Rump steak has plenty of flavour and works particularly well with earthy grains, mushrooms and greens. Here it’s cooked simply, rested well and sliced over a warm pearl barley salad with broccoli and browned mushrooms.
The horseradish yoghurt brings freshness and heat without overpowering the beef, making this a substantial but well-balanced dish.
Rinse the pearl barley under cold water.
Put it into a saucepan, cover generously with cold water and add a good pinch of salt.
Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for around 25–35 minutes, until tender but still retaining a little bite.
Drain well and keep warm.
Mix the yoghurt with the horseradish, Dijon mustard and lemon juice.
Season with a little salt and black pepper.
Taste and add more horseradish if you want a stronger kick.
Keep chilled until needed.
Bring a pan of salted water to the boil.
Add the broccoli and cook for around 2–3 minutes, until just tender but still bright green. Drain and set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a fairly high heat.
Add the mushrooms and cook without moving them too much at first, allowing them to colour properly rather than steam.
Once deeply browned, add the sliced onion or shallots and cook for another couple of minutes.
Add the broccoli and warm through.
Stir in the drained barley.
Mix the red wine vinegar with the Dijon mustard and stir it through the warm salad.
Add the parsley, season with salt and pepper and keep warm while you cook the steaks.
Take the steaks out of the fridge around 30 minutes before cooking.
Pat them dry and season generously with salt and black pepper.
Heat a heavy frying pan or griddle until very hot.
Add the dripping or oil, followed by the steaks.
For steaks of this size and around 2.5–3cm thick, cook for approximately:
These are only guides — thickness matters more than weight, so use a temperature probe if you have one.
For medium-rare, aim to remove the steaks from the pan at around 52–54°C, allowing the temperature to rise slightly as they rest.
During the final minute, add the butter, garlic and thyme. Let the butter foam, then spoon it repeatedly over the steaks.
Transfer the steaks to a warm plate and rest for 8–10 minutes.
Divide the warm barley, mushroom and broccoli salad between two plates.
Slice the rump steaks across the grain into fairly thick slices and arrange over the barley.
Spoon the horseradish yoghurt alongside or over the edge of the steak.
Pour any resting juices from the steaks over the meat before serving.
Cut from the rump of the animal, these muscles work hard so there’s lots of flavour and a firm texture.
Price range: £25.50 through £28.90
The barley, mushrooms and broccoli already make this a complete meal, so additional sides are best kept fairly simple.
Get the pan hot.
Rump benefits from a strong initial sear. A lukewarm pan will cook the meat before it develops a good crust.
Dry the steak before cooking.
Surface moisture encourages steaming rather than browning.
Use a temperature probe if you have one.
It is much more reliable than relying purely on cooking times, particularly with thick steaks.
Rest it properly.
With a 340g rump steak, 8–10 minutes is well worth allowing.
Slice across the grain.
Rump has a noticeable grain structure. Cutting across it shortens the muscle fibres and makes each slice noticeably more tender.
Brown the mushrooms properly.
Give them room in the pan and resist stirring constantly. Good caramelisation is an important part of the flavour of the finished salad.
Keep the yoghurt cold.
The contrast between warm steak and barley and cool horseradish yoghurt is part of what makes the dish work.
A medium to full-bodied red is the natural choice.
A fuller, more savoury white can work surprisingly well.
