Chapter 8 · Dry heat: sauté, grill, roast, fry
8.3 Roasting
What roasting is
Roasting surrounds food with hot, dry air. The heat comes from an oven, an open flame or another source, at 300°F or more. The heat is indirect and spread out, so all sides cook evenly. The surface browns, and browning adds flavor through caramelization and the Maillard reaction.
Roasting is slower cooking, suited to a large piece of meat left whole. Meat cooked this way is called a roast. Most root and bulb vegetables roast well too. Food cooked this way is "roasted": roasted squash, roasted chicken.
The method works best for whole chickens and turkeys, and for the leaner cuts of beef, pork and lamb. Roasting shows off the taste of the meat itself. In braising and other moist-heat methods, the sauce or stew carries more of the flavor.
Racks, pans, spits and string
- Food can roast on a rack or in a roasting pan. For the most even heat, it can turn on a spit or rotisserie.
- A pan keeps the juices. They can go into gravy or Yorkshire pudding.
- Many roasts are tied with string first. The string holds the roast together, keeps any stuffing in, and keeps the roast round, so it cooks evenly.
- Cooks often baste a roast as it cooks. Basting means brushing or spooning butter, lard or oil over the surface. It slows the loss of moisture.
Three temperature plans
| Plan | Oven heat | Best for | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slow roasting | 200 to 320°F | Big cuts of meat, turkey, whole chickens | Less moisture lost, more collagen dissolved, a more tender result |
| High heat | 350°F or more | Cuts tender enough to cook before the juices escape, such as filet mignon or striploin | A brown outside and a much less done center, with more variety of flavor |
| Combination | High heat at the start or the end, low heat for the rest | Roasts where a dark crust and caramelized flavor are wanted | A golden-brown crust and more moisture than high heat alone, though less than slow roasting |
Collagen is the part of meat that makes it tough. A slow oven dissolves more of it. At 350°F and above, the muscle loses its water fast. Strictly speaking, 200 to 320°F is below roasting temperature, but cooks still call it slow roasting. A whole chicken can also do well at 450°F.
Carryover cooking
The goal of every plan is the same: good color and texture, and as much moisture kept in as possible. As meat cooks, its structure and its collagen break down, and juice starts to flow. Meat is at its juiciest around medium rare.
Rare meat and safety
Beef, lamb, venison and some game birds are often served pink or rare in the center. Some restaurants now serve pork pink as well. The only sure way to avoid foodborne illness is to check the temperature at the center of the roast.
Roasting a pork rib roast
- Set the oven to 325°F.
- Put the roast fat side up in a shallow, open roasting pan. The rib bones hold it up, so no rack is needed. A roast without bones does need a rack.
- Push a meat thermometer in so its bulb sits in the middle of the biggest muscle, not touching bone and not in fat. Before using a glass thermometer, make a hole with a metal skewer.
- Roast until the center reads 63°C (145°F).
- Let the roast stand for about 10 minutes, then carve.
Sources
This chapter is written from these open textbooks:
- Basic Scientific Food Preparation Lab Manual — Dept. of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Iowa State UniversityCC BY-NC-SA 4.0
- Culinary Foundations — Cheramie & Thibodeaux, Chef John Folse Culinary Institute, Nicholls StateCC BY-NC-SA 4.0