How to Prepare the Perfect Winter Roast: Meat Selection, Prep, and TIps

At this time of year when it’s cold and miserable outside, there’s nothing more comforting than a homemade roast dinner. Think perfectly roasted meat, flavourful vegetables, crispy roast potatoes, and of course the all-important gravy. If you’re cooking a roast this winter, it can be a lot of pressure to get the meat cooked to perfection.  

This blog will run through all our tips on tricks on how to achieve the perfect roasted meat joint, so that you can impress your family and friends with a memorable meal. At Fresh Meat Packs, you can find all the roasting joints you could possibly need, as well as incredible value meat bundles that can help get you through the winter months.  

Tips for the Perfect Winter Roast 

There are some general rules that can be followed to help you achieve a delicious roasted meat for your meal. These small tips may not seem like much, but they can make all the difference when it comes to taste: 

• Seasoning: Coating your roasting joint with seasoning can assist in enhancing the natural flavours of the meat and takes little to no time at all to do! Rub your joint with a combination of salt, pepper, and your choice of butter or oil to help the skin of the meat crisp up in the oven. If you want to take it to the next level, why not try putting herbs like rosemary and thyme in the roasting tray for that extra depth of flavour? 

• Gravy: When serving your meat, you’ll want to think beyond just achieving a well-cooked joint. Use the pan that the meat was cooked in to conjure up your very own gravy. Simply deglaze the pan on the hob using stock or store-bought gravy to really get the most out of your dish. 

• Slow Cooker: If you’re the owner of a slow cooker, then this can be a great way to achieve beautifully tender meats like beef or lamb. Simply prepare your meat with seasoning and let it braise in the slow cooker throughout the day. This is a hassle-free step that will instantly transform your winter roast, and you can get on with preparing the veg whilst the meat is cooking! 

• High Quality Meat: Nothing can ruin a roast dinner more than a bad cut of meat. Since it’s the star of the dish, it’s a good idea to invest in a high-quality cut from a reliable butcher to avoid poor tasting meat. We use only trusted farmers and secure, refrigerated postage, to ensure that your meat arrives in perfect condition. 

How to Choose the Right Roasting Joint 

Everyone has their favourite type of meat on their roast dinner plate. Whether you’re a fan of beef, pork, chicken, or lamb, here are some tips on choosing the best cut of meat and how to serve them.  

Pork 

Crispy crackling and tender meat make pork a stable roasting meat in many households.  

• Pork Belly is one for those that love crunchy pork crackling, whilst still having juicy meat on the inside. Scoring the skin of the belly can be a great way to ensure you get the perfect roast.  

• Pork Loin, whether boneless or on-the-bone is a classic roasting joint that is especially suited for serving big groups. If you want some extra flavour, then stuff your pork loin with things like rosemary, garlic and even apples, to truly impress your dinner guests.  

• Pork Shoulder is an ideal choice for slow cooking, as this process allows the fat to render out, giving you a juicy and succulent result 

• Gammon has a slightly different flavour profile to regular pork because it undergoes a curing process. Adding honey or brown sugar to the outside of a gammon joint can help to combat some of the saltiness, too.  

Beef 

Perfect with Yorkshire puddings and gravy, beef is the ultimate comfort roast dinner on a dreary Sunday.  

• Sirloin Joint is a tender cut of beef that needs to be cooked properly to achieve a melt-in-the-mouth texture. Try slow cooking or marinating this cut of meat to truly get the most of what it has to offer. 

• Beef Brisket is beloved by many in both the summer and winter because of its flavourful qualities. You can also make the most out of this cut by slicing some up for sandwiches in the following days.  

• Short Rib consists of the rib bone and surrounding meat, giving it a fantastic texture that is not chewy in the slightest. The key to achieving the perfectly cooked short rib is to let it rest after roasting. 

Lamb 

A classic roasting choice is Lamb, there are several cuts of lamb that work perfectly for roasting. 

• Leg of Lamb is a popular choice for roast dinners, and due to its larger size is ideal for feeding big groups. To achieve the best roast, cook the meat on a high temperature initially to brown it, and then lower the heat to achieve a perfect level of cooked.  

• Lamb Shanks can turn incredibly tender when cooked over time, giving you a wonderfully flavourful cut of meat. To really enhance the flavour, try cooking your lamb in some form of stock, and even add some red wine for more depth.  

Chicken 

When it comes to cooking chicken, the classic choice is to roast the whole bird. You can choose breasts or thighs if you’re serving less people, but buying the whole chicken can help you with meals into the week too. For a beautifully cooked chicken, stuff the chicken with herbs, lemons, garlic or onion to give it a juicy end result, and continue to the baste the chicken whilst it’s in the oven.  

Achieve the Perfect Winter Roast with Fresh Meat Packs 

We hope this blog has given you some useful tips and tricks for delivering the perfect winter roast. You can find all the cuts we have mentioned here on our website, and if you’re looking to feed large groups or just get the most for your money, then why not try our family size roast box, complete with all four meats. Our roasting meat joints are sourced from trusted UK suppliers and are of the highest quality. Browse our website to see what deals we have on offer, whether you’re looking to buy beef, pork, lamb or chicken online.