Our family celebrates Christmas and now that it’s just a few days away, we’re trying for a touch of normalcy in 2020 - we are cooking a nice Christmas dinner even if it’s small. Amidst all the craziness of this year’s end, I nearly forgot to start thawing the roast.
That made me decide to post these some tips for holiday roasts, just in case you're also up to your eyeballs in holiday prep and pandemic fatigue. I'm sure you probably have the cooking thing covered but if you need a little help or inspiration here's a quick guide to:
Thawing/defrosting times and methods
Recommended internal temperatures for cooked meats
Complimenting your roast with herb rubs-they are a simple and stress-free way to make something tasty. Here are a few of my favorites...
Thank you so much for being a friend to our family and farm this past year.
Feel free to get in touch if we can help you with anything last minute - we still have some roasts left! Lastly, if you or anyone you know needs a holiday meal, please let me know, we’re happy to share what we have.
Best wishes and lots of love to all!
HOW TO DEFROST
Here are three recommended methods for thawing frozen meat, listed in order of speed.
DAYS: REFRIGERATOR DEFROSTING
This is the safest and easiest way to defrost your meat. Put the packaged meat in or on some sort of container to catch any drips. Place it on the lowest shelf in the fridge. Depending on the temperature of your refrigerator, it can take up to one day per pound to defrost meat using this method. Plan ahead accordingly. If needed, use the cold water bath method described below to finish defrosting.
HOURS: COLD WATER BATH
Submerging meat in cold water is the method many restaurants use for quick defrosting. Place the meat in a large container (big enough to fully submerge) and fill the container with cool water (70F or below). Change the water every 30 to 45 minutes. It takes two hours or less to defrost a pound of meat using this method. You can expedite the process by letting a trickle of water run over the meat but it can waste a lot of water. Maybe save that for emergencies! :) This method works best with small packages of meat or to finish defrosting larger roasts.
MINUTES: MICROWAVE
This is the riskiest defrosting method, to be reserved for when you're in a pinch. Make sure you can cook the meat immediately after defrosting in the microwave because this method can heat the meat to unsafe holding temperature. Microwaves also heat the meat unevenly and can start to cook it. Larger pieces of meat (over two pounds) that are still frozen in the center tend to fare best. Use short bursts of the defrost setting on your microwave and make sure to turn the meat frequently. Then cook immediately after.
RECOMMENDED INTERNAL TEMPERATURE FOR COOKED MEAT*
*This table is borrowed from The Grass Fed Gourmet cookbook by Shannon Hayes. It's the one I always turn to when in doubt...
The following table provides the ideal internal temperatures at which to remove the meat from the oven. Meat requires an additional resting period of about 5 to 10 minutes for chops and steaks and 15 to 30 minutes (depending on size) for roasts. During that time, the internal temperature of the meat will climb about 5 degrees for steaks and chops and 10 to 15 degrees for roasts.
Each type of meat comes with two recommendations. The first is the suggested range--the temperatures that true meat lovers are likely to use when cooking the meat. The second is the USDA recommended temperature range, which I feel is too high to ensure maximum flavor and juiciness. But the ultimate decision in this matter lies with the cook.
THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS! (I MEAN HERB RUBS...)
The prep for your holiday roast doesn't need to be fancy. Sometimes it's best to just rub the meat with some herbs let the flavor of the well-raised meat shine through. Here are a few of our favorite herb rubs and the meats they best compliment. Herb rubs are pretty much all I use when cooking any roast.
Mix all ingredients in a small bowl and rub on outside of roast before cooking. Using a food processor to mix the ingredients makes this step a breeze
GARLIC, SALT AND PEPPER RUB-works on all meats!
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp coarse salt
1 tsp black pepper
BASIC HERB RUB-for pork or beef
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon coarse salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 tablespoon rosemary, finely chopped
2 teaspoons thyme, finely chopped
GARLIC HERB RUB-for pork, beef, venison, veal, lamb, or goat
1 tablespoon thyme, finely chopped
1 tablespoon rosemary, finely chopped
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground fennel
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 tablespoons coarse salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
CHICKEN HERB RUB-for chicken... :P
1 tablespoon coarse salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon thyme
2 tablespoons oregano
CARDAMOM CINNAMON RUB- for lamb
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tsp coarse salt
SPICE RUB-for pork. This is a great rub for when you're tired of the same old thing. It falls into the slightly spicy and exotic category.
2 tablespoons ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon coarse salt
1 tablespoon ground ginger
2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground allspice
