How to Roast Lamb That's Tender and Juicy Every Time (2024)

FAQs

How do you keep lamb moist when cooking? ›

All the lamb needs is a sprinkle of salt and pepper, drizzle of olive oil. Add beef broth/stock and water into the pan (keeps everything all nice and moist + makes pan juices for gravy), cover then slow roast for 5 hours until tender and fall apart.

Lower temp = more succulent meat – Tough cuts like lamb shoulder need slow-cooking to tenderise them. The lower the roasting temperature, the less total moisture evaporation and thus juicier meat. 3-hour lamb is cooked at 180°C/350°F, while the 12 hour lamb is cooked at only 100°C/212°F.

Slow-cooking lamb

Slow cooking in liquid transforms tougher cuts of lamb into fork-tender meat. Neck, shoulder and belly, either diced or as whole joints, are the best cuts for slow cooking and need to be cooked for at least 2 hrs at 150C to soften the meat.

Raw vegetables, fruits, and malt contain enzymes that help in breaking down proteins. Using these ingredients when preparing lamb meat can help make your meat tender. One way to do this is by using salted koji to soften the meat. It contains just the right amount of salt so that it also serves to season the meat.

It can be traditionally roasted but is best slow-roasted, pot-roasted or braised with liquid until practically falling apart. Shoulder can also be diced for stewing, or cut into shoulder chops. A pre-sliced roast is convenient, but it tends to dry out in the oven.

When meat is sliced with the grain, it often results in tougher, chewier pieces. Follow this tip: The grain of the meat refers to the direction in which the muscle fibers run. Always slice lamb against the grain, cutting across the muscle fibers rather than with them.

Roast leaner cuts of lamb in a hotter oven (450°F) to get a lovely brown crust and a well-cooked center; cook fattier cuts of lamb low and slow (325°F) to render all the fat and allow the lamb to cook in its juices. Due to residual heat, your lamb will continue to cook even after you pull it out of the oven.

The best way to do this is by placing the meat fat side up. This way, fat drips down the roast beef as it melts and you get a succulent roast. It's essentially a self-basting technique that ensures the meat is always covered in juice to prevent drying out.

Temperature is by far the most critical aspect of cooking lamb chops. Undercooking even tender lamb chops can render them unpleasantly chewy, while overcooking will lead to tough, dried-out meat. Rib chops should be cooked to about 130°F, while loin chops are better at 135°F or even 140°F.

For the perfect roast lamb, we recommend seasoning the surface of the meat, and then searing it, especially fat side down in a pan before roasting. Why bother with searing? Contrary to some stories, searing is less about locking in moisture, and all about improving the flavour!

How long does it take for lamb to tender? ›

Medium: About 25 minutes per pound or until internal temperature registers 135°F to 140°F. Well-Done: About 30 minutes per pound or until internal temperature registers 155°F to 165°F. Falling-Apart Tender Lamb: About 40 minutes per pound or until the internal temp registers 175°F. This can take about 6 hours or so.

Baking soda acts as a meat tenderizer by changing the physical composition of meat fibers. It raises the pH levels on the surface and makes it tougher (pun intended) for the proteins in the meat to bond.

To prevent lean cuts from drying out while cooking, the meat may be rubbed with oil prior to roasting and/or basted with pan juices during roasting. The only reliable guide for making sure that a lamb roast has reached a particular stage of doneness, is with the use of an accurate meat thermometer.

Tenderising lamb meat

Baking soda / bi-carb and cornflour/cornstarch are the secret ingredients that tenderise the lamb meat. It's a technique called “velveting” that is used by Chinese restaurants, and it's the reason why the meat in your favourite Chinese dishes are always so soft.

OVERCOOKING THE LAMB.

The more you cook it, the more it dries out. Scientifically speaking, meat fibers contain water and connective tissue that turns into gelatin as the meat cooks.

The best way is to slowly reheat it in a covered dish, adding some water or broth to moisten the meat. You can also slice the Lamb before reheating, which will help it heat through more evenly.

Make a brine by combining 1 cup of salt to 1gallon of water. Brine the meat about four hours and rinse thoroughly. There will be no added saltiness to the finished product. Brine a turkey overnight in the same solution, increasing the amount of brining liquid to cover the bird.