Something about the holidays sends dedicated carnivores out in search of the perfect roast.  Perhaps it’s the primal appeal of a warm, juicy, fragrant chunk of meat on a cold winter’s eve, or the practical fact that roasts are ideal for feeding a crowd, or an urge to splurge on a luxurious dinner during this season of celebration.  Whatever it is, roasts are often the main dish of choice for our winter holiday meals.

Roasting is a simple dry-heat cooking method—food is cooked in an oven in an uncovered pan, producing a well-browned exterior and a moist and tender interior.  Chicken and turkey roast beautifully, but when I think of “A Roast,” I think of beef, pork, veal, or lamb, especially in winter.  The best cuts of meat to roast are large, tender ones, such as beef tenderloin, prime rib, beef sirloin or rump roast, pork loin, rack of veal, veal loin, rack of lamb, and leg of lamb.

Meat can be roasted at any temperature between 250 degrees and 500 degrees, but the best way to roast most cuts of meat is to first sear them, either in a skillet or in very hot oven (450 to 500 degrees), and then roast them at a moderate temperature (300 to 350 degrees).  Contrary to myth, searing does not “seal in the juices,” but instead develops a savory browned crust that enriches the flavor of the meat.

You can insure moist and tender meat by cooking the roast to 5 to 10 degrees below the ideal temperature* and letting it rest before slicing for a short time (5 to 20 minutes—the larger the roast the longer it should rest). During this time the residual heat in the roast will cause it to continue cooking to reach the ideal temperature, and allow the juices in the meat to be reabsorbed.

To add flavor to roasts, try dusting the meat with your favorite spice rub before cooking.  Alternatively, you can coat the outside of the meat with a blend of chopped garlic and herbs moistened with olive oil, or your favorite mustard blended with some minced shallot or onion.  Another tried and true method is to cut small pockets all over the roast and insert slices of garlic in them—the garlic will disintegrate when the roast is carved, but will leave behind its flavor in the meat.

To make a tasty pan gravy for a roast, spoon off all but a couple of tablespoons of fat from the roasting pan (leave the juices), and whisk in flour a tablespoon at a time, with the pan over medium heat, to make a thin paste.  Continue cooking and whisking until the paste browns, then whisk in a cup or so of hot stock and cook, still whisking, until the gravy thickens and comes to a boil. Season it with salt and pepper and maybe a dash of allspice and cayenne.

Roasts are also delicious served with a variety of other more complex sauces like our elegant Madeira and Stilton Sauce—or Dried Cherry Cognac Glace, Sauce Merlot, Wild Mushroom Sauce, or Black Grape and Balsamic Sauce. Some of our favorite holiday roasts are Garlic- and Mustard-Crusted Standing Rib Roast Au Jus, Herb-Crusted Leg of Lamb with Red Wine Sauce, Roast Pork Loin with Fennel and White Wine Pan Sauce, and The Sauce Guys’ Simple Roast Veal Tenderloin.  Whatever roast you have this season, we wish you joy in every savory, tender, juicy bite.

*Doneness Temperatures for Beef, Lamb, Veal, and Pork Roasts

Measure temperature with an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the roast (away from the bone if it’s a bone-in roast).