Expert: Keith Patton - 8/1/2009

Question
Hi

I am wondering if we can pre cook our roast beef on the spit. I need the BBQ for other dishes and was hoping to cook the beef and remove when meat thermometer says rare then hoping it will only continue to cook once off till medium rare Or will it become to dry? It will only sit out for a couple of hours before serving.

thank you

Answer
Your suggestion is fine.  In fact, you could probably remove it at the rare point, and place it in a warm oven covered with foil.  Meat generally continues to cook for a while after removing from the heat.  A warm oven will prolong this, but not overly much.  If covered, it should not dry out.  another option is place it in a small 6 pack or 12 pack cooler. This will keep it hot and will also prolong the cooking without adding any additional heat to the system.