How To Cook A Roast

Brrrr it’s chilly out there now, so it’s time to talk about how to cook a roast. Beef, chicken, lamb, pork or fish. No matter which protein you use there are techniques for getting your roast right every time.

My aim is always to make things easy and foolproof so here I share my tips for how to cook a roast to perfection every time along with some of my favourite recipes.

The temperature of the oven and the timings are slightly different for each protein of course, but there are a few things that remain the same no matter what you are roasting.

How to cook a roast

You will need a meat thermometer, salt and pepper, roasting pan and olive oil. For fish I tend to use a temperature probe instead which you just poke in to check. These work well for steak on the BBQ
Remove the meat from the fridge half an hour prior to cooking, longer for a big joint.
Season the meat before it goes in and drizzle with olive oil.
Insert the meat thermometer into the thickest part. This means you don’t need to cut it later to check if it’s done so that you retain all the lovely juices.
The roast is done when the temperature in the centre of the roast reaches 49°C – 52°C for rare, 55°C – 60°C for medium rare, 63°C – 66°C for medium, and 68°C – 74° for well done. The temperature will rise 5° – 10° after it comes out of the oven, so if you are using a thermometer, take the roast out of the oven a bit before it reaches the desired temperature.
Remove your roast from oven and place on a warm platter. Cover loosely with foil and set aside for 20 – 30 minutes in a warm place to rest. Only then carve and serve.

Here are some of my recipes which really elevate the roast beyond your standard fare. I hope you try some of these out this winter. Let me know how you go by sending me a picture or tagging me on Facebook or Instagram.