Learn to cook the best meat food


Low & Slow is the Way to Go

What's the difference between roasting andworks equally well in the oven or on the
baking? Many Aussies would tell you there'sbarbecue.
none at all. We call roasts 'baked dinners'.
But for the purpose of this article we are"Butterfly of lamb" is simply a leg of lamb
going  to  separate  the  two.from which the bone has been removed. You
can either do this yourself (it's not as
Roasting is done in the presence of fat,difficult as it may seem) or get your butcher
baking  is  not.  It's  that  simple.to  do  it  for  you.
So, potatoes cooked in the oven using fat areThe first thing to do is to lay the meat skin
'roast' potatoes. Cooked dry in their skinsside down on a flat surface and open it out.
they  become  baked  potatoes.Sprinkle the meat fairly liberally with soy
sauce and add some rosemary, thyme, crushed
This is a useful way to separate the twogarlic, a bay leaf or two and some sliced
systems and one we'll stick to, if that's allonion. Fold the meat over the herbs and place
right  with  you?  :0)it  upside  down  in  a  bowl.
RoastingUpside down means skin side up, okay? Who
cares!  It  really  doesn't matter that much.
Despite plenty of evidence to the contrary, I
still see recipes that insist you should cookMarinade the joint overnight in the
meat at high temperature for the first twentyrefrigerator, having added half a cup each of
minutes or so - to 'seal' it - and then lowersoy  sauce  and  red  wine.
the  level  for the rest of the cooking time.
Oven  cooking
This is the traditional way. Fortunately for
my guests, like the great Galloping GourmetPreheat  the  oven  to  230°  C.
Graham Kerr, I'm not a traditionalist. Let's
put  this  myth  to  bed  once  and  for all.This may seem like an incredibly high
temperature but the outside of your meat is
Cooking meat at high temperature, whether inprotected by two things - the liquid it has
the oven, on the barbecue or in a pan doesbeen marinated in and the fat on its
not  seal  it!surface, which you are going to sprinkle
fairly  liberally  with  salt.
It burns it. That's why it goes brown. And it
introduces extra flavor, because the outsideThis is one occasion when you simply must
of the meat generally has a covering of fat.cook your meat directly on the rungs of the
Fat  is  what  gives meat it's unique flavor.oven, fat side up, and you will cook it at
this temperature for about 20 minutes. Then,
Adding this crust to the outside of the meatyou will be relieved to hear, you can reduce
will also slow down the cooking of the restthe  temperature  to  a  mere  200°  C.
of  the  joint,  and  help  to  keep it rare.
This next bit is important, and you have to
Think. Do you really want to do this withtrust me. Roast your meat for exactly eight
chicken,  for  example?minutes per pound and no longer. Allow it to
relax for around 15 minutes and then carve
No of course not. Chicken in particular needsand  serve.
to be thoroughly cooked and high temperature
roasting  will  not  help  that  process.On  the  barbecue
Basting,  on  the  other  hand,  will.This is where I really test your nerve and
the faith your guests may or may not have in
Basting is simply taking the juices from theyou.
bottom of the pan and pouring them back over
the cooking meat from time to time. By doingThe first thing to ensure is that your
this, and cooking at the right temperature,barbecue is ready and at full temperature.
you will produce far more succulent results.Incidentally, I'm talking about a genuine
Browning will still take place, but gently,charcoal barbecue, not the gas or electric
as  part  of  a  process.variety which you can use in exactly the same
way  as  the  oven.
Using  a  roasting  tin
Now place the meat fat side down directly
It's not a good idea to cook meat inside aover the heat. After a few seconds it will
roasting tin. A much better way is to placeburst into flames and you will have a heart
the joint directly on the rungs of the ovenseizure. Go with the flow. This really is
with the roasting tin underneath it. In thismeant  to  happen.
way, you can pack vegetables in the roasting
tin and they will cook nicely in the juicesResist all temptation to interfere. Just let
from  the  meat.the flames die down and then turn the meat
over and leave it to cook for a further 10
If you don't like that idea, because it meansminutes.
you have to clean the rungs after use, put
the meat on top of a rack in or on theWhen you remove the meat from the barbecue it
roasting tin instead. You don't need to buywill look more like a piece of charcoal than
a special tin for this, simply use a cakethe succulent, highly flavored lamb that it
rack or something similar. I have even usedreally is. In fact, it will look like a
two or three kebab skewers and rested thetotal  disaster.
joint  on  those.
Ignore the sympathetic murmurs from your
However the advantage of cooking directly onguests. Carve into the lamb and listen to
the rungs is that the air circulates freelyand enjoy their gasps of astonishment when
round the joint, ensuring even cooking, andthey see the perfect meat inside the salty
you can remove the roasting tin to make yourcrust.
gravy while leaving the meat where it is. Of
course, if you do that, you will want to putThere is no more delicious way to serve lamb
some kind of drip tray under the joint, butand you will have created an authentic
any  ovenproof  dish  will  do  for  that.Mediterranean flavor that is just perfect for
those balmy summer nights. All it takes is
Temperatures  and  cooking  timesnerve (and maybe a couple of beers or glasses
of  wine!).
Using my method (actually it's Graham Kerr's
method which I've adopted but what the heck)Add a really crisp, well-dressed salad and a
you don't need to learn a lot of complicatedmountain  of  frites  to  complete the feast.
temperature/time formulas. Cook your red
meat  at  350F,  180c,  gas  mark  4.Waddya mean ya don't know what frites are?
They're the real French fries/chips. They're
Cook  poultry  at  325F,  160c,  gas  mark 3.what Ronald pretends to serve. They are so
versatile just thinking about them brings
Calculate your cooking time as 30 minutes fortears  to  my  eyes.
every 500 grams of meat. This will produce
thoroughly cooked poultry, beef that is wellI buy mine from Birds Eye, but that's just a
cooked on the outside and rare inside, pinksentimental thing (my family once farmed
lamb and pork (yes you can safely eatpeas). Any skinny chip that you deep fry from
'underdone' pork, providing the internalfrozen  will  probably  do  the  trick.
temperature reaches 160C for a period of at
least  10  minutes!)You could also serve rice or fettucini or any
other pasta of your choice. The main thing
If you want to change anything - alter yourwill be the meat - just don't expect to have
cooking times accordingly but beware. Thereany  leftovers!
is a very thin line between meat that is well
done and boot leather. If rare meat is moreThermometers
than you can handle, it's a much better idea
to use my cooking times but then turn theWhile most underdone meat, except poultry, is
oven off and leave the meat in it for asafe to eat, it's important not to be too
further  30  minutes  or  so.cavalier about it, particularly if the joint
has  been  boned.
Which brings me to one more point; it's very
important to let the meat stand for at leastThat's because bacteria that were not
20  minutes  before  carving.originally there may have been introduced
into the meat on the tip of the butcher's
Why? Because when you heat protein (which isknife.
what meat is) it shrinks and toughens.
Allowing it to relax and cool a littleFortunately these will die at temperatures of
restores some of its elasticity. Just keeparound 160C, and the best way to ensure your
it in a warm place with a sheet of cookingmeat reaches that for a prolonged period is
foil over the top while you prepare theby using a meat thermometer, especially one
greens  and  gravy.that  can  be  left  in place during cooking.
ExceptionsA good thermometer will also allow you to
accurately judge cooking times, because it
What  would  rules  be  without  them?will come equipped with a table which shows
you how well the meat is done at any given
The example I am going to use is typical oftemperature.
high temperature Mediterranean cookery and it



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