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Tie it up
You tie a roasting joint to hold the meat together after it's been boned or butterflied. You can also tie up a joint if it is unevenly shaped. Tying the joint together helps the meat cook evenly.
Start by cutting a long length of kitchen string. It's going to wrap around the joint several times, so cut more than you think you'll need.
If your joint has been butterflied, roll it into a neat shape. Lay the joint on a cutting board with one end towards you.
Hold one end of the string and slip the string under the closer end of the joint. Bring the string together and tie a knot, leaving a short end of about 10cm, or 4 inches. Pull the string firmly to bring the meat together.
Now you're going to work with the long end of the string. Extend the long end of the string to about 4cm, or 1 1/2 in, further along the joint, and hold it there with your left hand.
Use your right hand to wrap the string around the joint. Loop the string through the piece you're holding down. Pull firmly to bring the meat together.
Continue extending, wrapping and looping all the way up the joint every 4cm.
To finish, turn the joint over, pulling the long end of the string over the end of the joint. You'll see a series of crossways pieces of string. You’re going to neatly connect all of them.
Loop the long end of the string around the first crossways piece. No need to wrap around the joint again. Just continue to loop the twine around the crossways pieces until you reach the end of the joint.
Now just flip it over one last time. You'll see where you started tying the joint. Just tie the short and long ends of the twine together to finish the job. Trim away the excess string.
Now you’re ready to proceed with your recipe! After your joint cooks, let it rest with the string still attached, then cut it off before slicing.
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