How to cook beef or lamb roast in a barbecue

Cooking a beef or lamb roast in a covered barbecue is just a little different to the way you’d cook it in your oven. You prepare the it in just the same way, but you use ‘indirect cooking’ to roast the meat. Indirect cooking simply means there is no heat directly under the meat as it cooks.

Cooking a beef or lamb roast in a hooded barbecue

1. Preheat the barbecue to 200ºC (the burners should be set at medium).

2. Place the beef or lamb in the centre of the barbecue. Turn the burners directly under the meat off. The remaining burners are left on to conduct and circulate the heat around the roast.

3. Close the lid and roast for the recommended cooking time (see below chart). For ease and accuracy, use a meat thermometer.

Cooking a beef or lamb roast in a kettle barbecue

1. Preheat the kettle barbecue according to the cooking guide that comes with it. As a general rule, heap about 25 heat beads in rails on each side of the barbecue.

2. Light the beads and allow them to develop to a fine, white ash stage (this takes about 30 minutes).

3. Add the beef or lamb roast to the kettle barbecue and close the lid. Roast for the recommended cooking time (see below chart). For ease and accuracy, use a meat thermometer.

Tips for cooking a roast in a barbecue

• Avoid lifting the barbecue lid too often (you lose about 10ºC  15°C each time). To boost the temperature during roasting, add 6 to 10 heat beads on each side at 1 hour intervals.
• Avoid ramping up the flame directly under the meat when adjusting the heat as this dries the roast out (giving it a tough under-side).

Cooking chart for roasting beef or lamb in a barbecue

Also, read more on:

• How to carve a beef roast
• How to match cuts with the best cooking methods
• How to make gravy
• How and why we rest meat after cooking