November is National Roasting Month

November is National Roasting Month! 

November is National Roasting Month! With the holidays coming up, many are starting to plan ahead, and holiday roasts are typically on the menu. 

Here are a few suggestions and tips to keep in mind when preparing holiday roasts. When we hear the word roast, we need to first remember that roasting is a method of cooking that uses dry heat with hot air covering the food from all sides to cook evenly. 

Typically, this cooking method is done in an oven. Here are a few classic holiday beef cuts that work well for roasting

• Tenderloin roast     
• Strip Loin roast      
• Ribeye Roast

 If you are looking for a more economical yet delicious beef cut to roast for the holidays, consider these suggestions: ·       

• Tri-tip roast      
• Sirloin Cap roast or Coulotte roast      
• Top Sirloin Petite Roast 

 Here are some tips for roasting the beef:        

• Place the beef roast fat side up on a rack in a shallow roasting pan.  Do not add water.  Cook time depends on the weight of the beef roast cut and your desired doneness.  Visit BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com for their "Oven Roasting Cooking Chart Guidelines”. The chart matches your beef roast cut and weight, with the proper oven preheated temperature, approximate total cooking time and internal temp. 
• Use a meat thermometer to determine your desired doneness. Recommended cooking temperatures for beef: Medium Rare - 145 F, Medium – 160 F Well Done – 170 F. Most professional recommend cooking the roast to medium rare or medium.
• Be sure to remove the roast about 5-10 degrees prior to your desired doneness. So, this means look for internal temp of 135 F for medium rare or 150 F for medium.  Then remove the beef roast from oven and let rest. 
• Large cuts of meat like beef roasts need to rest for 15-20 minutes.  The roast will continue to cook even resting outside of the oven for a few minutes.  Roasting beef for the holidays is a great menu item that takes little effort, feeds a crowd and tastes delicious.

 For more beef holiday recipe information visit sdbeef.org.