29 Succulent Winter Roasts

When you’re spending this much money on a cut of meat, you want to let it shine with simple but exciting seasonings. Blend coffee, bourbon, and brown sugar for a dark, thick rub that forms a crackly crust. Offset the roast’s richness with a refreshing watercress or arugula salad.

Recipe: Coffee Brown-Sugar Bourbon Rib Roast

No roast is more epic than a goose—it is, after all, the bird Charles Dickens forever immortalized in A Christmas Carol. A goose is all dark meat and very rich. The fat that drips from it is excellent for roasting potatoes and vegetables, and the skin turns golden and crisp, the poultry equivalent of pork cracklings.

Recipe: Roast Goose with Potatoes, Onions, and Apples

Rockfish—also known as Pacific snapper or rock cod—is one of the most sustainable and widely available fish in the West, and has a mildly sweet flavor. Vermilion rockfish, with their scarlet hue, are especially pretty and tasty. For a large feast-worthy fish, order ahead of time from your seafood shop or counter.

Recipe: Roasted Rockfish with Artichokes, Citrus, and Lemon-Caper Browned Butter

This trio of vegetables is easily as impressive as a meat roast. For a vegetarian feast, round it out with sides made from whole grains, mushrooms, and nuts, and a big green salad. Any of these roasts on their own can be served as a side dish too.

Recipe: Platter of Roasted Whole Vegetables

Tri-tip for Christmas? Yes—this wintertime take on the barbecue classic is elegantly Mediterranean.

Recipe: Garlic-Rubbed Tri-Tip with Mint Caper Salsa

Tracy Smaciarz, who owns Heritage Meats in Rochester, Washington, cold-smokes this cut, then grills it over indirect heat. You can get a similar effect by oven-smoking the roast with wood chips and onions.

Recipe: Oven-Smoked Chuck-Eye with Horseradish Cream

This holiday roast has it all: velvety meat, salty cheese filling, a savory-sweet sauce, and a touch of smoke.

Recipe: Gorgonzola-Stuffed Beef Tenderloin with Port Wine Sauce

Though this dish looks impressive, it's easy to pull off, and the cut of meat is an inexpensive one.

Recipe: Pork Shoulder Roast with Figs, Garlic, and Pinot Noir

It takes some time to prepare the fresh clementine peel sauce for this dish, which was inspired by Chinese orange peel beef, but the results are worth it. Cross-rib roast costs a fraction of fancier cuts; to keep it tender, we recommend cooking only to medium-rare.

Recipe: Spicy Beef Cross-Rib Roast with Caramelized Clementine Sauce

How to turn an inexpensive cut into something that's company-worthy? Season it with lots of fresh marjoram and garlic, then serve it with a richly flavored gravy made with the pan drippings plus more garlic.

Recipe: Lamb Shoulder Roast with Roasted Garlic Sauce

This splurge-worthy roast is studded with garlic slivers and served with a fresh horseradish sauce.

Recipe: Salt- and Herb-Crusted Prime Rib with Fresh Horseradish Sauce

A pocket of rosemary and garlic gently seasons the meat as it roasts. Try it with a special designed-to-match menu.

Recipe: Beef Rib Roast with Rosemary

An initial half hour in a very hot oven ensures that this roast comes out beautifully browned and juicy.

Recipe: Spice-Crusted Prime Rib

Slice into the roast to reveal the garlic- and three-herb filling.

Recipe: Grilled Beef Tenderloin with Fresh Herbs

Plenty of pepper and spices coat this beautiful cut of meat. For extra flavor and tenderness, start it a few days ahead.

Recipe: Spiced Beef Tenderloin

Braising the brisket slowly ahead of time and chilling it, then heating slices with the onion-rich pan juices just before serving, makes this dish easy on the cook and extra-flavorful. For the ultimate winter meal, be sure to make the whole menu.

Recipe: Twice-Baked Beef Brisket with Onions

For a change of pace this year, why not try bison? It's lean and tastes similar to beef.

Recipe: Roast Bison with Velvety Pan Gravy

Marinated for a full 24 hours with lemon, rosemary, garlic, and warm spices, this chef creation has loads of flavor.

Recipe: Rosemary Grilled Leg of Lamb

Here's another choice to make for a small group when you don't have much time.

Recipe: Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Apple Sage Sauce

A marinade with spices seasons this boned and butterflied leg of lamb. You roll it up like a jelly roll around dried apricots, then slice it after roasting for mosaic-like pieces studded with the tender fruit.

Recipe: Grilled Apricot-Stuffed Leg of Lamb

Coated generously with thyme, the roast is served with a beef broth and brandy jus. The dish pairs perfectly with this menu.

Recipe: Standing Rib Roast

Unlike many roasts, this one is perfect for a small group (it serves only 4); plus, it cooks in just 30 minutes.

Recipe: Rosemary Garlic Pork Tenderloin

The meat's coating of crushed rosemary and fennel seeds turns golden and crisp on the grill. Complete the meal with boiled thin-skinned potatoes and creamed spinach (and keep the dish in mind for spring, too—it's great with asparagus).

Recipe: Fennel-Crusted Grilled Rack of Lamb

Simple to prepare, a crown roast makes an impressive statement at the table, and it serves a crowd.

Recipe: Crown Roast of Pork

This Norwegian-style roast has a red wine and port sauce that's enhanced with lightly sweetened homemade gingerbread (or storebought gingersnaps) and a little cream. Make it with the whole Christmas in the Rockies-inspired menu.

Recipe: Roast Pork with Gingerbread Sauce and Celery Root with Bacon

A day to brine and a slow roast over indirect heat on the grill are the secrets to creating a roast that's deeply flavorful and tender.

Recipe: Charcoal-Grilled Pork Shoulder with Fresh Herbs and Roasted Garlic

If you're looking for a roast that's easy to make, this is a great one—simple to season and grill, and a no-brainer to carve. A quick sage butter dresses it up.

Recipe: Sage-Rubbed Pork Tenderloins with Sage Butter

A Sunset reader received an award in a Sunset grilling contest for this recipe. He grills prime rib, catching the drippings in a pan, then pours Yorkshire pudding batter into the drip pan, where it puffs and browns.

Recipe: Beef Rib Roast and Yorkshire Pudding from the Grill

For meat that's unbelievably tender and juice, start this roast in a hot oven so it gets nice and brown, then turn the heat way down and roast it slowly all day.

Recipe: Slow-Roasted Pork Shoulder

BEEF

• The unsung cuts: Cross-rib roast and chuck roast (aka good old pot roast) come from the chuck, an area between the shoulder and neck.
• The secrets: Brown in a hot oven, then reduce the heat and don’t cook past medium-rare. (Any more and the meat will get tough.)

LAMB

• The unsung cuts: Leg is widely available, but shoulder, if your butcher carries it, is a great find. It has loads of flavor, is more tender, and carves more neatly.
• The secrets: Like the beef, start it in a hot oven, then reduce the heat until you reach rare to medium-rare.

PORK

• The unsung cut: Shoulder is a succulent hunk of meat.
• The secrets: This cut tends to fall apart (it’s popular shredded for carnitas), so for a roast, tie the meat to prevent that. Brown it in a frying pan, then braise slowly (common wisdom holds here) until tender.

Celery Fennel Salad with Preserved Lemon and Dates

If you can’t find preserved lemons to buy, they’re easy to make.

Recipe: Celery Fennel Salad with Preserved Lemon and Dates

Use popover pans for higher, airier popovers. (Muffin pans work too, but leave every other cup unfilled so heat circulates.)

Recipe: White Cheddar–Sage Popovers

This herb-flecked bean dish is great with our festive Garlic-Rubbed Tri-Tip with Mint Caper Salsa.

Recipe: White Bean Gratin