My Handy Roasting Guide

My handy roasting guide is ready for you to time your Christmas dinner. Roasting is one of the simplest ways to cook whole birds and large joints of lamb, beef or pork. Roasting helps tenderise meat and brings out the flavour of leaner cuts. The best way to roast is at relatively low temperatures which helps ensure the meat cooks evenly and reduces the joint from shrinking. Fattier cuts such as pork belly benefit from a long slow cook to help render down the natural fat.

Roasting at a lower temperature will not give you a delicious crust and the brown colour people love. To give a roast a good colour as a chef I would normally brown the outside in a pan over a medium-high heat, season then place in the oven. With my handy roasting guide you can start your roast in a hotter oven then turn the temperature down to achieve the same result. The secret is to start in a really hot preheated oven.

The Perfect Roast

My handy roasting guide works best for whole birds; chicken, duck, goose and turkey, cuts of beef such as whole rib, sirloin and topside, pork loin and lamb leg and shoulder. Meat on the bone will typically take a little longer to cook then boned and rolled joints. The breed, cut, brining, correct weight and shape of your roast will determine the exact cooking time for specific roasts please see posts such as Garlicky Roast Chicken, Roast Sirloin with Red Wine Gravy and Roast Turkey Dinner.

My Handy Roasting Guide Top Tips

• Preheat your oven.

• Take your bird or joint out of the fridge at least half an hour before you begin cooking.

• Set your joint in a baking tray with relatively low sides so hot air can circulate around the roast in the oven. For meat place the roast fat or for pork skin side up. Cooking fat side up with help baste the meat as the fat renders. The exception is goose which you can roast breast side down for the first half of cooking to allow the goose fat to drip through the breast meat and help keep it moist.

• Season generously. For pork, dry the skin with kitchen paper and scour with a really sharp knife, ( you need can get your butcher to do this ), and rub generously with fine salt to get a really good crackling. You can stuff any birds with an apple or small onion and herbs which will help keep the meat moist.

• When your roast is cooked remove the roast from the oven and let it rest, covered in foil and a couple of thick kitchen clothes, for at least 15 to 30 minutes before carving. Resting the meat before carving it results in a much juicier roast as the meat reabsorbs some of the cooking juices which then don’t don’t all spill out when you start carving.

• If you have a meat thermometer or a digital thermometer, the internal temperature of your joint should be 140 to 145 F for medium lamb and beef and at least 145 F for roast pork. When the meat rests the internal temperature will actually rise by up to ten degrees, so allow for this when you take the temperature.

Cooking Times

				1kg	2kg	3kg	4kg
	Beef		400 F / 200 C / Gas Mark 6	20	20	20	20
			then turn down oven to
		Rare	350 F / 180 C / Gas Mark 4	25	70	110	160
		Medium	350 F / 180 C / Gas Mark 4	35	90	140	280
		Well done	350 F / 180 C / Gas Mark 4	45	110	190	300
	Pork		400 F / 200 C / Gas Mark 6	20	20	20	20
			then turn down oven to
			350 F / 180 C / Gas Mark 4	60	135	220	180
	Lamb		400 F / 200 C / Gas Mark 6	20	20	20	20
			then turn down oven to
		Medium	350 F / 180 C / Gas Mark 4	35	90	140	200
		Well done	350 F / 180 C / Gas Mark 4	50	110	180	280
	Chicken		350 F / 180 C / Gas Mark 4	20	20	20
			then turn down oven to
			325 F / 160 C / Gas Mark 3	40	80	120
	Turkey		350 F / 180 C / Gas Mark 4		20	20	20
			then turn down oven to
			325 F / 160 C / Gas Mark 3		80	120	160
	Duck		350 F / 180 C / Gas Mark 4		20	20
			then turn down oven to
			325 F / 160 C / Gas Mark 3		80	120
	Goose		350 F / 180 C / Gas Mark 4		20	20	20
			then turn down oven to
			325 F / 160 C / Gas Mark 3		80	120	160
	Venison	Medium	350 F / 180 C / Gas Mark 4	55	110	160	220