Cookery Know-how · Roasting

Roasting

Roasting is cooking meat and poultry by dry heat in the oven. Use the chart to plan the timing, then use a probe to decide when it is done: the thermometer, not the clock, has the last word.

Times and oven heat
Probe temperatures
The thermometer has the last word

Roasting times and oven temperatures

These figures follow our own roast recipes. Times are a guide for planning only: the shape of the joint, the bone, how cold it was and your own oven all change them, so start checking early and finish by the probe chart. For other oven settings see our oven temperature chart (°C, fan, °F and gas).

Roasting chart
Meat	Oven	Time	Rest
Beef joint Roast Beef with Gravy	Brown in a hot pan first, then 170°C (150°C fan, gas 3) throughout	A 1.75 kg joint takes about 1¼–1½ hours to medium-rare; start checking after 50 minutes	30 min; bake the Yorkshire puddings meanwhile
Lamb leg Saddle of Lamb, Orange-glazed Lamb	220°C (200°C fan, gas 7)	A 2 kg leg takes about 1¼ hours for pink; about 15 minutes more for well done	15–30 min
Veal	220°C (gas 7) for 15–20 min, then 200°C (gas 6)	Pink: about 30 min per kg. Well done: about 35 min per kg	15–30 min
Pork with crackling Roast Pork with Crackling	240°C (220°C fan, gas 9) for 25–30 min, then 180°C (160°C fan, gas 4)	About 45 min per kg in total	20 min, uncovered
Gammon Baked Ham with Glazes	Simmer first, then glaze at 200°C (180°C fan, gas 6); or bake wrapped at 180°C (160°C fan, gas 4)	Simmer 20 min per 500 g; or bake about 30 min per 500 g	15 min or more
Chicken French Roast Chicken, Lemon Roast Chicken	200°C (gas 6), breast down for the first 30 min, then turn breast up	About 30 min per kg as a first check, then go by the probe	15 min
Duck Duck with Orange Sauce, Crispy Duck	200°C (gas 6) for 15–20 min, then 180°C (gas 4)	About 30 min per kg	10–15 min
Goose	200°C (gas 6) for 15–20 min, then 180°C (gas 4)	About 40–50 min per kg	15–30 min
Turkey, whole Roast Turkey and Gravy	230°C (220°C fan, gas 8) for 30 min, then 160°C (150°C fan, gas 3)	About 12–15 min per kg at the lower heat for a 4–5 kg bird, rising to about 20 min per kg for 6–8 kg. See the turkey timing table	45 min–1½ hrs
Turkey crown Turkey Crown with Stuffed Legs	180°C (160°C fan), foil off and 200°C (180°C fan) for the last 30 min	20 min per kg plus 70 min (plus 90 min over 4 kg)	20–30 min

Prefer a slower, steady oven for turkey? Our Christmas turkey guide gives the Food Standards Agency’s times at 180°C (160°C fan, gas 4).

Done: probe temperature chart

Push a clean probe into the thickest part of the meat, away from bone and fat. For birds, check the thickest part of the thigh and of the breast. Take it out at the first figure; it keeps cooking as it rests and reaches roughly the after resting figure.

Core temperatures, measured with a probe
Meat	Take it out at	After resting	How it looks
Beef and lamb joints
Rare: beef, lamb	45–48°C	about 50°C	Red centre
Medium-rare	50°C	about 53–55°C	Rosy pink right across
Medium	55°C	about 58–60°C	Pink centre, browner edges
Well done	60–65°C	about 63–70°C	Brown right through
Pork and poultry: cook right through
Pork	63–65°C	63–68°C	Juices run clear
Chicken	75°C in the thigh	75°C or above	Steaming hot, juices clear, no pink
Guinea fowl	75°C in the thigh	75°C or above	Steaming hot, juices clear, no pink
Duck, whole or breast	75°C	75°C or above	No pink; the FSA advises cooking duck through, like chicken
Turkey, whole	Every thigh over 70°C and every breast above 65°C	about 75°C	Juices clear; rest it for the full time
Turkey crown	Thigh 75°C, breast 70°C	a few degrees higher	A crown has less mass, so it rises less as it rests

Beef and lamb figures are for a whole roasting joint, from our roast beef; a large joint rises 3–5°C as it rests. Steaks are thinner and are taken off at different figures: see our steak doneness chart. Veal: pink at 63–66°C, well done at 71°C. Goose: cook through, like duck, to 75°C.

Food safety: poultry, duck, pork and rolled joints must be cooked all the way through, steaming hot with clear juices and no pink. Whole beef and lamb joints only need the outside well sealed, so they can be served pink. A core of 70°C for 2 minutes, or 75°C for 30 seconds, is safe. See the Food Standards Agency’s cooking guidance.

Roasting hints

Take the meat out of the fridge about an hour before roasting so the heat goes through more evenly.
Preheat the oven for at least 20 minutes.
Use a trivet of bones or vegetables to keep the meat out of its juices so it roasts rather than stews.
Use a roasting tin of the right size; one that is too big lets the juices burn.
Add a little stock or water if the juices dry out.
Baste with the fat, not the juices; use the juices for the gravy. Leave pork skin dry and unbasted for good crackling.
Rest the meat before carving: 20–30 minutes for a joint, 45 minutes to 1½ hours for a whole turkey, loosely covered with foil (pork uncovered, to keep the crackling crisp).
Browning gives flavour and colour but does not “seal in” the juices; avoiding overcooking does that.

More temperature and timing charts

Sources and further reading

Food Standards Agency: cooking food safely — foods to cook through, whole beef and lamb joints, time and temperature combinations.
Food Standards Scotland: cooking food safely — 75°C in the thickest part; duck, goose and pork cooked through.
Professional Cooking (Gisslen), chapter 16 — doneness, carryover cooking, searing and roasting charts.
Jamie Oliver: handy guide to roasting meat — lamb leg timing and resting times.