Perfect Cast Iron Oven Roast

I went through many failed oven roast attempts before finally getting it right. They always turned out dry or tasteless. With this recipe my family is finally enjoying roast again.

There is a key point to browning any sort of meat that should be mentioned. It’s important that the meat is dry and the oil is hot in the pan. If the meat isn’t dry it will essentially boil in its own juices and turn grey, not brown, so make sure you pat it off with some paper towel first. And, if the oil in the pan is not hot you don’t get that hard layer form on the outside of the meat that seals in all the juices, instead they leak out as the pan heats up.

Salting the meat the day before is also a nice touch because it soaks in and makes for a really flavourful roast throughout.

To have the meat turn out perfect the best way is to use a meat thermometer, available at your local grocery store or on Amazon for cheap. It will ensure it’s not over-cooked or under-cooked. Here’s a handy chart for meat done-ness.

One final note: If you don’t have a cast-iron pan you can still brown the meat in a frying pan then transfer to a roasting pan with a rack in the bottom.

Ingredients:

1 (4-5 lb / 2 kg) oven roast
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
2 tsp salt
olive oil

Directions:

Optional: Salt the meat and then wrap in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight.
Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
Pat the meat dry using paper towels.
Combine in a small bowl: black pepper, dried oregano, dried basil, turmeric, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder and salt.
Rub the meat with olive oil, then with the spice mixture.
Coat the bottom of a cast-iron pan with oil and set over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, place the meat in the pan, browning on all sides.
Move the pan to the oven, do not cover.
Cook until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 115 degrees F, approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes.
Turn the oven off and leave the roast in the oven until is reaches 140 degrees F, approximately 40 minutes. This will bring the roast to Medium doneness. Cook it to 130 degrees F, if you like your meat medium-rare.
Remove the pan from the oven, place the roast on a cutting board, and cover with aluminum foil then allow it to rest for about 15 minutes before carving.

Nutritional Information*

Servings: 6 (2 lb/1 kg roast)

Calories: 241

Total Fat: 9.2 g

Saturated Fat: 2.6 g

Total Carbohydrates: 0 g

Dietary Fiber: 0 g

Sugar: 0 g

Protein: 36.7 g

*Nutritional Information estimated using MyFitnessPal