseradish, where grated horseradish is mixed with sour cream, is traditionally served with roast beef.
Topside is the long inner muscle of a cow’s hind leg and is also known as ’round steak’ in the US. It has very little fat and can become quite dry when cooked with dry methods such as grilling or roasting. For this reason, it is well suited for being cooked in a stew or in the slow-cooker.
Slices of leftover topside can be covered with the leftover gravy and frozen for up to 4 months. To use, allow to defrost in the refrigerator (or use the microwave if you are in a hurry) and then reheat in the microwave until piping hot.
Freezing the topside with the gravy ensures the meat stays juicy and succulent.
Leftover topside can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. It makes delicious sandwiches.
If you intend to use it for another meal I would recommend covering the slices of topside with any remaining gravy to ensure the topside does not dry out.
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Other recipes
If you like this recipe, perhaps you’d also like to try some of my other slow-cooker recipes:
- Slow-cooker beef Trinchado – a delicious peri-peri flavoured beef dish from South Africa
- Slow-cooker beef silverside
- Slow-cooker ox-tail stew – the meat simply falls off the bone
- Slow-cooker beef and kidney stew – one of my most popular recipes
- Slow-cooker pork casserole with honey and mustard
The recipe
Slow-cooker beef topside with horseradish
(Click the stars to rate this recipe)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds / 900 grams beef topside
- 1 cup / 240 ml beef stock make your own stock with a stock cube
- 1 large onion finely sliced
- 7 ounces / 200 grams white mushrooms sliced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste / tomato puree
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 3 tablespoons hot horseradish sauce adjust to your own taste
- 2 tablespoons cornflour / cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Slice the onions and mushrooms and arrange them on the base of your slow-cooker.1 large onion, 7 ounces / 200 grams white mushrooms
- Heat the oil in a frying pan and sear the meat on all sides until it is starting to brown.2 tablespoons sunflower oil, 2 pounds / 900 grams beef topside
- While the meat is browning, prepare the stock by dissolving a beef stock cube in 1 cup of boiling water. Then stir in the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish and salt and pepper.1 cup / 240 ml beef stock, 1 tablespoon tomato paste / tomato puree, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, 3 tablespoons hot horseradish sauce, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Place the browned meat on top of the mushrooms and onions and pour over the stock.
- Place the lid on the slow-cooker and cook it for the time and temperature shown below.:High – 4 to 5 hoursMedium – 5 to 6 hoursLow – 6 to 8 hours
- Once the beef has cooked, transfer it to a plate and remove the net. Cover loosely with a sheet of tinfoil and leave it to rest for 20 minutes.
- While the meat is resting, turn the slow-cooker up to high and make a mixture of the cornflour and 4 tablespoons of water. Stir this into the mushrooms and onions in the slow-cooker and leave on high, stirring occasionally until the gravy has thickened.2 tablespoons cornflour / cornstarch
- Slice the meat to your desired thickness, and arrange it on a serving plate. Pour some of the mushroom and onion gravy over the top and serve with fresh vegetables and mashed potatoes. Pour the remaining gravy into a gravy boat and serve on the side.
Notes
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
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