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Sunday roast · Spanish counter names · whole joints
Roast beef joints in Spain: topside is tapa, silverside is contra
If you have been looking for a Sunday roasting joint and the Spanish counter only seems to sell thin slices, this page is for you. For a roast beef joint in Spain, ask for tapa (topside; US: top round), contra (silverside; US: bottom round), redondo (the salmon cut of the silverside; US: eye of round) or babilla (top rump; US: knuckle). Rib of beef is lomo alto con hueso. We sell a tied eye of round joint of approx. 1.5 kg, ready for the oven, the four leg joints as whole pieces of 2.5 kg to 7.5 kg, and a whole bone-in loin by weight, for you to portion at home.
See the joints All beef cuts in Spanish
- Whole pieces, vacuum-packed, weight stated on every card
- Order by Wednesday 17:00, delivered chilled on Thursday before 13:00 (mainland Spain)
- Questions in English by WhatsApp: +34 695 34 63 29
The six roasting pieces we sell
The first card is the tied eye of round roasting joint of approx. 1.5 kg: one Sunday roast for six, with no knife work. Every other card is a whole muscle, so read the weight before you add it to the basket. The topside is yearling beef (añojo, 12–24 months) from retinto, the native red breed of south-west Spain: mild, tender and pale red. The bone-in loin comes from retinto mature cow, darker, with yellow fat and a deeper flavour; you choose its weight on the product page. Orders placed before the shop reopens on Thursday 5 November 2026 get 20% off in the basket.
Eye of round roasting joint, tied, retinto, approx. 1.5 kg
Redondo de retinto atado para asar, 1,5 kg aprox.41,90€ VAT incl.Add to basketEye of round (redondo), whole retinto joint, approx. 2.5 kg
Redondo o Peceto de Vacuno Retinto, pieza completa 2,5 kg aprox.67,90€ VAT incl.Add to basketTopside (tapa), whole retinto yearling joint, approx. 4.5 kg
Tapa o Nalga de Adentro de Añojo Retinto, pieza completa de 4,5 kg aprox.121,90€ VAT incl.Add to basketSilverside (contra), whole retinto joint, approx. 7.5 kg
Contra de Retinto, pieza completa 7,5 kg aprox202,90€ VAT incl.Add to basketThick flank / top rump (babilla), whole retinto yearling joint, approx. 4.5 kg
Babilla de Añojo Retinto, pieza 4,5 kg aprox.121,90€ VAT incl.Add to basketWhole bone-in loin, retinto cow
Lomo de vaca retinta Price range: 52,90€ through 59,41€ VAT incl.Choose weight
What to ask for, and what arrives from us
At a Spanish counter these muscles are mostly sliced into thin frying steaks (filetes), so say that you want the cut in one piece for roasting, “en una pieza, para asar“, and give the weight. Spanish butchers do not tie or bard joints by default, and our whole pieces arrive the same way; only the 1.5 kg joint comes tied.
| UK joint | Ask for in Spain | Our piece and weight | 1.5 kg joints from it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Topside | tapa | Whole topside, retinto yearling, approx. 4.5 kg | 3 |
| Silverside | contra | Whole silverside, approx. 7.5 kg | 5 |
| Salmon cut (eye of round) | redondo | Whole eye of round, approx. 2.5 kg | 1, with about 1 kg left over |
| Top rump (thick flank) | babilla | Whole top rump, approx. 4.5 kg | 3 |
| Rib of beef, fore rib (US: prime rib) | lomo alto con hueso, or chuletón en pieza | Whole bone-in loin, retinto cow, by weight | Depends on the weight you choose |
The honest bit: these are whole primal pieces
Apart from the tied 1.5 kg joint, our smallest piece is the whole eye of round at approx. 2.5 kg (€67.90). The largest is the silverside at approx. 7.5 kg (€202.90): five Sunday roasts in one vacuum pack. The practical way to buy is to order one piece, cut it into two or three roasting joints when it arrives, tie them, cook one this week and freeze the rest. The eye of round gives one 1.5 kg joint and a 1 kg piece, or two of 1.25 kg.
Portioning, tying and barding at home
- Cut across the grain into blocks of even thickness. Odd ends go into the pot: see stewing beef.
- Tie each joint with kitchen string (hilo de cocina) every 3 cm.
- These are lean cuts. For barding, ask a local butcher for a thin sheet of pork back fat: “una lámina de tocino para albardar“.
- Wrap and freeze the spare joints the same day. Thaw for 24–48 hours in the fridge.
Roasting a 1.5 kg joint
- Out of the fridge an hour ahead; pat dry and season.
- Brown it in a hot pan, or start it at 220 °C (430 °F) for 20 minutes.
- Lower to 160 °C (320 °F) and roast to a core temperature: rare 50–52 °C (122–126 °F), medium-rare 54–57 °C (129–135 °F), medium 60–63 °C (140–145 °F).
- Use a probe, not minutes per kilo: a narrow redondo cooks faster than a squat block of tapa.
- Rest it for 20–30 minutes under foil.
- Carve thinly across the grain. Contra and babilla are firmer than tapa: keep them medium-rare, or pot-roast them.
Rib of beef
A British rib of beef comes from the lomo alto. Ask for it “con hueso, en una pieza“, or as an uncut chuletón, the same section sold as a thick bone-in steak. If one steak for sharing is enough, see the chuletón page; for the boneless version, see ribeye. December dates: December page.
Roasting joints, question by question
What is topside in Spanish?
Tapa. In American terms it is top round. At the counter say “un trozo de tapa en una pieza, para asar” and the weight you want. We also sell topside in thin slices, in a 1 kg tray, for beef olives and escalopes.
What is silverside in Spanish?
Contra. The narrow, round muscle a British butcher calls the salmon cut is sold separately in Spain as redondo; its even shape makes it the easiest of the four to roast and carve.
Do the joints come tied or cut to size?
One does: the eye of round roasting joint of approx. 1.5 kg comes tied and ready for the oven. The others are whole pieces, vacuum-packed and untied. Portioning one takes ten minutes with a sharp knife and a ball of string.
Can I freeze part of the piece?
Yes, and we would encourage it. Vacuum-packed meat can be frozen on arrival, and that is the sensible way to handle a whole topside or silverside: portion, tie, wrap and freeze.
Which joint should I choose for a Sunday roast?
For one roast with no portioning, the tied 1.5 kg eye of round. Topside is the classic, and ours is yearling beef, mild and tender. For more depth of flavour choose the bone-in loin from mature cow. Every other cut is in our guide to beef cuts in Spanish.