FAQs

Cooking Tips

Carving Tips

Beef

Standing rib roast. Remove the short ribs from this roast and separate the backbone from the ribs by sawing through the ribs at the backbone. The backbone can be easily removed when the roast is cooked.

The cooked roast. Beef roasts carve easier when cooked rare or medium. A meat thermometer will help take the guesswork out of cooking. Place the meat thermometer in the center of the thickest part of the roast (not touching bone or fat). When the meat thermometer registers the desired internal temperature remove the roast from the oven; 140° F. for rare roast beef; 160° F. for medium; and 170° F. for well done. An oven temperature of 300° to 325° F. will reduce cooking losses and provide a tasty roast. High oven temperatures and over-cooked roasts reduce flavor of the meat and increase cooking losses.

Roasts will carve easier if they undergo a rest period of 10 to 15 minutes after they are removed from the oven.

Place the cooked roast on the platter with the small cut surface up and the rib side to your left. With the guard up, insert the fork firmly between the top two ribs. From the far outside edge slice across the grain toward the ribs. Make the slices 1/8" to 3/8" thick. Release each slice by cutting close along the rib with the knife tip.

After each cut, lift the slice on the blade of the knife to the side of the platter. Hot platters should be used unless the slices are to be served immediately.

blade pot roast or 7-bone roast.

This is probably the most difficult of all beef roasts to carve. The blade pot roast usually contains part of one rib, a portion of the blade bone and sometimes a section of the backbone. All of these bones make carving difficult.

Pork

Sirloin or loin end pork roast. Loosen the tenderloin muscle and cut through the joint that connects the hipbone to the back bone. When the roast cooks, the backbone falls away from the meat and can easily be removed.

Use a meat thermometer and cook the pork roast at 325° to 350° F. until the internal temperature is 170° F. Let the roast rest 10 to 15 minutes before carving.

The cooked roast. Remove the bones and separate the small tenderloin muscle from the large sirloin muscle. Make cross-grain slices 1/8" to 3/8" thick.

Ham

Baked whole ham. Place the ham on the platter or carving tray with the fat or decorated side up. The shank end should always be placed to the carver's right. The thin side of the ham from which the first slices are made will be nearest or farthest from the carver depending on whether the ham is from the left or right side of pork.

Insert the fork and cut several slices parallel to the length of the ham on the thin side. Turn the ham so that it rests on the surface just cut. Hold the ham firmly with the fork and cut a small wedge from the shank end. By removing the wedge the succeeding slices are easier to cut and release from the bone.

Keep the fork in place to steady the ham and cut thin slices down to the leg bone. Release slices by cutting along the bone at right angles to the slices. For more servings turn the ham back to its original position and slice at right angles to the bone.

Lamb

Leg Roast.

Lamb legs should be roasted at an oven temperature of 300° to 325° F. The interior temperature when removed from the oven should be 175° to 180° F. Always serve lamb hot hot or cold cold, but never luke-warm.

Bone and muscle structure of the "leg of lamb" is similar to the baked ham or fresh pork ham. Follow directions previously given for carving a baked whole ham as a guide for carving the roast leg of lamb.

These four simple rules or guides will help make carving a pleasure:

Have the meat cuts properly cut and prepared before cooking.

Observe the bone and muscle structure of each cut.
Use a sharp knife.
Cut across the grain of fibers.

Grilling Tips #1(When the Weather turns ugly)

GRILL INSIDE!

OK…for starters… DON’T Do This! Grilling under a tent is not recommended either. The headline word here is FIRE! The Fire Departments and numerous consumer safety organizations say burning grills should be at least 10 feet away from any flammable structure. In addition to the fire/heat issue…Charcoal grills and hibachis pose the added hazard of poisoning by carbon monoxide (CO), a gas that's colorless, odorless -- and potentially deadly.

There are grills made for indoor use…and they are fine. For many, these electric grills and countertop grilling machines are perfect. They tend to cook quickly…and many are designed to drain the fat away.

Tuscan Grill

If you have a fireplace and wood, try a fireplace grill, also known as a Tuscan grill. These consist of a metal frame with an adjustable grilling grate. You can improvise one by removing the grilling surface from an outdoor grill and setting it on bricks inside the fireplace, over the coals.

However, if you're determined to cook outdoors, read on for tips about making roughing it not quite so rough.

Grilling Tips #2 (When the Weather turns ugly)

Stand Under an Umbrella

Really nasty weather…you know, the mid-summer Florida thunderstorm… is going to suspend grilling operations…umbrella or no umbrella. But, it can work in a drizzle or light rain to keep the grill dry.

There are umbrellas made especially to shelter grills. You can find various designs of grill umbrellas on the market. Typically, they clamp onto the grill's table or fit over it and rest on the ground. Some larger styles have fancier names like "veranda grill canopy."

Grill umbrellas can also be used when there is too much good weather… meaning a hot, scorching sun. It’s always best to keep the sweat out of the hamburger patties.

No grill umbrella? If rain starts, improvise with the ordinary kind, preferably a large one. Enlisting a friend to hold the umbrella over the grill for the cook can ensure that the inclement weather doesn't end the socializing.

Grilling Tips #3(When the Weather turns ugly)

Think Bigger

So the beach umbrella isn’t quite large enough…and who needs 4 or 5 people holding golf umbrellas standing around dripping onto everything.

Now… there are numerous options for keeping the grilling area dry. Elaborate canvas-covered grilling islands are available, but they're a bit pricey.

You can buy a relatively inexpensive "parking structure" for your gas grill. These structures typically hide the grill's wheels, frame and propane tank, but leave the grill portable. The structure looks more expensive than it is, and it provides storage space and a counter for food preparation and serving.

If you set up your cut-rate grilling island wisely, you can protect your grill against rainy weather in a few minutes. All you need is an easy-to-pitch canopy tent, a roof-and-metal-poles structure, with no sides. Often used by sports teams and at tailgate parties, such canopies are widely available.

Unlike an umbrella, the canopy won't need anyone to hold it, unless it's really windy. But it will bring people together, so the cook won't have to grill alone. Of course, you can use a canopy while you cook over any grill. A low-cost island isn't required.