Whitney needs some advice on cooking lamb. Can you help? She writes:
We've been trying to eat more sustainably, and to that end, bought a butchered half lamb. The only problem is, it's very stringy. I love my lamb rare, but wow, the chops and steaks are too tough to do that. Any suggestions for what to do with the remaining steaks and chops? We already have some ground lamb, so I'd like to hear of recipes that don't require grinding it all up (if possible).
Whitney, we'll just make a couple brief comments and then throw this out to the readers. First off, lamb is not the best sort of meat to eat rare. It simply doesn't have the right texture to eat bloody rare, like you would a steak. Some might disagree with this, but while I like my steak very rare and even my pork quite pink, I always cook lamb to medium. I like a streak of pink running through the center, but a little more cooking does help the meat relax. I think that some cooks react to terribly overdone lamb, gray and chewy, by radically undercooking the meat. But a light medium is really where I think lamb is best enjoyed.
Having said that, one of my very favorite recipes for lamb is actually a stir-fry! It's an old recipe from Mark Bittman that calls for cutting the lamb into very small pieces then stir-frying it quickly with whole cumin. I love it spicy and served over rice. Here's the recipe:
• Recipe Review: The Minimalist's Mongolian Lamb
Here are two more recipes that would also probably be very good with your bounty of lamb.
• Recipe: Roasted Lamb Chops and Mushrooms - Cooked in foil packets, which helps keep the lamb moist and tender — a low-key marriage of roasting and braising, if you will.
• Recipe: Lamb Ragú - Easy and great for making ahead and freezing.
Readers, any more suggestions?
Related: Lamb Tips and Recipe: Adobo Crusted Lamb Loin Chop
(Image: Faith Durand)
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I love lamb in all permutations. One mf may favorite preparations is rogan josh, though I don't have a recipe for it (my MIL's version is one of those "pinch of this and that" type of things), but since the lamb is braised it comes out especially tender.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogan_josh
view Squirrely's profile
I also enjoy lamb "pink" rather than rare to medium rare.
One technique you can use to help with tenderness is to marinate your lamb. Chops can be marinated in olive oil, garlic and herbs before cooking.
Slow cooking will also help produce tender results. A whole leg can be slow roasted in the oven to an internal temperature of 130 and allowed to rest before you slice it.
Allowing all cuts to rest after cooking is a good rule to follow with lamb. The proteins will essentially begin to relax after being subjected to extreme temperature.
Pieces of lamb shoulder with bits of fat still attached can be slow cooked in a crock pot or in a covered dish in the oven for about 2 hours. These pieces can then be used for something like rogan josh or mongolian lamb as described above.
If you are handy with a knife, one thing I like to do is cut the leg into individual muscles. These muscles become little roasts or steaks that can be marinated and grilled, sauteed or roasted to your desired doneness. But be sure to let them roast after they come off of the grill or out of the oven before you slice them!
The shank at the end of the leg becomes wonderfully tender when boiled for soup or braised in the oven. Save all the bones to use for stock. You will have many trimmings which will be perfect for a lamb and bean soup. I like mine with a little tomato and thyme.
view art's profile
Art seems to have covered all the bases here-took the words out of my mouth! All I can add is that this is my favourite marinade ever-Ottoman Lamb:
http://uktv.co.uk/food/recipe/aid/600573
It is actually amazing.
view Sian's profile
The biggest mistake people commit with lamb is the size they pick, once a lamb gets to a certain size it becomes mutton. Mutton is tougher and has a stronger, less desirable flavor. While I worked in a butcher shop I always recommended that people buy two small cuts rather then one large one.
The shank and neck are the only really tough (main) cuts on a lamb and they should be braised or stewed.
The shoulder, if it isn't cut into steaks, is best slow dry roasted at 225 F for about six hours - until the meat pulls off the ends of the bones. If it is in chops, either marinate with an acid component over night and grill or bone it out and use for stew.
The rack is fantastic whole or cut into individual chops (lamb popsicles) this is the one cut that truly is best rare to medium rare. Also the most tender cut in a lamb.
The leg can be cut into its smaller muscles but I recommend against that unless you are will to deal with some less then pretty pieces of meat the first couple of times you do it. And you are going to want to research each muscle, some are super tough (the heel) and some are very tender(sirloin, my personal favorite)
The belly is so fatty that I like to braise it until tender and then, while it is still hot pull out the bones and cartilage, cover in parchment, and press with something very heavy while it cools in the fridge, this can be grilled and slice. Great on a salad.
Use the right cut for the right recipe and you will be golden.
view Saddler 's profile
As an Aussie, with a Cypriot husband I eat a LOT of lamb. Those secondary cuts of lamb are great slow cooked, try a Greek-Cypriot 'tava', use the chops or shoulder (cut into workable pieces) and cook covered for 1.5 hours in a slow oven, with white wine and a few sliced onions, maybe some fresh oregano or parsley.
After this time add some sliced potatoes to the pot and cover the lot with sliced tomatoes, check the liquid to make sure it's not dry and then cook again for another 1 -1.5 hours. This might seem like a lot of cooking but it really takes no prep time at all.
I also use these cuts for curry's, so I second the Rogan Josh!
view appleton's profile