Rolled Roast with Pancetta: The Secret to Tender, Never-Chewy Meat
What’s the biggest frustration when we make roast for the holidays?
The risk that, after so much work and the long cooking, our main course turns out dry, tough and that all the precious juices end up outside the meat!
It’s a common mistake that ruins the centerpiece of the meal.
The secret to a melt-in-your-mouth roast is not only the cut of meat, but a mix of simple techniques and a key step that many skip.
This recipe for Rolled Roast with Pancetta will reveal how to perfectly seal the meat (thanks to the pancetta and quick searing), and, above all, how to make sure the juices stay trapped inside.
With my post-cooking resting trick, you’ll get a tender roast and a rich pan sauce to drizzle over the slices, whether you choose to cook in a pan or in the oven!
The meat becomes even more flavorful thanks to the presence of the pancetta, which becomes crispy and even more delicious when cooked.
It’s an easy main dish to make and it shows its best when prepared with a top-quality cut like the tenderloin, top round (noce) or bottom round (sottofesa), all very prized and appreciated.
To keep the meat tender and avoid it becoming tough, it’s advisable not to remove all the fat and to wrap it with thin slices of sweet or smoked pancetta depending on the flavor you want for the final dish.
Perfect for Sunday lunches or special occasions like family dinners, Christmas, New Year’s and Easter.
The Perfect Christmas Roast: Tender and Juicy, the Juice-Saving Trick Revealed!
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Cooking time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
- Cooking methods: Oven, Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Energy 479.03 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 1.10 (g) of which sugars 0.01 (g)
- Proteins 34.89 (g)
- Fat 35.29 (g) of which saturated 11.45 (g)of which unsaturated 15.83 (g)
- Fibers 0.12 (g)
- Sodium 1,073.70 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 180 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 2.2 lb veal (or pork)
- 9 oz smoked pancetta
- 1 glass white wine
- 1 clove garlic
- salt (1½ teaspoons)
- black pepper (ground 1/2 teaspoon)
- rosemary (1 sprig)
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- as needed water (or vegetable broth)
Tools
- kitchen twine
- Pot
Procedure: Sealing and Slow Cooking
Massage: Prepare the seasoning by mixing the salt and pepper and massage the meat for a few minutes.
Wrapping: Move the meat to a work surface and completely cover it with the pancetta slices.
Tying: Use kitchen twine to tie the piece of meat, making sure the pancetta adheres well and won’t come loose during cooking.Heat: Put the oil, the crushed garlic and the rosemary in the pot. Let them infuse for a couple of minutes over medium heat.
Quick Sear: Add the roast and sear it on all sides so it is well sealed.
Anti-Dryness Tip: Make sure the oil is very hot and quickly brown the meat on all sides (about 1 minute per side). This searing (Maillard reaction) is essential to trap the juices inside before the slow cooking.Deglaze: Deglaze with the white wine and raise the heat so it evaporates completely.
Liquid: Pour a glass of water or vegetable broth, cover the pot with the lid.
Slow Cooking: Continue cooking over very low heat (in a pan) or in a static oven at 356°F for about 1 hour. Check that the pan juices don’t dry out too much, adding more broth if necessary.
Final Browning: Remove the lid and finish cooking for another 20 minutes to brown well and make the pancetta crispy.JUICE-SAVING TRICK (The Secret to Tenderness) ❗
Once cooked, it is essential not to cut the roast immediately! Remove it from the pot/oven, wrap it completely in aluminum foil and let it rest for at least 15-20 minutes. This time allows the juices (which have been pushed outward by cooking) to redistribute evenly into the fibers. If you slice it earlier, the juices will run out, leaving the meat irreparably dry.Slice the roast only after resting and place it on a serving platter. Don’t forget to generously spoon the pan juices that will have formed and thickened during cooking over each slice.
STORAGE
Once cooked, the roast can be kept in the refrigerator for two or three days.
TIPS
You can use beef or veal but also pork; obviously they will have different cooking times.
The best cuts for oven roast are top round (fesa), noce and bottom round (sottofesa).
If you choose pork I recommend loin (lonza), while for beef you can use veal – more tender but less flavorful – or young beef (vitellone).
IMPORTANT
When the roast is completely cooked, wrap it completely in foil and let it rest for at least 10 minutes.
If you don’t and you slice it while still hot all the meat juices will run out and the meat will become tough.
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