Choosing the right roast for your Holiday dinner

Make an educated decision about your roasts this Holiday season, and when in doubt, come and talk to our experienced butchers. We are always glad to guide you on selecting your roast, cooking methods, pairings, etc.  At The Meat House, our butchers explain the main differences regarding the festive roasts we all look forward to enjoy with our loved ones this Holiday season. In the next paragraphs we present a brief description of the most popular ones.

Some of you might wonder: What is a "Prime Rib Roast" and why do you offer two kinds of "Prime Rib Roasts"? A question that confuses many ...The term "Prime Rib" has always been referred to a Bone in Standing Rib Roast but most places don't offer a grade of beef. With that said, they will usually get Choice or even Select...however at The Meat House, we offer a Premium Choice Rib Roast and Prime graded Prime Rib Roast. Prime is the highest grade of beef and The Meat House is proud to offer it for all our customers. Prime is the most marbled, tender and juiciest of all graded beef . Excellent sides for this roast are: Twice Baked Potatoes, Stuffed Mushrooms or Sautéed Kale.

Tenderloin Roast (aka Filet Mignon or Chateaubriand). This roast is elegant, tender and buttery yet the leanest of roasts. You can also select Top Choice or Prime when buying your Tenderloin Roast. Very popular for Holiday dinners and is usually served with Béarnaise sauce, Horseradish cream or with Marinated Mushrooms. Some sides we recommend for this amazing roast are: Roasted Potatoes, Marinated Asparagus or Green Beans Almandine.

Crown Roast (pork): We carry the Berkshire Pork Rib Roast, which has a wonderful marbling, thus the most tender and flavorful. The crown roast originated from the UK and Ireland and has become popular in the United States for many years now. This roast consists of the loin end of the pig; commonly the rib end is used (where our chops come from). It allows for a beautiful presentation as it can be tied as a crown and stuffed with vegetables or one of our choices that range from Apple Cornbread, Apple Cranberry, Herb and Wild Rice Stuffing, or a Herb Cornbread Stuffing made by a Local Company out of East Hartford, FVGF (Farmington Valley Gourmet Foods). If you have tried our Berkshire Pork Chops, you know how juicy and amazing this pork is. Our Garlic Mashed potatoes are an excellent side for this Roast.

Lamb is a great all across the board whether it's the rack, loin, shoulder, leg, etc...the lamb has such a distinctive flavor that it's just amazing in itself. The best way to cook Lamb chops is to leave the rack as a whole or even double chops or a 3-4 rack set. Grilling or roasting thicker cuts of lamb especially the rack will ensure proper doneness and give an exquisite flavor. Lamb is best paired with any Dijon mustard, mint jelly, Tzatziki sauce and some fresh rosemary or tarragon.

Visit the Meat House this weekend to sample all our Holiday offerings and place your order for your Holiday Roast with us, your trusted Butcher & Grocer.