Poultry | Meats | Fish & Seafood

Basic Roast Method

Yield: Varies


INGREDIENTS PREP AMOUNT
Meat, poultry or fish room temperature whole or large cuts
Seasoning ingredients (ex. salt, pepper, herbs, etc.) to taste
Oil as needed
 
Liquid for deglazing pan (wine, cognac, etc.) 2-3 cups
 
Thickening agent (ex. cornstarch, arrowroot, flour, etc.)   as needed

METHOD

Basic Steps:  Season → Roast → Rest → Make sauce
  1. Preheat oven to desired temperature (see notes).
  2. Place item to be cooked in a roasting pan, on a rack if necessary.
  3. Roast item until internal temperature is 5-10º below desired temperature (see chart below).
  4. Remove item from roasting pan and allow to rest for 10 - 20 minutes before carving.

For Gravy

  1. Pour meat juices from roasting pan, discarding excess fat. Heat roasting pan over medium heat on top of stove. Pour in liquid for deglazing and scrape up all cooked bits from the bottom of the pan. Reduce till almost dry.
  2. Add 2-4 Tbsp of flour to fat in the pan (you may have to add a little more fat or oil) and stir to cook the flour well.
  3. Pour in the liquid for your sauce and reserved meat juices, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Bring to a simmer to thicken your gravy. Strain through a seive and serve with the roasted item.

For Jus

  1. Pour meat juices from roasting pan, discarding excess fat. Heat roasting pan over medium heat on top of stove. Pour in liquid for deglazing and scrape up all cooked bits from the bottom of the pan. Reduce till almost dry.
  2. Pour in liquid for sauce and bring to a simmer. Mix 1-2 Tbsp of cornstarch or arrowroot with a little cold water and whisk into the simmering liquid till thickens to a desired consistency. Strain and serve with the roasted item.

NOTES

  • Have the item to be roasted at room temperature before you put it in the oven to promote even cooking.
  • Trim meats of all excess fat and membrane. A thin layer of fat may be left on to protect and moisten the meat. Place the meat in the pan with the fat side up.
  • Roasting Pan: the roasting pan should be neither too big (drippings will burn) nor too small (meat will steam and not brown).
  • Roasting Rack: a roasting rack helps the meat brown on all sides. A bone-in rib roast needs no rack as the bones elevate the meat. Some chefs use a base of carrots and onions as a rack that adds flavor to the drippings.
  • The best cuts of meat for roasting come from the rib and loin section of the animal: tenderloin, filet, rib roast, rib eye, sirloin, top round, rump roast. Grades of meat lower than prime or choice should not be roasted. Bone-in meats will cook faster than those with the bones removed. Boneless cuts of meat are easier to carve, but they should be tied to hold their shape. Poultry and fish are best roasted whole.
  • Roasting Temperature:
    • High-Low:  Roast the item at 450º for 15 minutes, then reduce temperature to 325-350º till item is cooked through.  Promotes a tasty crust.  Best for small to medium-sized cuts of meat and poultry.
    • Low-High:  Roast the item at 275-325º and then turn heat to high for last 10-15 minutes of cooking.  Promotes a crust at end while allowing meat to cook through evenly.  Best for larger or tougher cuts of meat.
    • Medium:  Roast the item at 325-350º throughout cooking time.  Best for even cooking.  Good for stuffed poultry.
    • High:  Roast item quickly at 450-500º.  Used mostly for whole fish, very small cuts of meat or vegetables.
  • Temperatures for Doneness (in ºF):
    Desired Doneness Beef Pork Veal Poultry
    Rare 125      
    Medium 140 160 150 160
    Well 160 180   180
     Measure temperature with an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part of the meat, away from any bones or fat. In poultry, the best place to measure temperature is in the thickest part of the thigh. The charts in many cookbooks that give a cooking time per pound of meat should only be used as very general guides. Too many factors affect cooking time. Use these charts only as a guide for when to begin checking temperature.
  • Roasting Poultry: poultry poses unique problems. One is that you are cooking two types of meat, light and dark, that cook at different rates. The result is often dried out breast meat and underdone thighs. One method for overcoming this problem is to roast the bird first on one side, then the other, and finally on its back. This keeps the breast away from the most direct heat and keeps the juices from draining away until the last part of the cooking process. Another method is to cover the breast loosely with foil during the last half hour or so of roasting, deflecting any excess heat.
  • Carryover Cooking: the temperature of a roasting item will continue to rise another 5-15º after it is removed from the oven. The larger the item, the more the temperature will rise. Keep this and your desired doneness in mind in deciding when to remove an item from the oven.
  • Resting Period: All roasted meat items should be allowed to rest for a period after they come out of the oven. Fifteen to twenty minutes is typical. This allows the meat to relax and the meat juices to redistribute themselves. The resting period also minimizes the amount of juices lost when the meat is carved.
  • Basting is sometimes necessary to keep leaner cuts of meat moist. Poultry and pork are usually basted with pan drippings. Start basting after about 30 minutes of cooking and baste every 15 minutes or so until the item is finished.
  • Barding: covering a meat item with a layer of fat (salt pork, bacon, caul fat) to prevent it from drying out. Often used for small poultry or lean game birds.
  • Chopped onions and carrots may be added to the roasting pan during the last 30 minutes of cooking to add flavor to the drippings.
  • Spit Roasting: Meat is skewered on a rod or "spit" and turned slowly over an open fire. One of the oldest methods of cooking, it is especially useful with large cuts of meat or entire animals, such as pigs, sheep and goats.