I still associate a juicy roast with Sunday dinner. My mother would typically put it in the oven before church and, returning home from prolonged (too long!) services, we would be welcomed by extraordinary aromas that annihilated any attempt at patience. The association remains strong!
Our roasting ancestors undoubtedly started with raw meat (they had to catch it first!), some sort of spit, and an open flame. Turning the meat became an obvious need to cook the meat through, but is really at the heart of self-basting. Stay tuned.
Today, there’s slightly more to roasting than dealing with open flames sans cookware. Most roasting now takes place in an oven that provides a relatively fast method of cooking tender portions of meat, poultry, and fish.
There are a few important things to keep in mind. One, preheat the oven to at least 450 deg. F. The high temperature seals the meat and prevents the loss of valuable juices, while at the same time caramelizing the surface.
Two, after 20 minutes, lower the temperature (325 deg. for beef or 350 deg. for chicken) and continue roasting until done. Determine ‘done’ by cutting into the meat and eyeballing it, or by using an appropriate thermometer.
That’s it, roasting in two steps. Some meats will require basting during the cooking process to prevent them drying out, while some other cuts of meat like pork are fatty enough and can be treated as self-basting.
Sometimes it may be necessary to tie pieces of fat to the meat’s surface to insure adequate basting occurs. Poultry should be cooked breast down to start and then finished on the other side to allow the juices and fat to flow into the breast meat.
Fitting the roasting pan to the meat can make a big difference to the outcome. If the pan is too big, the food may burn; too small and your roast may stick to the sides of the pan. If the pan is too shallow, your oven will be a mess; too deep, and your food will likely steam instead of roast. Yes, you have to be smarter than the pan!
Finally, don’t waste the pan juices. Deglace the roasting pan for gravies and sauces, and consider it a bonus to the roasting method. (And just for the record, you don’t have to eat roast only on Sunday or go to church for it to turn out okay.)

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