How To Cook The Perfect Lamb

Fire up the barbie, spring is here! We love this season for celebrating both peak BBQ weather and peak lamb supply.

Tender, versatile and a rich source of high-quality protein and essential vitamins, lamb is one of our favourite meats year-round. But spring is THE season for savouring lamb at its best, with an abundance of spring lambs (born in last year’s autumn/winter) on the market.

Lamb is a top quality option for a barbecue lunch with mates, a delicious mid-week dinner for the family or as the centrepiece to springtime entertaining at home. And with so many different cuts to choose from, from grill-ready chops and t-bones to legs and shanks begging for a slow braise, you’re spoilt for choice!

Want to get in on the lamb love this season? We’re here to help.

Choosing the best cut

So how do you know which cut to choose for your dish or occasion? Here’s a rundown of the primary lamb cuts available.

Shoulder - full of flavour but takes a while to become tender, so it’s an excellent choice for dicing, braising and stewing, for curries or slow-roasting on the bone. Try our free-range shoulder oyster cut.

Leg - this cut comes from the leg of a lamb, and has a strong flavour but is fairly lean. A leg cut can come with bone in like this one, or deboned and butterflied, like this one we marinate in lemon, rosemary, garlic and pepper.

Shank - rich in collagen and fat, a shank comes from the lower section of the leg and can be from the front legs (foreshank) or the back legs (hind shank). It’s a tough cut which becomes tender and juicy with slow and low cooking, perfect for stews. Take a look here.

Chop & racks - chops or cutlets are tender and flavoursome, taken from the ribs of the lamb and cooked individually. They’re great for the grill or barbeque. You can buy them in several ways, including with cap on like these lamb cutlets, French trimmed or crumbed like these. When they come attached as a group, you’re looking at a rack of lamb like this one from Tassie.

Loin chop - from the waist of the lamb, between the leg and the rack, these are also known as the lamb T-bone steak. They are great for the grill or barbeque, like these ones here, and are best suited to high heat cooking methods.

Rump - a lean, tender cut from the back of the lamb, this is one of the most versatile cuts, great when cooked on the BBQ, in a slow cooker, oven or in a stew.

Top 9 tips for cooking lamb

Whether you’re cooking lamb for the first time or looking to perfect what you serve up on the plate, these tips from our chefs will help you achieve the best results when cooking your cut.

Store lamb in the coldest part of your fridge until ready to cook - which is usually at the very back of the bottom shelf.
Lamb cuts can be stored in your freezer for 3-4 months.
Bring your meat up to room temperature before cooking to prevent it from drying out and to ensure it cooks evenly.
After cooking, allow the lamb to rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting to maintain juiciness.
Invest in a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the lamb to accurately determine when it’s cooked. Around 50ºC is rare, 60ºC is medium and 70ºC is well done.
Grass-fed meat requires less cooking time - about 30% less is a good rule of thumb.
The longer you marinate, the greater the depth of flavour.
Cook leaner cuts of lamb on high heat.
Herbs and spices which pair well with lamb include rosemary, thyme, garlic, cumin and mint.

Spring lamb recipes

Butterflied lamb leg with chermoula

Lamb legs are great for all occasions as the ideal cut to share when entertaining guests. If you’re firing up the grill or a weekend barbecue for spring, your guests will be your best mates for life once they get a taste of our easy carve lamb leg you’re bringing to the table.

SERVES 6

PREP TIME 20 mins

COOKING TIME 45 mins

Ingredients

5kg butterflied lamb leg

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp sumac

Salt to season

Chermoula:

¾ cup (185mls) olive oil

1 lemon, rind finely grated, juiced

3 garlic cloves, peeled

¼ tsp chili flakes

2 tsp ground cumin

½ tsp smoked paprika

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp sea salt flakes

2/3 cup finely chopped coriander

2 tbsp finely chopped flat leaf parsley

Method

Pre-heat oven to 200◦C. Combine oil and sumac a bowl, coat lamb with this mixture. Season with a little salt.
Heat a large frying pan over high heat until it is very hot. Sear the lamb on both sides and transfer to a baking dish. Roast for 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine oil, lemon rind, juice, garlic, chilli flakes, cumin, paprika, cinnamon and salt. Using a blender or food , blend or process until smooth. Add coriander and parsley and blend until herbs are chopped but not pureed. Season to taste and add a little more lemon juice if necessary.
After 45 minutes, remove lamb from oven. Cover loosely with foil and rest for 20 minutes before carving to serve.
Thickly slice the lamb, serve with the chermoula and a tomato salad.

Recipe source: Australian Lamb

Red wine balsamic and rosemary braised lamb shanks

One of our best selling lamb cuts, shanks are best slow cooked to perfection until it becomes fall-off-the-bone tender - an experience you’ll find with this deliciously flavoursome and easy recipe.

SERVES 4

PREP TIME 25 mins

COOKING TIME 150 mins

Ingredients

4 lamb shanks, trimmed

8 eschallots, peeled

1 cup red wine

2 cups chicken stock

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

2 long sprigs rosemary

Olive oil mash and broccolini, to serve

Method

Preheat the oven to 170°C. Place a heavy based casserole over a moderately high heat. Rub some olive oil over the lamb and season with salt and pepper. Sear for 8 minutes or until browned all over. Remove the shanks and set aside.
Place the shallots in the pan and cook for 4 minutes or until coloured. Add the wine, stock, vinegar and rosemary along with the lamb. Bring up to the boil, cover and place in the oven for 2 hours or until very tender. Remove the lid and cook for a further 30 minutes. Turn them over once or twice if they are colouring too much.
Use a spoon to skim off any fat that has risen to the surface and reduce the sauce over a high heat if necessary. Serve with olive oil mash and steamed broccolini.

Recipe source: Australian Lamb