Some tips on lamb and what to do with flavours and cuts

[Meatman]

This was in Gourmet Traveller a couple of years ago

Lamb ribs
These are great in a Chinese steamboat. Start with a chicken or lamb stock base mixed with soy, ginger and garlic, then add lamb ribs, silken tofu and julienned Asian vegetables. Or you can marinate your ribs in soy, hoi sin, honey, agrodolce red wine vinegar, garlic and ginger - marinate for four hours or overnight and then bake them in the oven at 170C for around an hour, turning once until the meat is well-done.

Lamb necks
The new shanks? Try substituting them in any recipe calling for beef cheeks. Make sure you cook them long enough that you can fork all the meat off the bone before serving. If you've bought lamb neck chops, trim them of excess fat and use them in a classic Lancashire hotpot with plenty of root vegetables and a sprig or two of thyme.

Lamb forequarter chops
These are best cooked past medium. They're great with gentle marinades (think olive oil, garlic and lemon zest) on a slow South American-style char-grill.

Lamb loin chops
It's a good idea not to cook the loin meat part of the chop past medium; once this is done, lay it on the grill tail-down to take this bit of the chop to well done. You end up with the best of both worlds: crisp, unctuous tail with delicate juicy loin. An alternate to this is to cook the chop with the tail sitting on the hot-spot of your grill and the loin on a cooler section.

Lamb chump chops
These are a bit of an endangered species now with the rise in popularity of the lamb rump, but they remain a good everyday chop. I like to make a wet rub for them, either in a Middle Eastern style (cumin, garlic, turmeric, chilli, allspice, coriander, lemon juice) or something more Indian (fresh ginger, garlic, cumin, cayenne, garam marsala, lemon). Smear the rub on your chops a few hours ahead or the night before and then bake them in a hot oven for 7 or 8 minutes. Turn them over, smear again with plain yoghurt or hummus, bake for another 7 or 8 minutes (or until medium) and serve with spiced chickpeas.

Lamb shanks
You have your own favourite recipes for shanks, I'm sure. I can tell you, though, that roasting a pan full of browned and seasoned hindquarter shanks is one way to stop family arguments over who gets the shank end from a roasted leg of lamb.

Lamb shoulder
Try a shepherd's pie pot roast. In our family shepherd's pie was always made with leftover leg of lamb, but made from scratch with a shoulder, it's a sensational dish in its own right. Cook off a whole square-cut forequarter of lamb, shred the meat, mix through the pan juices, top the lot with creamy mashed potato and bake till the mash begins to brown.

Lamb breast and lamb flaps
Either bone these yourself or find an understanding butcher for a very rewarding and unusual cut. They need to be cooked slowly and weighed down (either by the air pressure of a pressure cooker when braising in a masterstock or under a heavy ceramic dish when dry roasting) so the fat renders off. Once they're tender, add some crunch by crumbing them lightly and frying them. Served with a piquant rémoulade, they're hard to beat.

Leg of lamb
My first preference for leg is to butterfly it and marinate it in olive oil with a mix of some of the other flavours that suit lamb (a quality plain yoghurt with mint, lemon and garlic or sherry, honey, mild mustard, lemon and garlic). Butterflying the leg slashes through the four or five muscle groups there and means the muscle bundles can't tighten in the cooking process. Strip the meat after cooking and serve atop seasoned couscous or cracked wheat. Leg of lamb can be tricky to roast perfectly because there can be up to five different muscle groups in the one cut of leg. I find the best way around this is to cook the leg as slow and low as possible, stopping when the inside of the thickest part of the leg reads 60C on a meat thermometer.

Lamb rump
A very popular cut in the restaurant trade and with good reason - of all the muscles in the leg this is the most suited to being roasted to medium or medium-rare. All the classic lamb seasonings go well with rump but southern French flavours like olive oil, bay, thyme, tarragon, fennel, marjoram, red wine and shallots come up particularly nicely, as does a Greek version with olive oil, garlic, oregano, thyme and lemon juice. Brown first, then place in a medium oven for 15 to 20 minutes

Lamb backstraps
Here's a tip: better quality lamb backstraps are normally sold "short". This means the rack was good enough to sell to someone as a rack. Long backstraps have both the loin and rack meat and are generally prepared from the lowest-grade lambs.

I prefer to use a lamb "porterhouse" which has the selvage fat left on the outside of the backstrap. I score the fat, season it well, brown it off on all sides and then pop it in a low oven (around 160C) for 20 minutes. This works best served with something that can cut through the richness. Try a rocket, pear and parmesan salad or a tabouli with diced preserved lemon.

Lamb stock
A number of Australian chefs use lamb stock in many of their dishes to deliver a flavour strength midway between chicken and beef stocks. It's important to roast the bones when you're making a lamb stock, but the really critical thing is to continuously skim the fat off the top as you go.

Lamb's liver
This is a real delicacy and we're fortunate to have an abundant supply of this fantastic product. Lamb's fry from a milk-fed lamb is a wondrous thing and needs nothing more than simple grilling then dipping into something like a Madeira sauce.

Lamb offal in general
For some reason lamb offal isn't revered in the same manner as veal offal, yet in my opinion it performs as well if not better in nearly all instances. Lamb's tongues, brains, sweetbreads, kidney and liver are amazing if sourced from either the right lambs or lambs at the right time of year - spring, for instance.

Rack of lamb
This is such a good cut it needs little done to it to get a winning result. The best thing is to keep it simple with the meat - no marinating, smearing or anything like that. If you want to introduce other flavours, put them in a sauce; tarragon and lemon in the pan juices, for instance, or a classic red wine and shallot sauce. Even then, serve it on the side. When lamb tastes this good, why mess with it?

[urbangriller]

Good list Richard!

I'm so doing the Shepherds pie!

Chris

[Angryman65]

This was in Gourmet Traveller a couple of years ago

Lamb ribs
These are great in a Chinese steamboat. Start with a chicken or lamb stock base mixed with soy, ginger and garlic, then add lamb ribs, silken tofu and julienned Asian vegetables. Or you can marinate your ribs in soy, hoi sin, honey, agrodolce red wine vinegar, garlic and ginger - marinate for four hours or overnight and then bake them in the oven at 170C for around an hour, turning once until the meat is well-done.

Lamb necks
The new shanks? Try substituting them in any recipe calling for beef cheeks. Make sure you cook them long enough that you can fork all the meat off the bone before serving. If you've bought lamb neck chops, trim them of excess fat and use them in a classic Lancashire hotpot with plenty of root vegetables and a sprig or two of thyme.

Lamb forequarter chops
These are best cooked past medium. They're great with gentle marinades (think olive oil, garlic and lemon zest) on a slow South American-style char-grill.

Lamb loin chops
It's a good idea not to cook the loin meat part of the chop past medium; once this is done, lay it on the grill tail-down to take this bit of the chop to well done. You end up with the best of both worlds: crisp, unctuous tail with delicate juicy loin. An alternate to this is to cook the chop with the tail sitting on the hot-spot of your grill and the loin on a cooler section.

Lamb chump chops
These are a bit of an endangered species now with the rise in popularity of the lamb rump, but they remain a good everyday chop. I like to make a wet rub for them, either in a Middle Eastern style (cumin, garlic, turmeric, chilli, allspice, coriander, lemon juice) or something more Indian (fresh ginger, garlic, cumin, cayenne, garam marsala, lemon). Smear the rub on your chops a few hours ahead or the night before and then bake them in a hot oven for 7 or 8 minutes. Turn them over, smear again with plain yoghurt or hummus, bake for another 7 or 8 minutes (or until medium) and serve with spiced chickpeas.

Lamb shanks
You have your own favourite recipes for shanks, I'm sure. I can tell you, though, that roasting a pan full of browned and seasoned hindquarter shanks is one way to stop family arguments over who gets the shank end from a roasted leg of lamb.

Lamb shoulder
Try a shepherd's pie pot roast. In our family shepherd's pie was always made with leftover leg of lamb, but made from scratch with a shoulder, it's a sensational dish in its own right. Cook off a whole square-cut forequarter of lamb, shred the meat, mix through the pan juices, top the lot with creamy mashed potato and bake till the mash begins to brown.

Lamb breast and lamb flaps
Either bone these yourself or find an understanding butcher for a very rewarding and unusual cut. They need to be cooked slowly and weighed down (either by the air pressure of a pressure cooker when braising in a masterstock or under a heavy ceramic dish when dry roasting) so the fat renders off. Once they're tender, add some crunch by crumbing them lightly and frying them. Served with a piquant rémoulade, they're hard to beat.

Leg of lamb
My first preference for leg is to butterfly it and marinate it in olive oil with a mix of some of the other flavours that suit lamb (a quality plain yoghurt with mint, lemon and garlic or sherry, honey, mild mustard, lemon and garlic). Butterflying the leg slashes through the four or five muscle groups there and means the muscle bundles can't tighten in the cooking process. Strip the meat after cooking and serve atop seasoned couscous or cracked wheat. Leg of lamb can be tricky to roast perfectly because there can be up to five different muscle groups in the one cut of leg. I find the best way around this is to cook the leg as slow and low as possible, stopping when the inside of the thickest part of the leg reads 60C on a meat thermometer.

Lamb rump
A very popular cut in the restaurant trade and with good reason - of all the muscles in the leg this is the most suited to being roasted to medium or medium-rare. All the classic lamb seasonings go well with rump but southern French flavours like olive oil, bay, thyme, tarragon, fennel, marjoram, red wine and shallots come up particularly nicely, as does a Greek version with olive oil, garlic, oregano, thyme and lemon juice. Brown first, then place in a medium oven for 15 to 20 minutes

Lamb backstraps
Here's a tip: better quality lamb backstraps are normally sold "short". This means the rack was good enough to sell to someone as a rack. Long backstraps have both the loin and rack meat and are generally prepared from the lowest-grade lambs.

I prefer to use a lamb "porterhouse" which has the selvage fat left on the outside of the backstrap. I score the fat, season it well, brown it off on all sides and then pop it in a low oven (around 160C) for 20 minutes. This works best served with something that can cut through the richness. Try a rocket, pear and parmesan salad or a tabouli with diced preserved lemon.

Lamb stock
A number of Australian chefs use lamb stock in many of their dishes to deliver a flavour strength midway between chicken and beef stocks. It's important to roast the bones when you're making a lamb stock, but the really critical thing is to continuously skim the fat off the top as you go.

Lamb's liver
This is a real delicacy and we're fortunate to have an abundant supply of this fantastic product. Lamb's fry from a milk-fed lamb is a wondrous thing and needs nothing more than simple grilling then dipping into something like a Madeira sauce.

Lamb offal in general
For some reason lamb offal isn't revered in the same manner as veal offal, yet in my opinion it performs as well if not better in nearly all instances. Lamb's tongues, brains, sweetbreads, kidney and liver are amazing if sourced from either the right lambs or lambs at the right time of year - spring, for instance.

Rack of lamb
This is such a good cut it needs little done to it to get a winning result. The best thing is to keep it simple with the meat - no marinating, smearing or anything like that. If you want to introduce other flavours, put them in a sauce; tarragon and lemon in the pan juices, for instance, or a classic red wine and shallot sauce. Even then, serve it on the side. When lamb tastes this good, why mess with it?

Thanks. Solves the lamb rib question I asked earlier, might stick some chilli in as well 'cause chilli goes in everything.

[kendoll]

Thanks. Solves the lamb rib question I asked earlier, might stick some chilli in as well 'cause chilli goes in everything.

Amen to that!

Ken

[beachbums]

That just about covers it Some good ideas there Meatman. I've played with Neck and Falp before but this might inspire me to have another go.

Cheers, Wayne

[Emo]

Ive got a big leg in the fridge for Sunday, I think I'll butterfly it and do a low n slow.

[Captain Cook]

Meatman,

12/10 for that info, absolutely great information in a simple yet precise way. This info will help both experienced and inexperienced BBQ cooks.

Would be great to see some more for other animals as well if you have the time.

I have asked the mods to make this a sticky if they can as I think this post needs to be able to be found and accessed easily.

A big Bravo Zulu to you.

Captain

[Grill Pro Australia]

Meatman,

12/10 for that info, absolutely great information in a simple yet precise way. This info will help both experienced and inexperienced BBQ cooks.

Would be great to see some more for other animals as well if you have the time.

I have asked the mods to make this a sticky if they can as I think this post needs to be able to be found and accessed easily.

A big Bravo Zulu to you.

Captain

Totally agree Capt, well done Richard.

I cooked up some Lamb ribs that I got from Feast Unley ( Meatmans shop ) & used a "Hot" Rub that we import, my mates went mental over them telling me they were the best thing that I had ever cooked! The amount & type of heat spice for the lamb was absolutely perfect, a great combination with the Lamb meat.

Lamb ribs are about half the price of Pork ribs & with a lot more flavour.

Cheers, Dave

[Smokey]

Thank you meatman, Fantastic information.
I agree with the forequarter chops, I love them really grilled out finished with an EVOO , lemon rind, garlic and fresh parsley granata placed on top as a heavy garnish. with this a must have is Par boiled spuds in the Microwave using apple vinegar and Greek mixed herbs and then pan fried till golden
Served with a Tomato, Feta, black olive and aged sweet balsamic salad.

See, you have gone and inspired once again
You had me sorting tomorro nights dinner from a flashback Of what I used to make years ago.

[Meatman]

Thanks guys, you have inspired me to have a crack at beef and pork and I may even go all out and give chicken a go

Stay tuned

[pierre]

I am used to abbacchio and still can't fully appreciate the australian sheep
http://italianfood.about.com/od/italian ... 012202.htm

[StoneX]

I am used to abbacchio and still can't fully appreciate the australian sheep
http://italianfood.about.com/od/italian ... 012202.htm

You can buy milk-fed lamb in Australia as well as standard lamb.

[niko123456]

Leg of lamb
My first preference for leg is to butterfly it and marinate it in olive oil with a mix of some of the other flavours that suit lamb (a quality plain yoghurt with mint, lemon and garlic or sherry, honey, mild mustard, lemon and garlic). Butterflying the leg slashes through the four or five muscle groups there and means the muscle bundles can't tighten in the cooking process. Strip the meat after cooking and serve atop seasoned couscous or cracked wheat. Leg of lamb can be tricky to roast perfectly because there can be up to five different muscle groups in the one cut of leg. I find the best way around this is to cook the leg as slow and low as possible, stopping when the inside of the thickest part of the leg reads 60C on a meat thermometer.

This versus marinated and grilled direct over the coals for 10 minutes a side? Any opinion?

[Muppet]

Last comp I did a deboned leg 'route 66' and it was exceptional, almost sweet tasting and very tender. Although I've done one on the spit a lot hotter and faster which was pretty good aswell, I think at the end of the day it comes down to personal taste. I'm glad We tried the 'route 66' method though. It was a great learning experience.

[Rosie M]

These are some really expert and amazing tips. I'm a big fan of lamb and these tips are really helpful for me.