Because meat will continue to cook after you take it off the heat (also known as “resting”). Ideally, cooked meat should be allowed to “rest” after cooking and before cutting so that the juices can be reabsorbed into the fibres of the meat. If you skip resting, you will lose more juices when the meat is cut. The temperature of the meat will always rise a little during the resting period with even smaller cuts of meat rising at least three or four degrees. A large roast or turkey can rise as much as ten degrees. To prevent overcooking, you should remove your meat from the oven or grill prior to reaching your target temperature.