Ok all your tips to cook a perfect roast of meat

[thisisasurvivor]

Hello all

It is never right

Sometimes way Too overcooked

Never tasted like I get when out for a meal

Tips please

It is a small one
Enough for five

Thank you xxxxxxxxxx

You need a meat thermometer. Get one that you can stick in the meat, set a target temp (there are tables online - the target temp varies depending on how well you like beef done for example, and is lower than the final temp after resting) and you’ll have meat cooked the way you like it.

Also a good tip is to salt your meat the night before. That will mean the meat is seasoned throughout before you start cooking.

what meat are you looking to cook?

Take meat out fridge about an hour before cooking so comes to room temp before going in oven. And rest it when out of oven (that has made big difference to my roasts) - always had probs over cooking beef and lamb. Hoping my lamb turns out OK tomorrow- got 2 legs as cooking for 10 and panicked about not having enough. Legs are about same size and will go next to each other in tin. Anyone know if I will need to allow longer for 2 joints?

It's not just seasoning - the salt draws the moisture out near the surface, which means a) that nice nearly-burnt flavour at the edges, and b) the moisture further in tends to stay there. At least, that's my experience.

As for the thermometer...use one with a proper oven-safe probe, and it'll tell you when it's done. For beef joints, I cook mine to 51C at the thickest part. Put in a dish and cover with foil, leave to rest for about an hour (after pouring over any cooking juices that came out), then slice thinly with a non-serrated knife (you'll need a good knife). It continues cooking during the resting time, and by the time you serve it will be a perfect pink in the middle.

It will be a bit cooler by then, but if you slice thinly then the gravy (you are serving the gravy piping hot, right?) will heat it up.

Oh, and obviously use the resting juices in the gravy. If you've seasoned the beef properly, the resting juices will incorporate some of that seasoning, and thus season your gravy too. Ergo, don't add any seasoning to the gravy until after this point.

My personal favourite way to cook beef is to go nuts with the pepper prior to cooking. You end up with a lovely peppery outside and slightly piquant gravy to boot.

I made the eureka moment when I discovered that to get pink beef, you need to get a meat thermometer and set it for 50C.

I then further discovered that you need to bring it out of the oven before it reaches the temperature, as the meat will continue cooking as @Astariel says.

I read an article the other days that recommended lamb joints benefit from a much longer resting time than usually stated. It said up to an hour. I don’t think this is specific to lamb, and may not be true for a small joint.

I highly recommend Hugh Fearnley Whittingstalls book called Meat.

Oh, and the larger the joint, the better it cooks. And get a joint with some fat on it, it cooks better (you don’t have to eat it).

I rub mine with beef bouillon the gooey kind not the dry cubes. The taste is amazing. And as pp have said a meat thermometer is invaluable and let it come to room temp first. I rub it with the bouillon then let it sit out for an hr before I cook it

It's not just seasoning - the salt draws the moisture out near the surface, which means a) that nice nearly-burnt flavour at the edges, and b) the moisture further in tends to stay there. At least, that's my experience.

yes - there are loads of benefits. It’s a really simple way to get something more like what you get in a restaurant. Especially when combined with a meat thermometer - cooking to temp rather than by time is an important shift in how to approach a roast. Meat can rest for ages and still be hot too.

The salt, fat, heat, acid book is really good at explaining what’s going on (and has recipes as well as tips).

It all depends on the cut of meat. For example, leg of lamb short hot, shoulder long cooler.

Cook lamb. It's almost impossible to get wrong.

Roast of beef

Great ideas thanks all

Which cut have you got?

This can make a big difference to how things cook.

Silverside

Oh I never buy silverside as I find it quite often tough. Sorry I know that's not much help. 😬

Hmm
Beef. How small is small?

If you like it well done, I'm afraid you may be disappointed, it can be dry. I'd sear it in a frying pan first to brown it, then put it in a fairly hot oven for a short a time as possible.
the traditional way would be medium ove, 25 mins per kilo for medium beef, plus 12 mins more. But these timings don't work that well for small pieces.
Baste it with oil, dripping, lard or butter several times.

I pot roast Silverside with onions, garlic and root veg, 130 for four hours.

@ntmdino so do you leave the joint in till it hits 50 on meat thermometer or do you take it out earlier ( and what temp) and leave it as it will continue to raise up to 50?

I set the alarm for 51, and take it out then. Comes out a perfect medium-rare every time. Temperature comes up to about 58-60C-ish during resting.

I personally prefer it a bit more rare than that, but the OH is vegetarian and hates the look of it when I'm preparing it, so I try not to let it come out bloody. The sacrifices we make, eh?

@ntmdino thank-you, medium rare is how I want it. I will try what suggested, I go from it looking raw to shoving it back in oven and end up over cooking it. I know what you mean about sacrifices my OH was veggie when I met him, he won't eat it too bloody ( which I get) but it's soo good like that!

You can tell it's my first time

1kg

Great tips so far