1. Start with the best. Don’t just grab any old hunk of meat out of the case. Get yours from a dedicated butcher if you can, and always inquire about where it’s from (choose Colorado meats when possible). As for what to spend, “Sunday Roast” author Clarissa Dickson Wright advises: “Choose your meat according to your purse. It is better to buy a cheaper cut from a good butcher than a more expensive cut from a cheaper source.”
2. Get the chill off. Don’t transfer meat straight from the refrigerator to the oven. Remove it from the fridge at least an hour before you plan to cook it. If it’s not at room temperature when you start, it won’t cook evenly.
3. Dry and dry again. If your roast goes in moist, it won’t brown. At the very least, dry the meat completely with paper towels. Even better, air-dry it in the refrigerator overnight, and pat dry again.
4. Temperature trumps time. The best and most reliable way to know when your roast is finished is by measuring the internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer. Check individual recipes for target temps. Exception: slow-roasted and braised preparations such as lamb shoulder and slow-cooked pork (see recipes, below).
5. Rest the roast. If you slice too soon, you’ll sacrifice juiciness and suppleness. Let the roast rest at least 20 minutes before you carve. Also, the internal temperature will rise 5-10 degrees, or more, while it sits.
6. Slice thin. Nearly all red-meat roasts, particularly lean ones such as bison, taste better (and chew more delicately) when sliced very thin, say a half-inch thick or less.
Tucker Shaw
