Slow Roasting by Dom Capossela
Slow roasting has several benefits that contribute to both the flavor and texture of cooked meat.
For one, slow roasting allows the heat to penetrate to the center of the chicken more evenly.
This reduces the risk of having undercooked parts while other parts are overcooked.
The gentle cooking process helps the roast or poultry retain moisture and
also ensures that the meat tissues have enough time to break down properly without drying out resulting in a more tender roast.
In contrast, high-heat cooking can tighten and toughen the roast, making the meat tougher and drier.
While I don’t apply a marinade to the roast while it’s in the oven (the moisture of the marinade will make a crispy skin or a caramelized exterior difficult to achieve)
I do generously season the meat, sometimes adding oil to the herbs and spices.
The extended cooking time gives the meat more time to absorb the flavors resulting in a more complex and richer taste.
I finish the roast with a brief period of high heat to achieve a crispy skin while keeping the meat underneath moist and tender.
Slow roasting is more forgiving than other methods. It's less likely to result in overcooked, dry meat, which can be a risk with higher temperature cooking methods, especially for those who are less experienced in cooking poultry.
I forget what prompted me to try my first slow roast, but it was more than a decade ago. After my first effort, I never went back. I have ever since cooked all of my meats in a slow roast oven, i.e., 200°F.
The recipe is ridiculously easy.
At some point before the cook, prepare the meat by unwrapping it and trimming it where necessary.
Weigh it so you know how long the roast is going to take.
Then season it.
While the meat is in the refrigerator, the exterior will dry which will make it easier to gain an attractive color.
When it’s time to cook, take the poultry or other roast directly from the refrigerator and set it in the oven.
Turn the oven to 200*.
TIMING
My timing chart simplifies the cook by working with meat right out of the refrigerator and a cold oven.
Of course, some like their food more well-done than others so you will make adjustments as you get more familiar with your own equipment and palate.
SETTLE
After the Hot Finish, the juices are racing around the meat and if the meat is cut immediately after you take it out of the oven, the juices will pour out.
Always allow time for roasted meat to calm a bit.
Thirty minutes for larger roasts. Less for chops and steaks.
GRAVY
For Chicken or Turkey:
Note that when you slow roast, there are no drippings so you can’t make a gravy.
Cooking the chicken or turkey at such a low temperature means the juices that normally flow out of a bird in a hotter oven stay in the bird.
So, no gravy. But much juicier birds.
Salt and pepper is all you really need for these.
To make a chicken or turkey gravy: when I make a soup I remove some of it.
Then I reduce that soup until it’s strong enough to serve as a gravy.
To thicken the concentrated soup I mix it with a roux.
The Gravy goes into my freezer to wait until I want a gravy for my roast chicken or turkey.
For Beef or Lamb:
If I want Gravy, and for Roast Beef and Roast Lamb gravy is almost required, I make a Beef or Lamb Stew, adding extra liquids to the stew.
When the stew is done, I remove a small tub of the gravy.
Then I concentrate this gravy, label it and freeze it for my next roast.
If I want to thicken it, I add some roux.
