How to Bake a Juicy Roast

Baking a juicy roast isn't difficult, but does require some practice.

If you're a meat lover, then you no doubt enjoy the flavors, aromas and textures of roasted beef, pork and other meats. Unless you frequently cook, however, you might not understand how to cook these roasts to the specifications you prefer, particularly when it comes to their moisture content. Baking roasts so that they're juicy isn't necessarily difficult, but it does require that you devote attention and concentration, especially the first time you do it.

Things You'll Need

• Turkey baster
• Meat thermometer

Instructions

1. 

   Preheat your oven.

   Preheat your oven to the temperature required by your recipe. Don't set the temperature higher than your recipe recommends, as this can cause your meat to cook unevenly, making some parts of it unnecessarily dry.

2. 

   Put your roast in a roasting pan.

   Put your roast in a roasting pan and then in the oven. Keep close guard over it as it cooks. Although your recipe might list a suggested cooking time for each temperature -- 21 minutes for "medium rare" (pink, slightly bloody) beef -- this might be too much or too little, depending on your oven and altitude. Replenish any juices the meat loses during cooking by siphoning them off from the bottom of the pan with a turkey baster and pouring them back over the meat.

3. 

   Insert your meat thermometer into the roast.

   Monitor your roast's internal temperature as it nears the end of its suggested cooking time, keeping in mind the suggested internal temperature for how you want the meat cooked --rare, medium, or well done. If your recipe doesn't include a list of these temperatures, you can find a sample list by clicking the first link under "Resources." Insert your meat thermometer into the roast fully and wait for the mercury to stop rising to monitor the temperature. Additionally, make a slice into the meat to ensure the color corresponds to how rare or well done you want it.

4. 

   Prior to slicing the roast, ensure it has been cooked to your liking.

   Remove the roast from the oven once it has reached your desired temperature and appears cooked through to your liking. Prior to slicing it up and plating it for serving, sample it to ensure it meets your moisture and flavor requirements. If it's not cooked enough, place it back in the oven for a short time, basting it with its own juices once again to maximize juiciness. Don't, however, reheat it more than incrementally, as overcooking results in dryness.

Tips & Warnings

• Eating raw or undercooked meat can result in food poisoning and, in extreme cases, death. Cook meat--particularly poultry and pork--fully if you're unsure of your tolerance for rare, medium rare or medium-cooked cuts of meat.

References

• OChef: Correctly Cooking a Roast

Resources

• Culinary Cafe: Internal Meat Roasting Temperatures