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.

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