Convection Oven - does this change things?

I'm doing a beef rib roast tomorrow. Doing the standard 500 degree for 20 minutes followed by 325 for the rest of the way up to 135 internal temp.

I'm going to be using a really nice (excited!) convection oven. I just have the regular piece of crap oven at my house (that i'm used to), so i'm a little nervous that things are going to be different.

Does it even matter? What adjustments need to be made if it does matter?

Mucho appreciated!
dave

dave,

Most convection ovens have a standard non-convection mode that you could use. Regardless, every oven is different, so using a meat thermometer is going to be important (I would bring my own).

For the most part, the roast is cooked by heat that is transferred to it by the surrounding air. Air is not the most efficient medium for heat transfer (you can stick your hand in the oven for a fairly long time without feeling pain - try touching the oven rack and see how long it takes to feel pain). The convection oven circulates the air using a fan which results in a more efficient transfer of energy into the roast. My convection oven recommends roasting at 25F degrees lower temp. I usually ignore this (unless baking a cake, for example), and roast the beef as I would in a standard oven. It cooks a little faster and results in a crispier crust. I'm not sure 25F is going to make big difference as long as you pull the roast out at the desired temp and, most importantly, allow it to rest before carving.

Bill/SFNM

I'm with Bill on this -- the time will be reduced, but otherwise don't worry.

And you're going to work by internal temp, not time, right?

We'e been very happy with the behavior of our convec over the last year. There are a few things we don't use the convec for, where there isn't a big time difference, or where we know the exact behavior of a recipe and don't want to muck with it.

But roasting? That's pretty much what convec is best at. And use a meat thermometer.

I also love my convection for roasting. I don't adjust the temperature at all. Just be prepared for it to take a LOT less time--maybe a third less. So pull that meat thermometer out early and often. And since you're cooking away from home, and have a system that works for you (I'd pull mine out at 125 myself, but I like my meat rare and I've managed to drive off any friends who like their meat anything above medium), I would urge you to bring your own thermometer.

iteration:

check early when mucking about a convection oven...I love ours, but she has very little "play"

i never roast without a meat thermometer - so i don't have to worry about that.

Thanks so much guys - it's really appreciated! I love this forum.

I'll try to get pics tomorrow. As it stands right now, this is one of the more beautiful cuts of raw beef i've seen in awhile, so - i'm crossing my fingers that it comes out as good as i hope.

Thanks again.

Hi,

I don't know how you like your meat cooked. I know some people pull at 125 degree internal temperture because the temp continues to rise another 5-10 degrees.

Regards,

Evil Ronnie does a nice explanation here of how roasts continue to cook after you take them out of the oven. If you're aiming for 135 at the table, you really need to pull it sooner. It would be heartbreaking to overcook your lovely piece of meat.

Yeah, with a hunk of meat as big as a standing rib roast, I'd pull at 125 or 123 or so.

I also think 135 is a bit high to aim for, but not too bad. If your guests prefer medium meat, then it's fine. But medium rare is a bit lower than that.

One thing I have found when using our convection oven is that when you enter the "normal" temp into the oven and set it for convection roast mode, it automagically lowers the temperature an appropriate amount so the convection roasting works without burning or drying the meat. I discovered this quite by accident when I had been using convection and switched over to standard mode. The oven temp indicator then read approx 25 degrees cooler than what I had set it for while using convection.

Doing that without telling you? That's just rude.

Well - i definately don't want to take an 8lb prime beef rib roast and over cook it. I think my family and friends will just have to deal with medium rare meat. Not only is it the best way to prepare it, in my opinion, but it was also a really expensive cut, so i'm pulling it at 125.

I'll have to look into the possibility of the oven automatically changing the temp on me for roasting - that seems like an inconsiderate oven feature

either way - you guys are always more than helpful. I actually haven't been cooking all that long - just a few years - but this forum amoungst other things has put me waaay ahead of the curve.

nr706 wrote:Doing that without telling you? That's just rude.

It's a "feature". GE calls it automatic recipe conversion. I don't know if all convection ovens work this way (probably not the pro models). I also don't know if it's possible to turn this "feature" off. I've only had my oven a short time and I'm still learning how to use the convection settings (of which there are several). It's worth checking into before using a strange oven for the first time.

My Kitchen Aid range has a "smart" convection feature where you enter the temp/time for a regular oven and it then converts both for convection. I usually just let it tell me what it wants to tell me and then just use the temp suggested in regular convection mode and I control the time.

Convection or not, I'd go the other way . . .

Pre-heat the oven to 250 F and prepare the roast for cooking as you normally would. I recommend letting it sit out of the fridge for an hour or 2, so it's not ice cold when you start cooking it. Season it with salt and pepper, give it a very light coating of neutral-flavored oil and place it on a rack in a roasting pan.

Put the meat in the oven and immediately drop the oven temperature to 200 F standard bake mode. Cook the roast at 200 F to the desired temperature (or within 5 degrees of it, as there is almost no carryover cooking when using this method). Of course, the roast will take longer to cook at this low temperature than you are probably used to, so allow some extra time. Remove the roast from the oven. At this point, the roast can safely sit covered, on the counter for an hour or so. When you are just about ready to serve, turn the oven on to 450 F Convection Roast, put the roast back in the oven and cook it for another 6-8 minutes to develop an exterior crust. You may need to turn the roast once during this final blast of heat to avoid over-charring it. A few moments of resting may be needed before slicing, although it's not likely.

If you prepare it this way, the roast will cook evenly -- to the desired temperature -- all the way through; ie medium rare from edge to edge with no "bullseye" effect. The meat should remain moist throughout and the exterior should be nicely crusty.

Enjoy,

=R=