What is your roast dinner meat of choice?

[Matt N]

With it having just been Christmas, many of us will have eaten a roast dinner yesterday (and indeed, may have eaten leftovers today!). Across Britain and the world, roast turkey is a Christmas staple, with millions of people having one each year. Earlier today, I was having the discussion with my family over some roast turkey leftovers from yesterday about what your roast dinner meat of choice is, so with that in mind, I’d be intrigued to know; what is your roast dinner meat of choice?

If I were to pick, I have to say that I think I’m a poultry person when it comes to the meat on a traditional roast dinner plate; I’d definitely pick either chicken or turkey if I had the choice of any meat. If I had a gun to my head, I’d probably pick turkey because we only seem to eat it at Christmas whereas we seem to have chicken all the time, but I really like both as roast dinner meats!

I’m not 100% sure whether this would translate to a traditional roast dinner, but I have to say that beef has also grown on me as a meat recently; I would never have said I overly liked steak, but in something like steak and ale pie or a chow mein, I’ve recently been finding that beef is lovely (although I’ve always liked beef burgers and minced beef, so who knows?)! I used to really like a lamb shank, but I found the last one I ate a bit too fatty and have gone off lamb a bit as a result. I like pork, but I find it a bit too tough at times (although I do absolutely love a good sausage, possibly more so than any “regular” roast dinner meat!).

But I’d be keen to know; what is your roast dinner meat of choice? Of course, it is worth me noting that vegetarian/vegan is also a perfectly valid option (not one I choose myself, but each to their own)!

 

[Jonathan]

I’ve always enjoyed lamb, but the problem is that it’s quite expensive, so I only ever have it as a treat. The only roast I’ve ever done for myself was lamb at Easter, and I managed to do a pretty decent job of it, including getting all the timings right, so I was pretty happy!

 

[Poisson]

The flesh of my enemies.

Or, you know, any of the above animals. I'll happily eat any of them.

 

[rob666]

I am waiting for somebody else to say it but...

Well roasted Goose.


But in truth...barbied lamb, rather overcooked and crunchy.

On a campsite.

After coasters.

With beer.

 

[BSwiss]

Historically, beef. But recently, pork. Especially a nice mouthful with cabbage and apple sauce.

 

[Jonathan]

I’m a sucker for a good bit of gammon as well.

 

[TowersWarlock0110]

Roast chicken is a family classic. Very close second is pork (especially if there's crackling) and lamb (cold-finger buffet champion), but there's something about roast chicken that just works on both the appetite and the soul every single time.

 

[jon81uk]

Chicken if I'm cooking usually because its the cheapest option and fairly easy to cook and sort.
But if I'm out then I'll often get beef.

 

[DistortAMG]

I am late to this party, for me pork, hands down. Although I do love all the choices, especially beef with some English mustard or horseradish.

You get a nice bit of crackling with pork and plenty of meat juice to cook the roast potatoes in and have in the gravy, along side the relatively straightforward roasting process combined with the cheap price, makes it the best allrounder for me.

It is the roast potatoes that are the sticking point for me, they just cannot be cooked the same with the juices like you can from the pork. I do not know if it is the flavour or what.

 

[JAperson]

Lamb is my favourite, but as @Jonathan has pointed out it is quite expensive so I Beef is the one I tend to prefer usually.
I have to say this is a great idea for a food related thread @Matt N , who doesn't like a roast dinner!

 

[The_bup]

I am late to this party, for me pork, hands down. Although I do love all the choices, especially beef with some English mustard or horseradish.

You get a nice bit of crackling with pork and plenty of meat juice to cook the roast potatoes in and have in the gravy, along side the relatively straightforward roasting process combined with the cheap price, makes it the best allrounder for me.

It is the roast potatoes that are the sticking point for me, they just cannot be cooked the same with the juices like you can from the pork. I do not know if it is the flavour or what.

I second all of this, far better articulated than I could write!

A big winter roast is always a favourite of mine, its one of those meals where you can stand up and feel like you’ve really eaten something. Not everyones favourite, but I have a high metabolism to take advantage of before it inevitably evaporates.

I’ve always thought chicken is the least flavourful meat, being more a vessel for the gravy or sauce (the really delicious part) to bind to. Suprised to see it do so well in the polls!

For pork though, whipped up with some thick gravy and my mothers disgustingly good roast potatoes always leads to a favourable meal… and well, you are what you eat, so after eating lots of pork..

It becomes a little bit of a vicious cycle.

 

[BSwiss]

I’ve always thought chicken is the least flavourful meat, being more a vessel for the gravy or sauce (the really delicious part) to bind to. Suprised to see it do so well in the polls!

This is the value of chicken for my family - it allows itself to be dominated by gravy and cranberry sauce, so my 7yo and 4yo will devour it.

 

[Slackjawedyokel]

I’m a farmer (cattle, sheep, arable, all organic), and for me beef is king of the roasts. It is a matter of some chagrin that, although the value of a fat lamb has gone up a little bit in recent years (now around £120 to £130 for a lamb that will do 6X xxl roasts plus a load of chops etc), the price in shops always seems astronomical and would put me off.

I prefer beef very rare and my preferred cooking method is a summer barbecue with wood as the fuel. For winter cooking, I use a cast iron skillet and a gas burner to sear the meat on all sides and then I pop it into a warmed oven until the meat thermometer shows it’s up to temperature throughout (about 45°C).
Meat in the fancy butchers in town is eyewateringly expensive but I’ve discovered a small family butchers a bit of a trek away (but well worth it) that air age the better cuts in a special chiller. It’s delicious! Around £30 to £40 worth of sirloin feeds 6 (or more as a component of a bbq), with leftovers for sandwiches.