How do you tell when a pot roast is done?

Stack Exchange network includes Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers.

Professional and amateur chefs can ask questions on Seasoned Advice.It only takes a short time to sign up.

Trying to predict when a roast will be done is a poor method.Many factors can affect how long a roast takes to cook.

There are two types of cooking that are commonly referred to as roasts: pot roast and regular roast.While not always called roasting, some oven cooked meats which are cooked for a long time at low temperatures are more similar in their chemistry to braising than to higher temperature roasting.

If the meat is fall-off-the-bone tender, you can tell when the cooking is done.

The best way to know if a roast is done is to take the internal temperature with a probe.

The time guideline in recipes is to help you plan your cooking day, and so that you know how long to wait before checking for doneness.The recipe times are not the final arbiter in most forms of cooking.

The roasting pan will typically come up 1/3 to 1/2 the height of the meat.This is a type of braising that is suitable for tougher cuts of meat like beef chuck, turkey thighs, or leg of lamb.

This cooking method is meant to bring the temperature up high enough so that the tough tissue can be converted to a soft substance.

The dishes are always done well.When the meat comes off the bone easily, and shreds with little effort, they are done.

For dark meat poultry, these dishes can take up to 2 hours to cook.

Low and slow roasting, done with oven temperatures of approximately 250-300 F (120-150 C) on tougher meats like pork shoulder, beef chuck, and so on, has the same purpose as braising: it slowly converts the collagen to gelatin to create an unctuous dish.The roasting is done dry and not in liquid.

When the meat comes off the bone easily, and shreds with little effort, the test for doneness is the same.In low-and-slow, the internal temperature will be at least 180 F and as high as 205 F, but this is not the primary indicator.

The thickness of the cut and the temperature at which the roasting is done affect the time to roast.The roasting times can be very long, as the heat transfer is not as effective as with braising, up to 12 hours and even more depending on the item.

Regular, high temperature roasting will be the focus of the remainder of this answer.The temperature can be as high as 350 F (180 C) or as low as 300 F (150 C).

In regular roasting, there may be a period of very high heat at the beginning or end of the roasting period to help brown and crisp the cut.

The temperature is the most important indicator of when meat is done roasting.The higher the temperature achieved in the meat, the better it is cooked.

To measure the roast's temperature, use an instant read or probe type thermometer in the thickest part of the meat.Try to aim the probe at the center.

For larger roasts, you want to aim for a temperature around 5 degrees F below your final temperature.This is because the outside of the meat will be much hotter than the inside, and as the roast sits, the temperature will rise at the center, which is called "carry over cooking."

Red meat can be roasted in a variety of ways.

White meat can be cooked to about 155 F.Depending on your preference, dark meat should be cooked at either 160 F or 180 F.White meat is resistant to over cooking.

Duck breast is very unique among common types of poultry, in that it is a very heavily worked slow-twitch muscle, and in fact, dark meat.People prefer it to be cooked medium rare.The beef temperature chart can be used for duck breast.

Pork has been cooked well in the US in order to ensure it was cooked enough to prevent food-born illness and to make it seem moist.

With leaner pork on the market and less risk of food born illness, it is becoming more and more common to roast pork to lower temperatures.

It is safe after 150 F, but many people prefer it roasted to 155 or 160 F.

If you want your roast to be tender, you need to break it down completely.Take off the fire or oven when the internal temperature of the meat is at least 195.You should be able to pull it apart with a fork.If you over cook a roast it will be difficult, but you have to get the meat past 165 so it won't stall.I cooked my last chuck roast for 7 hours on the stove top and it was perfect.

I've read a lot of answers, but not one said if your roast was in a roasting bag.The recipe is 18 to 22 minutes per pound of roast with everything in the bag at 375 degrees.If you have a 2lb roast with 1lb of carrots, 1 lbs of potatoes, and 30 minutes to spare, then give it a try.Depending on the oven, 3lb of roast can take up to 2 hours.If the internal temp is over 180, you can live another day.