What To Look Out For Before Cooking Roast Beef In The Air Fryer

There are several mistakes everyone makes with oven-roasted beef, such as picking the wrong cut, poorly seasoning the surface, or failing to let it rest. Preventing these rookie errors is just as important when making roast beef in the air fryer. However, there's one extra thing to look out for; you should a cut that has plenty of marbling to guarantee that your roast is as juicy and tender as possible.

Switch your air fryer on, and you'll hear the whirr of the internal fan whooshing hot air around the cavity. This is because air fryers are simply compact versions of fan-assisted or convection ovens, which swirl heat around to regulate an even temperature (standard ovens emit heat from the top and bottom elements, which means some areas are hotter than others). As the hot air in an air fryer is continuously on the move, it will hit every area of your roast, cooking it faster and perhaps even drying it out if left in there for too long. 

The solution is to choose a tender cut that has an abundance of fine marbling through it. These feather-like striations of fat will render down readily and melt as your beef cooks, helping it to stay moist and succulent. While shank or shoulder are the best cuts of beef to slow cook, they have tougher muscle tissue, which simply won't have time to break down in the air fryer and elicit that juicy texture you look for in a roast.

The best cuts of beef to cook in an air fryer include top sirloin, tri-tip, ribeye, and tenderloin. These options all feature that coveted marbling that melts down quickly and imbues the roast with a buttery mouthfeel and umami flavor. When selecting your beef from the grocery store or butcher, take extra care to examine the surface and check for an even distribution of marbling — it should look like little white tributaries are running through it. You should also avoid any cuts that have a heavier layer of fat covering the surface, known as the fat cap. While a fat cap keeps larger joints moist when slow-roasted in the oven, the thicker layer won't be able to render down when cooked faster in the air fryer.

Beef tenderloin can benefit from dry brining overnight before air frying to imbue it with heaps of flavor. You should also consider patting your cut of beef dry with a paper towel to remove excess moisture and encourage it to develop a crust. As always, bring it to room temperature before putting it in your preheated air fryer to kickstart the cooking process. You may also need to experiment with the temperature so your roast beef can cook through to your liking without burning on the outside.