Meat and Game Cookery:

Farmed Red Meats: Roast Beef, Roast Lamb or Roast Mutton

For Joints up to 5kg
Pre-heat your oven to 220°C. Place your meat in a roasting pan with the bone side down and the skin side up (the cut side down if using a leg, shoulder or similar piece). Never cover the meat, as this will make it steam or braise rather than roasting. Transfer to your hot oven and roast for 30 minutes at 220°C.

At this point, reduce the oven temperature to 160°C and continue roasting for:
     Rare — 20 minutes per kg (9 minutes per pound)
     Medium — 30 minutes per kg (14 minutes per pound)
     Well Done — 40 minutes per kg (18 minutes per pound)

Remove the joint from the oven, set on a warmed plate, cover with foil and allow to rest for at least 20 minutes before carving and serving.

For Joints Greater than 5kg:
Pre-heat your oven to 220°C. Place your meat in a roasting pan with the bone side down and the skin side up (the cut side down if using a leg, shoulder or similar piece). Never cover the meat, as this will make it steam or braise rather than roasting. Transfer to your hot oven and roast for 40 minutes at 220°C.

At this point, reduce the oven temperature to 160°C and continue roasting for:
     Rare — 18 minutes per Kg (8 minutes per pound)
     Medium — 24 minutes per Kg (11 minutes per pound)
     Well Done — 36 minutes per Kg (16 minutes per pound)

Remove the joint from the oven, set on a warmed plate, cover with foil and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes before carving and serving.

Recipes

Roast Beef Recipes

Christmas Roast Beef
Roasted Beef Fillet
Trimlestown Roast Sirloin
Glüehwein Roast Beef
Roast Fillet of Beef
Roast Beef with Mushroom Stuffing


Roast Lamb Recipes

Roast Leg of Lamb
Roast Leg of Spring Lamb
Crown Roast of Lamb
Roast Rump of Lamb with Lamb's Lettuce
Roast Leg of Lamb with Moroccan Spices
Italian Roast Baby Lamb
Roast Lamb Royale
Roast Minted Lamb
Roasted Rosemary Lamb
Roast Lamb with Pesto Stuffing
Roast Leg of Lamb Divine
Mediterranean Lamb in a Dijon Mustard Sauce
Lamb Roast
Roast Lamb Provençal with Mint Gravy
Roast Leg of Lamb with Rosemary and Mustard
Roast Saddle of Welsh Lamb
Welsh Roast Lamb
Roast Lamb Chump with Garlic
Slow-roast Lamb Shoulder with Honey, Herbs and Harissa
Greek Easter Lamb or Kid


Farmed Red Meats: Roast Goat or Kid

Goat meat is much leaner than beef or lamb and though goat can be roasted like lamb it's much better to marinate with vinegar and olive oil before roasting (this gives a tender meat). Kid goat can be roasted quickly at high temperature (a whole 2kg kid will take about 80 minutes to roast in an oven pre-heated to 200°C). A mature goat should be roasted slowly at about 45 minutes per 500g in an oven pre-heated to 170°C. However, a leg of kid goat or fore-quarter can be roasted in a more standard manner:

Pre-heat your oven to 220°C. Place your meat in a roasting pan with the bone side down and the skin side up (the cut side down if using a leg, shoulder or similar piece) then cover very loosely with foil. Transfer to your hot oven and roast for 15 minutes at 220°C.

At this point, reduce the oven temperature to 160°C and continue roasting for:
     Rare — 20 minutes per kg (9 minutes per pound)
     Medium — 30 minutes per kg (14 minutes per pound)
     Well Done — 40 minutes per kg (18 minutes per pound)

Ensure you remove the foil covering for the final 15 minutes of cooking. When done, remove the joint from the oven, set on a warmed plate, cover with foil and allow to rest for at least 20 minutes before carving and serving.

Roast Goat or Kid Recipes

Oven-roasted Kid Goat
Jerked Leg of Goat
Roast Leg of Goat
Shoulder Roast of Goat


Farmed Red Meats: Roast Veal

Though typically classed as a white meat, veal is typically roasted more like read meat. Starting at high temperatures and finishing with more prolonged cooking at lower temperatures. However, like kid or goat veal is a relatively low-fat meat and needs to marinated or coated in oil or dripping before roasting:

Pre-heat your oven to 220°C. Place your meat in a roasting pan with the bone side down and the skin side up (the cut side down if using a leg, shoulder or similar piece) then drizzle with oil or drip with fat. Transfer to your hot oven and roast for 30 minutes at 220°C.

At this point, reduce the oven temperature to 180°C and continue roasting for:
     20 minutes per kg (9 minutes per pound)


When done, remove the joint from the oven, set on a warmed plate, cover with foil and allow to rest for at least 20 minutes before carving and serving.

Roast Veal Recipes

Traditional Roast Veal
Roast Veal Loin with Garlic, Rosemary and Lemon Pesto
Asado de Tenera (Spanish Roast Veal)


Farmed Meat: Pork

Pork is classed as a white meat, but tends to be fattier than veal or young meats. As a result, pork tends to be cooked for a longer period than red meats:

Pre-heat your oven to 220°C. Place your meat in a roasting pan with the the skin side uppermost. Transfer to your hot oven and roast for 30 minutes at 220°C.

At this point, reduce the oven temperature to 160°C and continue roasting for 50 minutes per kg (23 minutes per pound)

When done, check that the meat juices run clear by piercing in the thickest part of the roast, then remove the joint from the oven, set on a warmed plate, cover with foil and allow to rest for at least 20 minutes before carving and serving.

Roast Pork Recipes

Roast Pork with Crackling
Roast Pork with Fennel Seed
Roast Loin of Pork a la Provencale
Bavarian Roast Suckling Pig
Roast Loin of Pork with Garlic
Austro-Asian Roast Pork
Crispy Pork Roast with Basil Sauce
Roast Pork in Celery Seed Sauce
Puerto Rican Roast Pork

Farmed Meat: Ham

A Ham is a cured piece of pork, typically it is brined or salted for storage over winter. As a result, hams need different roasting times as compared with pork. Hams can also be either raw or pre-cooked and both types are typically cooked at a constant temperature.:

For Raw Hams::

Pre-heat your oven to 160°C. Place your meat in a roasting pan with the skin side uppermost (this can be scored and glazed if desired). Never cover the meat, as this will make it steam or braise rather than roasting. Timings are given below as a range. This reflects the typical upper and lower bands for the sizes of the joints referred to.

Typical cooking times are below:
     Whole Leg (bone in) — 50 to 58 minutes per kg (22 to 26) minutes per pound)
     Whole Leg (boneless) — 53 to 62 minutes per kg (24 to 28 minutes per pound)
     Half Leg (bone in) — 78 to 89 minutes per Kg (35 to 40 minutes per pound)

Remove the joint from the oven, set on a warmed plate, cover with foil and allow to rest for at least 20 minutes before carving and serving.

For Cooked Hams (Smoked or Unsmoked):

Pre-heat your oven to 160°C. Place your meat in a roasting pan with the skin side uppermost (this can be scored and glazed if desired). Never cover the meat, as this will make it steam or braise rather than roasting. Timings are given below as a range. This reflects the typical upper and lower bands for the sizes of the joints referred to.

Typical cooking times are below:
     Whole Leg (bone in) — 33 to 40 minutes per kg (15 to 18) minutes per pound)
     Half Leg (bone in) — 40 to 53 minutes per kg (18 to 24 minutes per pound)
     Shoulder — 56 to 67 minutes per kg (25 to 30 minutes per pound)
     Tinned Ham (boneless) — 33 to 44 minutes per Kg (15 to 20 minutes per pound)
     Vacuum Packed Ham (boneless) — 22 to 33 minutes per Kg (10 to 15 minutes per pound)
     Spiral-cut ham — 9 to 40 minutes per Kg (4 to 18 minutes per pound)

Remove the joint from the oven, set on a warmed plate, cover with foil and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes before carving and serving.

Roast Ham Recipes

Christmas Roast Ham
Peach Preserve Glazed Ham
Pineapple Preserve Glazed Ham
Cranberry-orange Marmalade Glazed Ham
Kahlua Baked Easter Ham
Rowan Jelly Glazed Ham
Air Fryer Honey-glazed Ham
Easter Ham
Orange-glazed Ham with Mustard Cream
Port, Clementine and Five-spice Ham


Farmed Meat: Chicken

Chicken is a fowl that is also classed as white meat. Typically a chicken is browned by starting to roast at high temperature and is then finished at a lower temperature. Though the cooking procedure can be reversed, by cooking at a lower temperature and then finishing at a higher temperature to brown the skin (this is preferable for larger birds as it keeps the flesh more moist). If you are stuffing the bird then weigh after stuffing to calculate the cooking time:

For larger birds, pre-heat your oven to 210°C. Place your meat in a roasting pan with the the breast side uppermost. Transfer to your hot oven and roast for 20 minutes at 210°C. Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C and continue roasting for 44 minutes per kg (20 minutes per pound). When done, insert a skewer into the thickest part of the thigh to ensure the juices run clear (if not, roast for longer). Place the bird on a cutting block, cover with foil and allow to rest for 20 minutes before carving and serving.

For poussins (baby chickens) of about 500g roast whole in an oven pre-heated to 180°C for between 20 and 30 minutes.

For larger broilers (young chickens) of about 900g to 1.5kg roast whole in an oven pre-heated to 180°C for 60 minutes (if desired you can roast for 50 minutes and increase the oven temperature to 200°C for the final 10 minutes to brown the skin).

Roast Chicken Recipes

Traditional Roast Chicken
Roast Chicken with Moroccan Spices
Garlic Roasted Chicken
Stuffed Roast Chicken
Roasted Chicken With Lemon-Parsley Sauce
Roast Chicken with Walnut Sauce
Gilded Chicken
Howtowdie
Gebraaide Hoender

Farmed Meat: Turkey

Like chickens, turkeys are fowls but are much larger and more recently tamed from wild American game birds. As such they have a better balance of white and dark meats than chickens. This does present some problems in roasting, as the breasts can dry out before the thighs are properly done. Typically a turkey is browned by starting to roast at high temperature and is then finished at a lower temperature. Though the cooking procedure can be reversed, by cooking at a lower temperature and then finishing at a higher temperature to brown the skin (this is preferable for larger birds as it keeps the flesh more moist). If you are stuffing the bird then weigh after stuffing to calculate the cooking time:

Typical cooking times are below:
     Small Bird (less than 4.5kg) — 44 minutes per kg (20 minutes per pound) at 165°C
     Medium Bird (Between 4.5kg and 7.2kg) — 40 minutes per kg (18 minutes per pound) at 165°C
     Large Bird (More than 7.2kg) — 30 minutes per kg (13.5 minutes per pound) at 150°C

To ensure the bird is nicely browned you can, if you wish increase the oven temperature to 210°C for the final 20 minutes of cooking. When done, check that the turkey is ready by inserting a skewer into the thickest part of the thigh and the breast. If the juices run clear then the turkey is done. Remove to a warm serving plate, cover with foil and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes before carving and serving.

Roast Turkey Recipes

Traditional Roast Turkey
The Ultimate Roast Turkey
Roast Turkey with Herbs


Farmed Meat: Goose

Goose tends to be a rather fatty bird and requires an extended roasting time to remove much of this excess fat from the bird. Goose can either be roasted at high temperature without basting or can be roasted slower at a lower temperature with frequent basting with the pan juices. Both methods are detailed below (as with all other fowl, if you are going to stuff your bird weight after stuffing to calculate cooking times):

Pre-heat your oven to 200°C. Place your bird in a trivet in a roasting pan with the the breast uppermost and cover with foil. Transfer to your hot oven and roast for 33 minutes per kg (15 minutes per pound) plus 15 minutes. Remove the foil for the final 30 minutes of cooking to ensure the skin is browned.

Alternatively, pre-heat your oven to 180°C. Place your bird in a trivet in a roasting pan with the the breast uppermost. Transfer to your hot oven and roast for 55 minutes per kg (25 minutes per pound), basting frequently with the pan juices to prevent the bird from drying out. Remove the foil covering for the final 30 minutes of cooking, to ensure the skin is browned


When done, check that the meat juices run clear by piercing in the thickest part of the thigh an ensuring the juices run clear. Remove the fowl from the oven, set on a warmed plate, cover with foil and allow to rest for at least 20 minutes before carving and serving.

Roast Goose Recipes

Traditional Roast Goose
Victorian Roast Goose
Roast Michelmas Goose with Apples and Prunes
Roast Goose with Sour Cherry Sauce


Farmed Meat: Ducks and Ducklings

Both mature and young ducks (ducklings) are excellent when roasted. Ducks tend to be rather fatty (ducklings less so) and need quite long cooking times to remove as much of the fat from the meat as possible. The roasting guides given below show you how to treat both ducks and ducklings (as with all other fowl, if you are going to stuff your bird weight after stuffing to calculate cooking times):

For a Duck: Pre-heat your oven to 180°C. Place your bird in a trivet in a roasting pan with the the breast uppermost and cover with foil. Transfer to your hot oven and roast for 45 minutes per kg (20 minutes per pound). Remove the foil for the final 30 minutes of cooking to ensure the skin is browned.

For a Duckling (typically less than 1kg): Pre-heat your oven to 180°C. Place your bird in a trivet in a roasting pan with the the breast uppermost. Transfer to your hot oven and roast for 40 minutes per kg (18 minutes per pound), turning the bird and basting frequently with the pan juices to prevent the fowl from drying out. Remove the foil covering for the final 20 minutes of cooking, to ensure the skin is browned


When done, check that the meat juices run clear by piercing in the thickest part of the thigh an ensuring the juices run clear. Remove the fowl from the oven, set on a warmed plate, cover with foil and allow to rest for at least 20 minutes before carving and serving.

Roast Duck and Duckling Recipes

Traditional Roast Duck
Roast Duck with Orange Salad
Duckling with New Peas
Roast Duck Magret
Crane or Duck in Spiced Gravy
Roast Duck with Damson Sauce


Red Game Meats: Venison, Wild Boar etc

For Joints up to 5kg:

Pre-heat your oven to 220°C. Place your meat in a roasting pan with the bone side down and the skin side up (the cut side down if using a leg, shoulder or similar piece). Never cover the meat, as this will make it steam or braise rather than roasting. Transfer to your hot oven and roast for 30 minutes at 220°C.

At this point, reduce the oven temperature to 160°C and continue roasting for:
     Rare — 20 minutes per Kg (9 minutes per pound)
     Medium — 30 minutes per Kg (14 minutes per pound)
     Well Done — 40 minutes per Kg (18 minutes per pound)

Remove the joint from the oven, set on a warmed plate, cover with foil and allow to rest for at least 20 minutes before carving and serving.

For Joints Greater than 5kg:

Pre-heat your oven to 220°C. Place your meat in a roasting pan with the bone side down and the skin side up (the cut side down if using a leg, shoulder or similar piece). Never cover the meat, as this will make it steam or braise rather than roasting. Transfer to your hot oven and roast for 40 minutes at 220°C.

At this point, reduce the oven temperature to 160°C and continue roasting for:
     Rare — 18 minutes per Kg (8 minutes per pound)
     Medium — 24 minutes per Kg (11 minutes per pound)
     Well Done — 36 minutes per Kg (16 minutes per pound)

Remove the joint from the oven, set on a warmed plate, cover with foil and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes before carving and serving.

Recipes

Roast Venison Recipes

Traditional Roast Venison
Roast Haunch of Venison
Roast Venison, Apples and Gooseberry Jelly


Roast Wild Boar Recipes

Roast Wild Boar


Game Meat: Rabbits

For roasting, rabbits should be quite young, and farmed rabbits are preferred over wild ones, unless you know the provenance. If you are unsure of it's age then you are better-off stewing the meat. However, if the rabbit is young and tender then it can be roasted quite successfully. Rabbit is quite a dry meat and needs to either be marinated, coated in oil or larded before roasting:

Pre-heat your oven to 180°C. Place your rabbit on a rack in a roasting tin and cover lightly with foil. Transfer to the oven and cook for between 50 and 90 minutes (depending on the size of the rabbit) — remove the foil for the final 20 minutes of cooking to ensure the meat is browned.

When done, check that the meat juices run clear by piercing in the thickest part of the saddle. Remove the fowl from the oven, set on a warmed plate, cover with foil and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes before cutting into serving portions.

Roast Rabbit Recipes

Roast, Stuffed, Rabbit
Roast Rabbit with Herbs
Traditional Roast Rabbit


Game Meat: Game Birds

Game birds come in a range of sizes, from pheasants down to woodcocks. They all tend to be quite dry meats and you will need to either bard the breasts or cover in fatty bacon. They should also be basted frequently with melted butter or good olive oil during roasting:

Pheasant: Pre-heat your oven to 220°C. Place your pheasant in a roasting tin and cover lightly with foil. Transfer to the oven and cook for 10 minutes at 220°C. After this time reduce the temperature to 200°C and continue roasting for between 30 and 40 minutes (depending on the size of the bird). If you are using fat or bacon to cover the breasts, remove this 15 minutes before the end of the roasting time to ensure even browning. Allow the bird to rest, lightly covered, for 10 minutes before carving and serving.

Roast Pheasant Recipes

Traditional Roast Pheasant
Roast Pheasant with Cobnut Butter


Grouse: Pre-heat your oven to 210°C. Place your grouse in a roasting tin, cover the breasts with bacon then cover the bird lightly with foil. Transfer to the oven and cook for about 30 minutes (remove the covering and bacon for the final 10 minutes). Allow the bird to rest, lightly covered, for 10 minutes before carving and serving.

Roast Grouse Recipes

Traditional Roast Grouse
Roast Grouse à la Rob Roy
Traditional Roast Grouse II
Roast Grouse


Partridge: Pre-heat your oven to 220°C. Place your partridge in a roasting tin and cover the breasts with bacon. Transfer to the oven and cook for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 200°C and cook for a further 10 to 20 minutes (depending on the size of the birds — partridge should be cooked thoroughly). Allow the bird to rest, lightly covered, for 10 minutes before halving and serving.

Roast Partridge Recipes

Traditional Roast Partridge


Wild Duck or Mallard: Pre-heat your oven to 210°C. Place your wild duck in a roasting tin and cover the breasts with butter or bacon fat. Transfer to the oven and cook cook teal for 20 minutes, 30 minutes for other species (do not over-cook wild duck). Allow the bird to rest, lightly covered, for 10 minutes before halving and serving.

Roast Wild Duck Recipes

Roast Wild Duck