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1. Mix thyme, cloves or allspice, salt, and pepper. Coat garlic slivers in spice mixture. Poke slits in roast with point of paring knife; insert garlic slivers. Rub remaining spice mixture onto meat. Wrap roast in foil; refrigerate 2 to 24 hours (can be refrigerated up to three days).
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2. Adjust oven rack to center position and heat to 475 degrees. Take meat directly from refrigerator, remove foil, and place on cake rack set in shallow roasting pan. Roast exactly 30 minutes.
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3. Remove meat from oven; immediately reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Insert instant-read meat thermometer at one end of roast, going into thickest part of the center (temperature will range from 80 to 110 degrees); let roast rest at room temperature, uncovered, for exactly 30 minutes. (At this point roast's internal temperature will range from 115 to 140 degrees.) After this 30-minute rest, remove meat thermometer, return meat to oven, and roast until meat thermometer inserted in thickest part of roast reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees, 15 to 30 minutes longer, depending on roast's internal temperature at end of resting period. Since roast may cook unevenly, take temperature readings from a couple of locations, each time plunging thermometer to center of meat and waiting 15 seconds.
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4. Let roast stand at room temperature, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes to finish cooking. (The temperature should register between 150 and 155 degrees.) Slice meat thin and serve.
