Baking: how to cook different types of roast meat

The term roast indicates a method of baking suitable for different types of meat such as beef, chicken, turkey and pork. Today I want to show you how to cook different meats correctly, when and how to get a second of meat worthy of a real chef.

Baking meat: tips and tricks

To achieve perfection in cooking meat in the oven you must first consider that you need to buy good quality meat, to ensure a healthy product, tasty and rich in nutrients. It is also important to respect the right cooking times, as I will explain in the next paragraph, in order to preserve the flavor and juices that make it tender.

Another fundamental tip concerns the cooking temperatures. Precisely because each oven cooks in a particular way and the characteristics of the cuts of meat can be very different from each other, it is useful to get used to measuring the temperature at the heart of the piece that we are cooking in the oven. To do this you can use a special thermometer for meat, which will give you a precise indication of the progress of cooking.

The different types of roast meat and cooking times

Roasted chicken: baking in the oven

Roasted chicken is one of the tastiest recipes ever. For the whole roast chicken, the oven is preheated to about 190 degrees. Massage the meat with oil and spices and bake. If the oven is ventilated, it is best to add a small pot of water to the inside of the oven to prevent the chicken from drying out too much.

It is better to cook the chicken a little longer at an average temperature, to be sure that the inside has time to cook, while the outside will form that delicious crunchy crust. Calculate about 50 minutes for each kg of meat.

You can also add the potatoes in the same pan, considering that it takes about 40 minutes to cook. Success is assured.

Roasted chicken is one of the tastiest recipes ever. For the whole roast chicken, the oven is preheated to about 190 degrees. Massage the meat with oil and spices and bake. If the oven is ventilated, it is best to add a small pot of water to the inside of the oven to prevent the chicken from drying out too much.

It is better to cook the chicken a little longer at an average temperature, to be sure that the inside has time to cook, while the outside will form that delicious crunchy crust. Calculate about 50 minutes for each kg of meat.

You can also add the potatoes in the same pan, considering that it takes about 40 minutes to cook. Success is assured.

Baking the turkey in the oven

The turkey lends itself to a wide variety of recipes for baking. I also refer you to my recipe of roasted turkey leg boned. The cooking methods are similar whether you want to cook only the thighs or you want to prepare a whole turkey. What changes, of course, are the cooking times.

First of all you have to preheat the oven to about 190 degrees. In the meantime prepare the turkey according to the instructions of the recipe you want to make. The turkey is also delicious simply marinated with a little ‘oil and herbs. Then leave to cook the appropriate time according to the size of the piece: about an hour for a whole leg with bone, 4 hours for a 5 kg turkey or 5 hours for a 7 kg one. The best way to understand if the cooking is correct is to use the meat thermometer, the ideal temperature is 75 ° C at the heart of the product.

Beef: roast beef and baked rib

Beef has such a wide variety of cuts and possible recipes that they lend themselves to baking in the oven that I will soon dedicate a separate article to it. In general, however, you should bear in mind that the beef, to be tender and tasty, must remain pink inside (blood, or slightly more cooked if you really do not like the blood, but without exaggeration, otherwise better choose another type of meat).

This means that, at the heart, the beef should reach about 60 ° C to be cooked in blood, while for an average cooking about 70 ° C. Cooking times are very variable and vary according to the thickness of the piece. For large roasts, such as walnut, walnut or rump, calculate about 40 minutes per kg of meat. Better, however, a minute less than risking to cook it too much.

Always let the roast rest at least 10 minutes after removing it from the oven, it will also be easier to cut it.

Baked pork: how to make it tender and tasty

Baked pork is cooked differently from beef for two reasons:

• Pork, if cooked badly, risks becoming stuffy and not very tasty;
• It must, however, be well cooked inside, to avoid the risk of transmission of bacteria and parasites risky for humans. Among these, the most feared is the Trichinella, a worm that can infect us, with serious consequences for our health.
  
  

For these reasons, it should always be ensured that the heart meat reaches at least 65°/70° C. The methods of preparation, however, vary from recipe to recipe, from the simplest roasts to the most delicious dishes (such as my rusticotti skewers).

Mistakes to avoid when cooking in the oven

There are mistakes not to be made when deciding to roast meat. As you said at the beginning you have to know how to choose the right meat, use the right herbs for each type of recipe and not exaggerate with salt and pepper. If you do not have a steam oven, it is useful to add a small pot of water inside the oven to prevent the meat from drying out too much.

Above all, remember not to put the meat that has just been removed from the fridge directly into the oven. To have a good baking, without the piece drying out externally and becoming stringy and tasteless, you must put it in the oven at room temperature. Take it out of the oven at least 45 minutes before cooking and let it rest, perhaps massaging it with a little oil and aromatic herbs, which will give the meat an unmistakable taste.