By America's Test Kitchen
This is Technique #33 from our 100 Techniques Every Home Cook Can Master.
Each technique is broken into three sections: why it works, key steps, and recipes that use it. Learn these recipe building blocks and you'll be set up for a lifetime of cooking success.
High-and-fast or low-and-slow are the two classic methods for roasting meat. The high-and-fast approach, which calls for quickly searing meat on the stovetop to develop a crust and then transferring it to a very hot oven to finish cooking, works great with upscale cuts that are tender to begin with.
Tougher cuts, however, need a gentler approach to coax them to tenderness.
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Tougher, typically fattier cuts of meat (which are usually economical to purchase as well) make fantastic roasts when treated properly; that is, with a long, slow, low-temperature roasting treatment. The reason their meat is tougher and chewier is that it contains more connective tissue surrounding the muscle fibers.
The predominant protein in this connective tissue is collagen, which begins to unwind and break down into unctuous, moisture-filled gelatin only after the meat reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees. So keeping the temperature of the meat in a range slightly above that (ideally 160 to 180 degrees) for an extended period gives the collagen all the time it needs to break down without danger of overcooking the meat.
Plus, the lower oven heat reduces the temperature difference between the exterior and interior of the meat, so you end up with more uniform cooking.
You can use this technique on very different cuts of meat, from pork shoulder and butt roasts to beef chuck eyes and briskets. Brining or salting the roast and letting it rest for an extended period of time assists in tenderizing the meat (as well as seasoning it).
In fact, because the process of osmosis causes salt to travel from areas of higher to lower concentration, the salt penetrates deep into the meat after a longer time, helping to break down collagen and improving the tender texture of the roast even further.
Tender, leaner cuts like pork and beef tenderloin or rack of lamb, with less collagen, would become dry as a bone using this low-and-slow technique, but tougher cuts benefit tremendously from it, turning out meltingly tender, juicy, and succulent.
If you follow these simple steps, whether you're slow-roasting a pork shoulder or beefy short ribs, you'll finish with juicy, fork-tender meat every time.
If meat has skin, cut slits through skin at intervals all over, being careful not to cut into meat.
Brine or salt meat; refrigerate (covered if brining or uncovered if salting) to jump-start seasoning and tenderizing process.
Pat dry with paper towels. If using seasoning paste, rub it all over meat.
Line rimmed baking sheet with foil and wire rack. Arrange meat on wire rack and slow-roast in low oven.
Flip meat halfway through roasting time for even cooking.
Let meat rest, then slice and serve with flavorful sauce.
Want to put your newfound knowledge of slow-roasting to use? Try it with these recipes.
Ready to learn another technique? Choose from our list of 100 Techniques Every Home Cook Can Master.
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