The dry-heat oven method typically used to cook a whole joint of meat or poultry uncovered is roasting.
Roasting surrounds food with hot air, usually in an oven, rather than immersing it in water or cooking it in a covered, liquid-based sauce. The exposed surface develops browning through Maillard reactions and caramelization, creating the savory crust associated with roast beef, roast chicken, turkey, pork, and lamb.
The word has older roots in cooking meat over or beside an open fire, often on a spit. By the late 19th century, the distinction between roasting and baking became more established, although the terms still overlap in some traditions. In Britain, Ireland, and Australia, a large roast is often called a “joint.”
Roasting is commonly confused with braising. Braising uses moist heat and usually a covered vessel with liquid; roasting relies primarily on dry, circulating heat. Some cooks begin with high heat for browning and then lower the temperature to cook a large joint evenly.