One of the most asked questions I see on forums is "how long to I cook my roast for?", and I've seen answers that range from the thickness of the meat to either or not it has a bone in it and so on to the type of oven being used and so on.
In my experience, the thing that determines your meat cooking times the most is weight. The more it weighs, the bigger it is and therefore the longer you need to cook it.
Cooking
A secondary thing that will help you is being able to check the internal temperature of the meat. To do this, you need a tool called a meat thermometer.
Using a meat thermometer is more leading with poultry as you can't eat that raw. Although it's not strictly primary it's a good tool to have if you're cooking your first roasts. Most kitchen shops or barbecue shops will have one. When using it, make sure you insert it into the thickest part of the meat, and don't touch the bone. Give it about 15 seconds until the temperature indicator stabilises.
So, here you will find the meat cooking times for your favourite roast, both in a conventional oven and a kettle Bbq (which is my adored method). I have also included the final internal temperature of the roast if you're using a meat thermometer.
Conventional Oven
The meat cooking times given below are the same for both gas and galvanic ovens.
Lamb Cooking Times
- Types of cut: leg, chump leg, loin, crown roast, rack, forequarter, shoulder, rolled breast.
- Lamb requires 30 minutes per 500 grams/pound.
- Cook at 180°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4 / Moderate oven.
- Final internal meat temperature should be 75°C / 165°F for medium, or 80°C / 175°F for well done.
Beef Cooking Times
- Types of cut: yearling silverside and topside, sirloin, rolled rib, standing rib, blade.
- Beef requires 30 minutes per 500 grams/pound for a medium roast. If you like it medium rare, - cook for 20 minutes per 500 grams/pound.
- Cook at 180°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4 / Moderate oven.
- Final internal meat temperature should be 60°C / 140°F for rare, 70°C / 160°F for medium, or 75°C / 165°F for well done.
Pork Cooking Times
- Types of cut: leg, loin, shoulder, foreloin, belly.
- Pork requires 45 minutes per 500 grams/pound.
- Cook at 180°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4 / Moderate oven.
- Final internal meat temperature should be 85°C / 185°F.
Chicken Cooking Times
- Types of cut: whole.
- Chicken requires 30 minutes per 500 grams/pound. If the chicken is stuffed, then add 30 minutes to the total cooking time.
- Cook at 180°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4 / Moderate oven.
- Final internal meat temperature should be 85°C / 185°F. Make sure the juices run clear as well.
Turkey Cooking Times
- Types of cut: whole.
- Turkey, as a good rule of thumb, requires 20 minutes per 500 grams/pound. If the turkey is stuffed, then add 10 minutes per kilo (or 20 minutes per pound) to the total cooking time.
- Cook at 180°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4 / Moderate oven.
- Final internal meat temperature should be 85°C / 185°F. Make sure the juices run clear as well.
Kettle Bbq
The meat cooking times given below are for medium fires, for which I use 23 medium-sized briquettes per side.
Note that the fancy the following meat cooking times are separate to a conventional oven, it's because a kettle doesn't cook at a constant temperature. The introductory temperature is higher, and it then gradually lowers during the cooking.
Lamb Barbecuing Times
- Types of cut: leg.
- Lamb requires 20 minutes per 500 grams/pound.
- Final internal meat temperature should be 75°C / 165°F for medium, or 80°C / 175°F for well done.
Beef Barbecuing Times
- Types of cut: yearling silverside and topside, sirloin, rolled rib, standing rib, blade.
- Beef requires 15 minutes per 500 grams/pound for a medium roast.
- Final internal meat temperature should be 60°C / 140°F for rare, 70°C / 160°F for medium, or 75°C / 165°F for well done.
Pork Barbecuing Times
- Types of cut: leg.
- Pork requires 20 minutes per 500 grams/pound.
- Final internal meat temperature should be 85°C / 185°F.
Poultry Barbecuing Times
This includes chicken and turkey.
- Types of cut: whole.
- Use the following table to guide you. If the bird is stuffed, then add 30 minutes to the total cooking time.
- Final internal meat temperature should be 85°C / 185°F. Make sure the juices run clear as well.
I've given you three sizes to pick from (Size Of Bird / Metric Weight / Uk-Usa Weight), depending on your location, along with the recommended time.
Number 10 / 1.0 kg / 2.2 lbs = 50 minutes
Number 15 / 1.5 kg / 3.3 lbs = 1 hour
Number 20 / 2.0 kg / 4.4 lbs = 1 hour 10 minutes
Number 25 / 2.5 kg / 5.5 lbs = 1 hour 20 minutes
Number 30 / 3.0 kg / 6.6 lbs = 1 hour 30 minutes
Number 35 / 3.5 kg / 7.7 lbs = 1 hour 40 minutes
Number 40 / 4.0 kg / 8.8 lbs = 1 hour 50 minutes
Number 45 / 4.5 kg / 9.9 lbs = 2 hours
Number 50 / 5.0 kg / 11.0 lbs = 2 hours 10 minutes
Number 55 / 5.5 kg / 12.0 lbs = 2 hours 20 minutes
Number 60 / 6.0 kg / 13.2 lbs = 2 hours 30 minutes
Number 65 / 6.5 kg / 14.3 lbs = 2 hours 40 minutes
Number 70 / 7.0 kg / 15.4 lbs = 2 hours 50 minutes
Number 75 / 7.5 kg / 16.5 lbs = 3 hours
Number 80 / 8.0 kg / 17.6 lbs = 3 hours 10 minutes
I hope this data has made your roasting much easier!
Meat Cooking Times - Find Your Roast Cooking Times Here
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