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Roasting Those "Other" Holiday Meats |
No doubt about it, holiday
time is turkey time. Of the 266 million turkeys produced in 2006, 30 percent are served during the holidays.
Yet numerous other meats are also traditional
at holiday gatherings. Some families choose a rib roast; others,
a ham; and some will have the butcher arrange a crown roast
of lamb.
If a hunter's in the clan, that family may serve wild game such
as duck, venison or pheasant. Small families may opt for a bird
smaller than a turkey — such as capon, duck, goose or
Cornish hen — or a small cut of meat like a pork tenderloin
or veal roast.
Whatever the choice, have a food thermometer on hand to determine
when the meat has reached a safe temperature. For special holiday
meals, the cook wants everything perfect — and perfectly
safe.
The Safety of Special Holiday Meats
When choosing your holiday meat, be assured that all beef, lamb,
pork, veal and poultry sold at your supermarket have been inspected
for wholesomeness by the USDA or State inspection systems. Once
your purchase is at home, refrigerate it immediately. Cook or
freeze fresh poultry within 1 or 2 days; fresh meats, 3 to 5
days.
There are two types of hams: fully cooked and those that need
cooking. Fully cooked hams may be eaten cold or reheated to
140 °F. When storing these hams, observe "use-by"
dates on hams sealed at the plant; use store-wrapped cooked
ham portions within 3 to 5 days. "Cook-before-eating"
hams must be cooked to 160 °F to destroy harmful bacteria
that may be present. Use within 7 days.
Wild game killed by hunters obviously has not been federally
or state inspected so care must be taken to handle it safely.
Parasites such as Trichinella and Toxoplasma
may be present. Improper handling can cause bacterial contamination
as well as off-flavors.
Dress game in the field right after shooting. Dressed meat must
be chilled as soon as possible. Keep the game cold — below 40 °F,
until it can be cooked or frozen. For more information
about wild game, call State or county extension offices.
About Roasting
Because holidays are special times, people tend to spend more
money for a specialty meat. These fancy meats and poultry may
cost more because they are exceptionally tender or special.
Roasting is the recommended method for cooking tender meats.
To roast, meat is placed on a rack in a shallow, uncovered pan
and is cooked by the indirect dry heat of an oven. To keep the
meat tender and minimize shrinkage due to the evaporation of
moisture, a moderately low oven temperature of 325 °F should
be used.
The USDA does not recommend cooking meat and poultry at oven temperatures
lower than 325 °F because these foods could remain in the
"Danger Zone" (temperatures of 40° to 140 °F)
too long. Bacteria which may be present on these foods multiply
rapidly at these temperatures.
Boned and rolled meats require more cooking time per pound than
bone-in cuts because it takes longer for the heat to penetrate
through the solid meat.
Background Information about Holiday Meats
BEEF: Beef is leaner these days so roasting
cuts from the rib, tenderloin, and eye round to medium rare
(145 °F) keeps these roasts tender and juicy.
LAMB: Technically, "Spring lamb"
is meat from lambs slaughtered from March to the first week
in October. The term comes from olden times when lambs born
in harsh winter weather would have little chance to survive
until the next year. Today with more protected animal husbandry
conditions, enjoying "lamb" — meat from sheep
about one year old, is not confined to a particular season of
the year.
Some people may view lamb as a fatty meat. However, leg and
loin lamb meat has a similar fat content to lean beef and pork
loin when trimmed of visible fat. The "fell" is a
paper-like covering on lamb and is usually removed from steaks
and chops at the retail market. Leave the fell on leg roasts
to help retain shape.
Cook lamb to 145 °F (medium rare), 160 °F (medium) or
to 170 °F (well done), as measured with a food thermometer.
PORK: Because hogs are about 50 percent
leaner than they were 25 years ago, today's pork cooks faster
and can dry out when overcooked. Years ago when pork had more
fat than it does today, the meat could be overcooked and still
be fairly tender and flavorful.
Cook fresh pork to 160 °F. Fresh pork cooked to medium doneness as measured with
a food thermometer may still be pale pink inside but will be
safe. Heating to 160 °F kills foodborne bacteria —
such as Salmonella — as well as parasites that
cause trichinosis and
toxoplasmosis.
WILD GAME: To remove the "gamey"
flavor, soak wild meat or poultry in a solution of either 1
tablespoon salt or 1 cup vinegar per quart of cold water. Use
enough solution to cover the game completely and soak it overnight
in the refrigerator. Discard the soaking solution before cooking.
Wild game is leaner than its domestically raised counterpart.
Trim any visible fat — that's where a gamey flavor can
reside. Then roast tender cuts of venison and game birds (if
skinned) covered with oil-soaked cheesecloth or strips of bacon
to prevent the meat from drying out. Set them on a rack in a
shallow pan and roast in the oven at 325 °F.
For tenderness and doneness, whole game birds should be cooked to a safe
minimum internal temperature of 165 °F as measured in the innermost
part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast with a food thermometer.
DUCK and GOOSE: Most domestic ducks
are the breed called White Pekin. The term "Long Island"
duck is a trade name. Domestic ducklings have a great deal of
fat. While it helps them float when swimming, fat is undesirable
in a cooked duck. Therefore, it's recommended to prick or score
the skin of a whole duck before cooking so much of the fat will
render out.
Although domestic geese are larger than ducks, they are cooked
in the same manner. Oven cooking bags are helpful for cooking
these birds because they hold the fat for easy disposal and
keep the oven spatter-free.
CAPONS and CORNISH HENS: These specialty
birds are chickens. Cornish hens are small broiler-fryers weighing
1 to 2 pounds. Capons are male chickens which are surgically
unsexed; weighing about 4 to 7 pounds, they have generous quantities
of tender, light meat. Roast them as you would any chicken.
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HOLIDAY MEAT ROASTING
CHART
For approximate cooking times to use in meal planning, see the
following chart compiled from various resources. Use a food
thermometer to determine that meats reach a safe minimum internal
temperature.
| Holiday
Meat Roasting Chart |
| RED
MEAT, TYPE |
OVEN
°F |
TIMING |
INTERNAL
TEMP °F |
| BEEF,
FRESH |
| Beef,
rib roast, bone-in; 4 to 8 pounds |
325 |
23 to 30 min/lb |
145 med. rare |
| 27 to 38 min/lb |
160 medium |
| Beef,
rib roast, boneless; 4 pounds |
325 |
39 to 43 min/lb |
145 |
| Beef,
eye round roast; 2 to 3 pounds |
325 |
20 to 22 min/lb |
145 |
| Beef,
tenderloin roast, whole; 4 to 6 lbs |
425 |
45 to 60 minutes
total |
145 |
| Beef,
tenderloin roast, half; 2 to 3 lbs |
425 |
35 to 45 minutes
total |
145 |
| LAMB |
Lamb,
leg, bone-in; 5 to 9 pounds
Lamb, leg, boneless; 4 to 7 pounds |
325 |
20-26 min/lb |
145 med. rare |
| 26-30 min/lb |
160 medium |
| 30-35 min/lb |
170 well done |
| Lamb,
crown roast; 3 to 4 pounds |
375 |
20-30 min/lb |
Same as above. |
| PORK,
FRESH |
| Pork,
loin roast, bone-in; 3 to 5 pounds |
325 |
20-25 min/lb |
160 |
| Pork,
loin roast boneless; 2 to 4 pounds |
325 |
23-33 min/lb |
160 |
| Pork,
crown roast; 6 to 10 lbs |
325 |
20-25 min/lb |
160 |
| Pork,
tenderloin; ½ to 1½ lbs |
425 |
20-30 minutes
total |
160 |
| PORK,
CURED |
| Ham,
cook-before-eating, bone-in; Whole, 14 to 16 pounds |
325 |
18-20 min/lb |
160 |
| Ham,
cook-before-eating, bone-in; Half, 7 to 8 pounds |
325 |
22-25 min/lb |
160 |
| Ham,
fully cooked, bone-in; Whole, 14 to 16 pound |
325 |
15-18 min/lb |
140 |
| Ham,
fully cooked, bone-in; Half, 7 to 8 pounds |
325 |
18-25 min/lb |
140 |
| Ham,
fully cooked, boneless; 3 to 4 lbs |
325 |
27-33 min/lb |
140 |
| Ham,
country, dried |
(see
label directions) |
| VEAL |
| Veal,
boneless roast, rump or shoulder; 2 to 3 pounds |
325 |
25-30 min/lb |
145 med. rare |
| 31-35 min/lb |
160 medium |
| 34-40 min/lb |
170 well done |
| Veal,
bone-in roast, loin; 3 to 4 pounds |
325 |
30-34 min/lb |
145 med. rare |
| 34-36 min/lb |
160 medium |
| 38-40 min/lb |
170 well done |
| VENISON |
| Venison,
round, rump, loin, or rib roast; 3 to 4 pounds |
325 |
20-25 min/lb |
160 |
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SPECIALTY POULTRY
ROASTING CHART
For approximate cooking times to use in meal planning, see the
following chart compiled from various resources. Use a food
thermometer to determine that poultry reaches a safe minimum
internal temperature.
NOTE: Times are for unstuffed poultry. Add 15 to 30 minutes
for stuffed birds. The internal temperature should reach 165
°F in the center of the stuffing.
| Specialty
Poultry Roasting Chart |
| TYPE
OF POULTRY |
OVEN
°F |
TIMING |
INTERNAL
TEMP °F |
| CAPON,
whole; 4 to 8 pounds |
375 |
20 to 30 min/lb |
165 |
| CORNISH
HENS, whole; 18 to 24 oz. |
350 |
50 to 60 minutes
total |
165 |
| DUCK,
domestic, whole |
375 |
20 min/lb |
165 |
| DUCK,
wild, whole |
350 |
18 to 20 min/lb |
165 |
| GOOSE,
domestic or wild, whole |
325 |
20 to 25 min/lb |
165 |
| PHEASANT,
young, whole, 2 pounds |
350 |
30 min/lb |
165 |
| QUAIL,
whole |
425 |
20 minutes total |
165 |
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Last Modified:
May 16, 2008 |
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