In The Crust we Trust - Roasting Techniques

In the Crust we Trust

Developing a crust on a roast is extremely important.  The crust adds flavor, texture, dimension and depth.  The crust is developed by caramelizing the sugars in meat and by the Maillard reaction, a complex reaction between amino acids and sugars that produce sulphur compounds found in onions giving a more savory flavor to food.


The crust is almost always developed during the first part of the roasting process by one of two techniques:

1.       Oven searing uses the high heat of the oven (400°F to 450° F typically) to develop the golden brown crust.  Following are some searing times according to roast size:

A.      Up to 4 pounds – 20 minutes

B.      4 to 6 pounds – 30 minutes

C.      6 pounds or more – 40 minutes or more

2.       Pan searing develops the crust by cooking the meat first on the stovetop with a roasting pan, such as a sauté pan or preferably, a cast iron skillet.  The roasts are seasoned and then seared in the pan with a fat until each side of the roast is deep golden brown.  Pan searing is especially useful for developing a crust on smaller or more delicate meats, such as cote de boeuf.  I like to let the meat rest for a few minutes or even longer before finishing it in the oven.  This allows the heat to move to the center of the roast and further temper it.  Try using pan searing to develop a crust on the roast and then let it rest at room temperature while finishing other parts of the meal.  It’s a great trick to help out with timing.

Heat it up and settle it down!

It’s important to use high heat to get that beautiful golden brown crust, but if a roast is cooked at high temperatures for the entire time, the results would be dry, overcooked and chewy meat.  Therefore; it is important that once the crust is developed that the oven temperature is lowered to somewhere between 275°F to 325°F.  I prefer 300°F when finishing a roast.  So it’s high heat to develop the crust and then lower heat to gently finish cooking the roast.

Roasting 101 – Fundamentals of Roasting Meats

Chef Jeremy gets lots of questions about roasting meats so for the next few weeks, he'll cover a number of topics to help you roast meats successfully. He starts with the tools needed and then talks about tempering meats.

Tools for successful roasting

·         Oven thermometer – An oven thermometer is the only way to truly know the temperature of your oven.

·         Digital Probe thermometer – Designed to fit in the pocket, this is the best way to determine when meats are cooked to specific temperatures. 

·         Slicing knife – Slicing knives are designed to delicately carve roasted meats with accuracy and perfection. 

Tempering

Tempering roasts refers to allowing the cut of meat to come closer to room temperature before the roasting process.  Tempering a roast before cooking warms the internal temperature of the meat.  This allows the center to cook to the desired temperature without overcooking and drying out the exterior.  This important technique will help create the perfect and consistent doneness from the inside out instead of dry and chewy on the outside and raw and tough on the inside.


Next week: Jeremy will cover how to develop crusts on roasts.