After bariatric surgery, dry or tough meat can be difficult to eat. I recently received the Entice magazine from Meat and Livestock Australia describing how to cook the perfect roast. Read on for a summary to help to cook the perfect roast that you can enjoy it with the whole family.
Roast from room temperature
If possible, remove the meat you plan to roast from the fridge and let it rest for approximately 20 minutes before cooking. Cooking the meat from room temperature will help it cook more evenly. If time is short and you need to cook it straight from the fridge, add 3 minutes to the cooking time for every 500g of meat.
Preheat the oven to suit the meat
Different cuts of meat require different cooking temperatures and times.
|
Beef Cut |
Temperature |
Rare |
Medium |
Well Done |
|
Eye fillet/tenderloin Rib eye/scotch fillet Rump Standing rib roast Sirloin/porterhouse |
200°C |
20 min per 500g |
25 min per 100g |
30 min per 100g |
|
Bolar blade Eye round/girello Topside |
160°C |
25 min per 500g |
30 min per 500g |
35 min per 500g |
If time permits, bolar blade, eye round/girello and topside roasts are juicier when slow roasted at 130°C for approximately 50 minutes per 500g of meat. When roasting at 130°C or 160°C it is useful to brown the meat first to keep in the juices. Rub the roast lightly with oil and sear over moderate to high heat for 2-3 minutes on each side to brown all over.
Choosing your dish
The best size dish is one about the same size as the roast. Cook meat on a roasting rack in the roasting dish to cook the meat more evenly. To ensure the roast stays moist, add about ½ cup water to the roasting dish and top up as it evaporates.
Is it done?
Test the roast with tongs just before the estimated cooking time so that you don’t overcook it. Prod or squeeze the roast with tongs – rare meat is very soft, medium rare is soft, medium is springy but soft, medium well is firm, well done is very firm. You could also use a meat thermometer to test if the meat is done. For rare meat the internal temperature should be 55-60°C, medium 65°C-70°C and well done 75°C.
Rest the meat
Before carving the meat, let it rest for 10-20 minutes. This allows the juices to spread through the meat making it more juicy and tender. Cover the meat with foil or an overturned dish and let stand in a warm place.
For many more tips on cooking tender meat, head to www.themainmeal.com.au.
Thanks to Meat and Livestock Australia.
