how to cook different cuts of lamb

how to cook different cuts of lamb

Posted by Heather Meldrom


 

Spring has officially sprung and Easter and Passover are just around the corner. Perhaps you are thinking of serving lamb for this years celebration. Here are some commonly available cuts of lamb and the best ways to prepare them.

Lamb is slowly gaining popularity here in America and is being stocked more frequently in the butcher's case. You can typically find lamb chops (either loin or rib, sometimes both), leg of lamb (bone in or a boneless roast), shoulder chops or steaks, and ground lamb in your local grocery store or at your butcher.


CHOPS: RIB (pictured) or LOIN (think tiny t-bone)

These will most likely be the most expensive cut per pound. The meat here is loin, which runs along the back of the animal, it is more tender because it is not used as much as the leg, for example. A tender cut such as this is best suited to quicker cooking methods like grilling, pan searing, and broiling, where the meat cooks quickly and will not dry out (more likely with cuts that have little fat in the muscle itself).


LEG OF LAMB: BONE IN or BONELESS (will usually be tied into a roast)

Because of the size of this cut and because it is a muscle which the animal uses frequently,  it is typically served best with a long cooking time at lower temperatures. Roasting in a low temperature oven or even braising it in liquid over several hours will ensure that you end up with a tender, juicy, flavorful result. A boneless leg of lamb can also be butterflied so that it is thinner and lays flat, in which case it can be grilled because it will be able to cook evenly.


SHOULDER CHOPS/STEAKS:

These are great for grilling or for quickly braising on the stovetop or oven in some liquid because they are fairly thin and have a nice amount of fat interspersed with the muscle.
GROUND LAMB: You can substitute ground lamb for most anything that you would use ground beef in. Ground lamb makes and EXCELLENT grilled burger.
The American Lamb Board has great information on their website including photos of all commercially available cuts of lamb.



http://everydayfoodblog.marthastewart.com/2010/03/how-to-cook-different-cuts-of-lamb.html