No Christmas meal is complete without a succulent roast and all the trimmings. But if you’ve never cooked a roast in a BBQ before then there’s a bit of a knack to it. So to give your guests a mouthwatering roast to remember, rather than one that’s dry and chewy, check out our tips for roasting different cuts of meat. Happy roasting!
Beef Roast
A traditional beef roast is a firm favourite for Christmas dinners. Here’s how to make sure your beef roast is tender, juicy and full of flavour.
The best cuts of beef to BBQ are:
- rib eye/scotch fillet
- eye fillet/tenderloin
- rump
- sirloin/porterhouse
- standing rib roast
- rolled rib beef roast.
For hooded BBQs preheat to 200ºC and set the burners at medium. Brush the roast lightly with oil and season with salt and pepper and chopped herbs if desired. Turn the burners directly under the roast off and place it in the centre of the BBQ. The remaining burners need to be left on to circulate heat around the beef for indirect cooking. Close the lid (don’t lift the lid too often to check or you’ll lose heat) and BBQ depending on your preference as follows:
Rare – 20 mins per 500g,
Medium – 25 per 500g and
Well Done – 30 mins per 500g.
For a flavour boost place garlic bulbs around the beef in the last hour of cooking. When done, remove beef (and garlic), cover with tin foil and rest for 20 minutes before carving.
Lamb Roasts
Cooking lamb roasts in a BBQ is pretty similar to beef roasts so just follow the steps above. For the herbs try rosemary, thyme or marjoram or a mixture. You can also tuck bay leaves under the string if it is tied up. After cooking and resting, carve the roast across the grain to ensure the meat is tender.
The best cuts of lamb to BBQ are:
- lamb round or topside roasts,
- lamb rump
- rack of lamb,
- four rib roast,
- crown roast
- leg or shoulder (bone in)
- easy carve leg or shoulder
For lamb round or topside roasts and lamb rump, preheat BBQ to 200ºC and cook as follows:
Rare – 20 mins per 500g
Medium – 25 min per 500g
Well done – 30 min per 500g
For Rack of lamb, four rib roast and crown roast preheat BBQ to 200ºC and cook as follows:
Rare – 20-25 min total regardless of weight
Medium – 30-35 min total regardless of weight
Well done – 40-45 min total regardless of weight
For Leg or shoulder (bone in) and easy carve leg or shoulder preheat BBQ to 180ºC and cook as follows:
Rare – 25 min per 500g
Medium – 30 min per 500g
Well Done – 35 min per 500g
Pork Roast
Nothing beats a juicy pork roast with crunchy crackling if it’s done right. To serve eight people you’ll need:
- a 2kg piece of rolled pork – scored and tied
- olive oil
- Salt
- BBQ proof baking dish
Pre-heat BBQ as per beef and lamb roast but to 250ºC. Place pork in a dish and pour over boiling water onto scored skin. Put into the BBQ baking dish and pat dry with a paper towel. Drizzle with olive oil and rub well into score marks. Rub salt into score marks. Turn burners directly underneath roast off, place into BBQ. Cook for 10 minutes at a high heat until skin starts to crackle. Reduce heat to 190ºC and cook for approximately 1 hour per kilogram. In final 10 minutes of cooking turn the burners back up to 250ºC to finish off crackling. Remove, cover with tin foil and rest for 10 minutes before carving across the grain.