Gloria P > wrote:

> Victor Sack wrote:
>
> > If you still want to cook it whole, pat it with a mixture of dried
> > crushed oregano and thyme, black pepper, a bit of cayenne and paprika,
> > and salt, and roast in a hot oven (220°C/425°F) for about 30 minutes,
> > then reduce the temperature to 200°C/400°F und cook for about 30-45
> > minutes longer, until the inside temperature is 30°C/90°F at most
> > (anything higher is barbarous). Then let it rest in a warm oven for
> > 30-45 minutes. Resting will let it continue cooking for a bit and the
> > juices will be well distributed throughout the meat.
>
> Surely not 90 deg. F, Victor. That is below human body temperature!

Yes, and that is how it should be. Jacques Pépin (in _Jacques Pépin
Celebrates_) has a recipe for beef rib roast which calls for 85/90°F at
that stage. Notice also that the roast is supposed to be further kept
in a warm oven for some considerable time. That recipe by Pépin
specifies 160°F for resting in the oven, quite a bit higher than human
body temperature and raising the end temperature of the meat
accordingly.

Consider also that at that stage of the cooking the outside temperature
of the meat will be much higher than the inside one, as there is a
temperature gradient which levels off after the roast is left to rest.

There is a similar recipe in _The River Cottage Meat Book_ by Hugh
Fearnly-Whittingstall, the true bible of anyone remotely interested in
meat, which does not specify the internal temperature, but where the
sugested temperatures and cooking times per pound amount basically to a
very similar thing.

Just try it and see.

Alternatively, Pépin (in _Complete Techniques_) calls for the meat to be
roasted to 110°F internal temperature with a layer of fat placed on top,
and then, with the fat removed, for the top to be browned under the
broiler for a few minutes, with no further resting specified.

Victor