If there was a king of slow cooking, this would be roast. Traditionally, the roast was served on Sundays when families gathered together and celebrated. Fortunately, roast is now considered a staple of every daily menu. Whether it is cooked in the oven or with the slow cooker (electric slow cooker), the roast is a dish that practically cooks itself.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Bake the Roast in the Oven
Estimate Cooking Time and Temperature
Step 1. Let the meat "rest"
Whether you are roasting lamb, beef, bison or other game, you will need to rest your roast. This means taking it out of the fridge, placing it in a pan (to catch any dripping), and leaving it at room temperature. If you are making a small roast, you should let it rest for approximately 30 to 60 minutes, while large roasts can rest for an hour and a half. Resting the roast allows the meat to become moist again - when in the fridge, the meat tends to become tough.
Step 2. Estimate the time it will take to cook your roast
Generally, cooking time can be estimated based on the weight of the meat you are about to cook. The cooking time varies depending on whether you want your roast rare, pink or medium. However, note that each oven is different, so if the weight of the roast gives you an estimate of the cooking time, you should monitor the core temperature of the meat to determine when it is ready.
- For a rare roast: calculate 15 minutes of cooking for every 450 grams of roast. For example, if you have a 2.2kg roast, you should cook it for 75 minutes (an hour and a quarter) if you want it rare.
- For a rosé roast: cook the roast for 20 minutes for every 450 grams. If you were cooking a 2.2 kg roast, you would have to cook it 100 minutes (one hour and forty minutes).
- For a medium roast: calculate 22 minutes of cooking every 450 grams. If you were cooking a 2.2 kg roast, you would have to cook the meat for 110 minutes (one hour and fifty minutes).
- If you are cooking a pork roast, you should calculate 20 minutes for every 450 grams of meat.
Step 3. Heat the oven to the right temperature
This depends on the type of meat you want to roast. Here are the cooking times for all basic roast meats:
- Cooking at 160 ºC. Roast leg or shoulder of lamb; roast sirloin, shoulder, crown or cutlet of pork; whole thigh (with or without bones); roast sirloin or veal cutlet; roast rump of beef, round (known as “lacerto” in the South) or brisket fresh or preserved.
- Cooking at 180 ºC. Roast rib of beef (without the bone) or cutlet (with the bone); roast pork cutlet.
- Cooking at 220 ºC. Roast fillet and sirloin; pork tenderloin roast.
Cooking Your Roast
Step 1. Season your roast
Traditionally, roasts are simply seasoned with salt and pepper. However, you can also season it with garlic or other herbs you like. If you want to marinate your roast, you will need to do it a couple of days before cooking the meat, since the marinade takes a relatively long time to be absorbed by the meat.
If your roast has a layer of fat on it (as is often the case), you can sprinkle the seasoning over the fat or remove the layer of fat (which will likely be tightened by a string that you will need to remove), season the meat underneath and then roll out. the grease on the top again. The fat will give the meat flavor as it is being roasted
Step 2. Place a wire rack inside the roasting pan
The pan should be wide and shallow. Place the grill in the pan and then place the meat on the grill. The grill is important because it will keep the meat separate from its gravy. If the meat is placed in contact with the gravy, it will steam instead of roasting.
Step 3. Cook your roast
You don't have to check it until it's close to the estimated cooking time. You will need to use a meat thermometer to prepare a good roast - the key to roasting is being able to control the core temperature of the meat.
Step 4. Check the core temperature of the roast
When the estimated cooking time is near the end, you will need to check the core temperature of the roast to make sure it is cooked properly. Use a meat thermometer to check the core temperature. Remove the cuts of meat shown below when they reach the indicated temperature:
- 57ºC. Remove the roast rump and rump.
- from 57 to 65 ºC. Remove the roast rib eye steak, cutlet, tenderloin, and sirloin.
- 60ºC. Remove the whole thigh.
- from 60 to 68 ºC. Remove the beef round roast; leg of lamb, shoulder and hock.
- 63ºC. Remove the pork loin roast, crown and shoulder.
- 68ºC. Remove the roast loin of veal and cutlet.
Step 5. Remove the roast from the oven
Let the roast rest on a tray or cutting board with grooves to channel the drippings. Cover the roast with parchment paper or foil. The roast will continue to cook even after it has been removed from the oven. Let the small roasts rest for 10 minutes, while the larger ones should rest for 10-30 minutes. Letting the roast rest will help the meat retain its moisture, creating a juicy dish.
A good way to determine when your roast has finished resting is to check the temperature again. The meat should be sliced and served when the internal temperature begins to decrease
Step 6. Slice the meat and serve
Enjoy your meal!
Method 2 of 2: Cooking Roast in a Slow Cooker
Step 1. Place your meat in a plastic bag
While this may sound strange, it's actually a very effective way to cover your roast with seasoning. Make sure the envelope you use is sealable. Once your meat is in the bag, add two tablespoons of flour, one teaspoon of salt, one and a half teaspoons of black pepper and two teaspoons of garlic powder. Seal the bag and shake it until the meat is perfectly covered with the seasoning.
If you are following a specific roast recipe, such as wikiHow's recipe for slow cooker cranberry roast pork, you should follow the seasoning instructions listed in the recipe
Step 2. Toast the meat
To do this, pour a tablespoon of olive oil into a large pan. Bring it to a high temperature, place the meat in the pan and simply sear all sides of the roast to give it a golden brown color. Toasting the meat adds flavor to your roast.
Step 3. Add whatever vegetables you are cooking to your roast
Slow cookers are great precisely because you can only use one pot to cook the entire meal. You can just put the meat and vegetables in the pot and your dinner will prepare itself. Place the vegetables in the pot before the meat so they can absorb some of the delicate flavors of the meat. The traditional slow cooker roast is made with carrots, potatoes and onions, but you can cook any vegetable you want. Be creative! Just be sure to cut any vegetables into small pieces so they can be cooked more thoroughly.
You can also cover the meat with vegetables or surround it - it really depends on what you prefer
Step 4. Decide in which liquid you want to cook your roast
Many people choose to use half a cup of beef broth to slowly cook their roasts, as it adds to the natural flavor of the roast. Others use wine, mushroom cream, water, or a variety of other ingredients such as worchester or soy sauce.
Step 5. Put the lid on and turn the pot on low
The secret of the roast is slow cooking, letting the sauce absorb as much as possible. Use the slow cooker setting on low and let them do the rest of the work. Beef roasts should generally be left in the slow cooker for 8 to 10 hours, while pork roasts will generally be ready after 6-7 hours.
Step 6. Take the roast out of the slow cooker
It should be tender and easy to cut. If you find that the roast is not as moist as you would like when the cooking time has passed, take it out of the slow cooker, cut it into smaller pieces and put it back in to allow it to absorb more moisture. When ready, cut it into slices and serve accompanied by the vegetables. Enjoy your meal!
