Roast Cooking Times: A Weight-Based Guide for the Main Meats
Roast timing is mostly arithmetic: weight times a rate, plus a little extra. The thermometer then confirms what the arithmetic predicted.
What is the Roast Cooking Time Calculator?
Different meats roast at different rates, and this calculator applies a typical minutes-per-kilogram rate for your chosen meat and doneness. Times are guides for a standard oven: always confirm with a meat thermometer, since shape and starting temperature change results.
How to use it
- Choose the meat.
- Enter the weight in kilograms.
- Choose doneness and click Calculate Roast Time.
Worked example
A 2 kg beef roast at medium (50 minutes per kilogram plus 20 minutes) takes 120 minutes, or 2 hours.
How long does a 2 kg medium beef roast take?
About 2 hours, from 50 minutes per kilogram plus 20 minutes, as a guide to confirm with a thermometer.
Frequently asked questions
Does bone change the time?
Yes. Bone-in joints often need longer than boneless ones of the same weight, so check earlier and later around the estimate.
Should meat rest after roasting?
Yes. Resting lets juices settle and the temperature even out, which makes carving cleaner and the meat juicier.