Recipes and Cooking How to Cook Cooking with Meat & Poultry How to Rest Meat Rev up your dinner table with a tender, perfectly moist meat entree. By Sheena Chihak, RD Sheena Chihak, RD Instagram Sheena Chihak is a registered dietitian, former food editor and current edit lead for BHG with over 15 years of writing and editing experience for both print and digital. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Published on June 9, 2015 Share Tweet Pin Email It's essential to let cooked meat or poultry rest, lightly covered, out of the oven for between 10 and 20 minutes (depending on its size) before carving.Resting allows the juices to be absorbed back into the meat rather than spilling out onto the cutting board, so the meat -- like the roast shown here -- tastes juicy and moist, not dry. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit