Perfect roasts
Our contributing editor shares top tips for a magnificent roast – try applying these to our Sunday-best recipes on page 23
Tom says, ‘Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding is famous the world over, like fish and chips. Our beef is some of the best in the world, if not the best in the world. Roasting it properly, serving it with Yorkshire puddings, and making the right gravy to go with it – that’s iconic. Because it’s quite easy to do and the veg garnishes are quite simple, it’s all about the produce and allowing it to sing.’
BEEF
DO choose rib-eye It’s my favourite. It has that beautiful top cap of fat and a little eye of fat that runs through it. As you slice, it’s like a rib-eye steak but a whole joint of it.
DON’T overcook it With a great cut of meat, you’ve got to look after it. It’s for a special occasion, so you need to concentrate. That means not drinking on the job, not disappearing and walking the dogs or watching the football. You’ll have spent a lot of money on a rib of beef, so you don’t want to mess it up!
PORK
DO choose pork belly Pork loin is amazing, but it hasn’t got that higher fat content you need when slow-cooking to get good crackling, so I always go for pork belly. You can brine it first, then on Saturday evening, for your Sunday lunch, take it out the fridge, put it on a wire rack, stick it in the sink, and pour boiling water all over the skin.
DON’T score the skin The boiling water scalds the skin and dries it, causing it to shrink a little. Pat it dry with kitchen paper and leave it on the wire rack, uncovered, overnight.
DO slow cook Put the pork in the oven at a low temperature, about 150C, and cook it for around three-and-a-half hours. You will see it begin to crisp up. Then turn the oven up to about 220C for the last 45 minutes (keep an eye on it), and you’ll get this amazing crackling. DON’T grill the crackling That creates too much direct heat.
LAMB
DO choose lamb shoulder and slow-roast it. I like to pierce it all over and tuck cloves of garlic in the holes. Put it in the oven and cook it until you can flake the meat with a fork. Make a little paste from some salted anchovies, garlic and chilli, then smear it all over the top 10 minutes before the end of cooking. It’s a very continental way to serve it. DO rest your meat It’s so important. Residual heat continues to permeate right through to the middle, and resting meat just relaxes everything and makes it easier to work with. After taking it out of the oven, turn the oven o , leave it for 20 minutes to half an hour, then put it back in the oven. By that time, it’s gone from 220C down to 50C or 60C and it will just sit there and stay warm.