Cooking tips … to achieve the perfect roast lamb
What does the perfect roast lamb look and taste like? To us it’s crusty on the outside with a tender, juicy inside. So how do you achieve roast lamb perfection? It’s all about choosing the right cut, seasoning and getting your cooking technique right. Here’s our top tips for mouth-wateringly delicious roast lamb.
Which cut?
The leg and rack are the most tender cuts and most suited to roasting. Legs can be bought as boneless or bone-in. The rack is the part of the lamb with the ribs and makes an excellent roast. The crown roast was a popular dish in the 1970s and early 1980s and consisted of two or more racks of lamb tied together to form a circular roast that resembled a crown.
There’s a reason that we season
Seasoning enhances the flavour of roast lamb. You can choose a simple seasoning of salt and pepper, or introduce complementary flavours like rosemary, thyme, lemon zest, oregano, mint and garlic. If using fresh herbs to season, chop them up finely, drizzle the lamb with a little olive oil and rub the herbs over the lamb. To enhance the flavour, wrap the lamb and refrigerate overnight. You can also season the lamb by making small cuts into the meat and adding herbs into the slits.
Cooking roast lamb
If your cut of lamb is lean (not much visible fat) a hotter oven will ensure that the outside has a nice crust without overcooking and drying out the middle. Fattier cuts should be cooked for longer at lower temperatures to allow the fat to dissolve and impart its flavour through the meat.
To cook your roast, preheat your oven or barbecue to the recommended temperature for the cut of lamb that you are using (see our chart below), then follow the cooking times for the weight. When the cooking time is complete, you can check the internal temperature of the lamb with a meat thermometer.
|
CUT OF LAMB |
OVEN TEMPERATURE |
RARE 60C |
MEDIUM 65C |
WELL DONE 70C |
|
Rack of lamb |
200C |
24 minutes per 500 grams |
33 minutes per 500 grams |
43 minutes per 500 grams |
|
Loin (boned and rolled) easy-carve leg or shoulder |
180C |
19 minutes per 500 grams |
26 minutes per 500 grams |
30 minutes per 500 grams |
|
Lamb leg (butterflied) |
180C |
12 minutes per 500 grams |
15 minutes per 500 grams |
18 minutes per 500 grams |
|
Lamb shoulder (butterflied) |
180C |
22 minutes per 500 grams |
25 minutes per 500 grams |
29 minutes per 500 grams |
|
Boneless lamb shoulder (boned and rolled) |
180C |
19 minutes per 500 grams |
26 minutes per 500 grams |
31 minutes per 500 grams |
|
CUT OF LAMB |
BARBECUE TEMPERATURE |
RARE 60C |
MEDIUM 65C |
WELL DONE 70C |
|
Rack of Lamb |
200C |
20 – 25 minutes regardless of weight |
30 -35 minutes regardless of weight |
40 - 45 minutes regardless of weight |
|
Leg or shoulder (bone in), easy-carve leg/shoulder |
180C |
25 minutes per 500 grams |
30 minutes per 500 grams |
35 minutes per 500 grams |
Rest your roast
Resting your roast lamb will allow the juices to reabsorb into the meat, to give you that much-desired tender and juicy interior. When your roast is within 5C of its cooked temperature, remove it from the oven and cover to rest for 15 – 20 minutes, before you carve and enjoy it.
