When choosing to cook a large piece of meat, one possible option is a pork roast. This food can be used at a holiday meal or just a family dinner. Cooking a pork roast can be done in a few relatively easy steps.
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Choosing a Pork Roast
One first needs to choose what kind of pork roast to cook. These large pieces of meat can come from the tenderloin, loin, shoulder, or leg. Which cut is best for you, depends on your personal preferences. The meat should be reddish pink. Darker meat usually does not keep as well. There should also be a layer of fat on the roast.
Preparing the Roast
When preparing and seasoning a pork roast, do not remove all of the fat. As the meat cooks the fat keeps it moist and adds flavor. There are a few different options when seasoning a pork roast. Seasoning rubs are probably the most common and popular option. This involves mixing seasonings such as thyme, sage, oregano, rosemary, and any others one would like to try in a tablespoon of cooking oil, such as olive oil. One then rubs the mixture over the pork roast. Marinades require some time as they involve soaking the meat in an acidic solution. Wine and lemon juice are two possible choices. Brining requires one to soak the meat in a solution made of water, salt, and spices. The final seasoning method is using a glaze. These do not truly flavor the roast but instead put a coating of flavoring on the outside of the meat. Molasses and syrup are two examples of glazes. After seasoning, let the roast sit and reach room temperature.
Cooking the Pork Roast
There are a couple different options when choosing to cook a pork roast. These can be cooked normally or seared. Preheat the oven to three hundred and fifty degrees if you are intending to cook the meat normally. Preheat it to four hundred and seventy-five degrees if you are intending to sear it, although pork tenderloin roasts should be cooked at four hundred and fifty either way. The meat should be placed on a rack or on aluminum foil in a shallow roasting pan with the fat on top. If searing, allow the roast to cook at the high temperature for about twenty-five minutes to brown it and make the outside crisp. Then reduce the temperature to three hundred and twenty-five degrees and let it cook for about another twenty-five minutes. If you are not searing it, cook the roast at the same temperature for about forty-five minutes. Baste the pork roast often with the juices from the pan.
Removing the Roast from the Oven
Check the roast with a meat thermometer when you think it should be done. Well done roasts will read between one hundred sixty and one hundred seventy degrees, while medium roasts will be between one hundred fifty and one hundred fifty-five degrees. It is best to use a meat thermometer, but if you do not have one check the roast by cutting it and making sure there is no pink left to the meat. Let the roast sit for about fifteen minutes before serving it.
Pork roast is not a difficult meat to cook and can usually feed quite a few people. This is a nice option for those that are beginning cooks as well as those that are experienced in the kitchen. Whatever the occasion, pork roast is an excellent choice for most gatherings.
