How To Get That Perfect Roast

Give It A Good Rub

Before sliding your meat into the oven, make sure to pat it dry in preparation for a good rub. A good quality slab of beef will taste amazing even with just a simple oil, salt and pepper rub, but for turkeys, brining is most recommended. You can soak a turkey in brine but if you’re wary about the amount of water needed for the bird, or you can dry brine it by rubbing kosher salt underneath the skin of the breast and all over the legs and back. This will pull the water out and bring it back once the turkey is roasting. Leave it brining for a minimum of four hours before sliding it in the oven.

When it comes to lamb, you can also slice half-inch incisions in between the skin to insert sliced or minced garlic for added flavour. Pork, on the other hand, requires more prep to preserve beautiful crackled skin.

After patting the pork dry, leave it uncovered overnight to dry out the rind. The next day, rub coarse salt on the skin and massage olive oil and a teaspoon of salt on the underside to keep it moist and tender.

For an added dimension to your perfect roast, don’t hold back on experimenting. Get acquainted with herbs like rosemary, thyme and even mint, or go for unusual flavours like coffee, cinnamon or star anise. Make sure that you massage your ingredients into the meat to get their flavours deep in the roast.

 

Make Sure To Weigh Your Meat

The correct cooking time and temperature depends on the weight of your meat. In general, beef is supposed to cook at 200^oC for 25 minutes for every 450 grams to get that medium-done roast. If you want it rare, lessen the cooking time by 5 minutes/450 grams, and achieve a well-done roast by cooking the meat 25 more minutes/450 grams.

Turkey takes much longer. A 4kg bird takes a minimum 2 hours 45 minutes to cook unstuffed, but if you have stuffing, you need to keep it in the oven for 3 hours at a minimum temperature of 176^oC. For the lamb, it depends on the cut of the meat. Shoulder pieces can cook at a 170^oC oven for 40 minutes/500 grams plus 40 minutes, while the leg and partly boned shoulder cuts should be in a 180^oC oven for a medium roast for 25 minutes/500 grams plus 25 minutes and well-done for 30 minutes/500 grams plus 30 minutes. Partly boned shoulder takes the longest at 60 minutes/500 grams, so make sure to cover it with foil to avoid drying. 

You can also get some caramelization going by pre-cooking your roast -- smaller pieces can be browned in a frying pan, and for bigger slabs, add 15 to 20 minutes at a high temperature to your cooking time in the oven before lowering it to your usual roasting temperature. Pork in particular needs this step: blast your pork in the oven at high heat before lowering it to 180^oC to cook for 35 minutes/500grams and add 35 minutes, until juices run clear.

 

Keep Your Eye On The Oven

Your roast will take time to cook, and it’s tempting to just leave it be until the timer goes off. However, the perfect roast needs tending from time to time, especially with basting so the meat doesn’t dry out. Remember to “bathe” your meat in its juices around an hour and a half into the cooking time, but do so quickly so the heat does not escape through the open oven door.

Your roast should also be placed in the middle of the oven to make sure that it cooks evenly on all sides. To find out if it’s cooked through, it is best to invest in a meat thermometer. Medium-well beef, pork, and lamb roasts yield a 60-62^oC inner temperature, while turkey should have 73^oC when measured from the thickest part of the meat without touching bone.

Remember to let your roast rest before carving to make sure that the muscles are relaxed and tender. Pork roasts are best after at least 3 minutes of rest, but for beef and lamb, the best practice is to wait 30 minutes to an hour.

But above anything else, the perfect roast depends on the quality of your meats. Roasting is great because it can work with any meat cut or origin, but if you don’t start with good quality meats, roasting will not perform miracles. Make sure you get your meat from a reputable butcher to guarantee a high-quality starting point. Peter’s Butchery is a trusted supplier of restaurant-quality meats in Singapore since 1978, so if you’re looking to grace your table with only the best roast, order your meats at https://petersbutchery.com/ today!