Meat Grinders Guide: How to Carve a Leg of Lamb
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Looking to mix it up for dinner and impress your family or guests with something new for a special occasion? Well, how about bringing lamb to the table and delivering a new flavor that will make their mouths water? Lamb roast that is cooked the right way can be very tasty and flavorful, but some help might be needed for someone that is not too familiar with this meat.
This article is focused on breaking down how to cook, carve and serve your lamb properly. Here is an easy step-by-step guide to making lamb that will make everyone’s mouth drop!
How to Cook a Lamb Leg
This simple guide entails an easy step-by-step breakdown of how to cook your roasted leg of lamb to perfection!
- Step One – Preparation: Make sure the lamb (5 to 7 pounds) is at room temperature before getting dirty with it. Then rub olive oil evenly throughout the lamb and season with salt, pepper and paprika. Finally, pan-sear the lamb on the stove, both sides for 5 minutes each on a medium temperature. Additionally, top the lamb with chopped garlic and rosemary when searing is complete.
- Step Two – Cooking Process: Place the lamb on a non-stick pan and cover the entire pan with foil. Cook lamb at 325 degrees F in the oven for around an hour. Make sure the grill rack is in the middle of your oven.
- Step Three – Perfect Lamb: After the cooking process is complete, check the internal temperature of the lamb. The lamb should be 135 degrees F for the ideal temperature. This indicates that your lamb is medium rare. Let the lamb sit for around 20 to 30 minutes before slicing so the juices sink in.
How to Carve a Leg of Lamb
Cave Tools meat handler forks and claws
This part is very simple and it always helps to have Cave Tools meat claws to help you keep the meat in place!
The first step is to turn the lamb sideways so the bone is parallel to the cutting board. Then make perpendicular slices from the bone of the lamb and cut straight down into delicious slices. If, by any chance, you don’t have the meat claws yet, you can use a carving knife or just a sharp knife, a carving fork to carve a bone-in leg of lamb. Not as easy and you will definitely need to possess some wild knife skills, but still doable! Put everything on a serving platter and voilà.
To finish the dish, add mashed potatoes or surprise your guests with something more interesting.
Leg of Lamb Recipe and Side Dish
Now that you understand how to cook a leg of lamb to perfection, it is time to mix it up with this unique, but delicious recipe.
This sauce is a great complement for your lamb and you will be surprised of how great this sauce complements your tender lamb.
Side dish: Potato Gratin
Ingredients:
- One clove of garlic (finely chopped)
- Two pounds of russet potatoes (peeled and thinly sliced)
- One cup of gruyere cheese (grated)
- One cup of cream
- Two teaspoons of salt and pepper
- Half a cup of nutmeg
Directions:
- First preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and take out a baking dish.
- Rub the entire dish with garlic for flavoring.
- Layer the bottom of the dish with the sliced potatoes and then add the cheese, cream, nutmeg and seasoning.
- Then add a second layer of potatoes on top and add cheese, cream, nutmeg and seasoning once more. Bake the dish for 50 to 60 minute and enjoy! I hope you enjoy the lamb as much as I have and take a look at our next
- Bake the dish for 50 to 60 minute and enjoy! I hope you enjoy the lamb as much as I have and take a look at our next
I hope you enjoy the lamb as much as I have and take a look at our next carving guide for rotisserie chicken!
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do you cook a leg of lamb?
It should take approximately 15 to 20 minutes per pound of lamb, so a five pound leg of lamb would take about 1 hour 15 minutes to an 1 hour 40 minutes to cook the lamb to a medium-rare temperature.
What temperature should you cook leg of lamb?
For rare lamb, you’re going for 125 degrees F. Most people like it a little more done than this, such as a medium-rare temperature of 130 degrees F. If you don’t like a lot of pink in your finished meat, you can cook it to 135 degrees F for medium. We wouldn’t recommend cooking it longer than that, although well-done would be 155 degrees F.
Do you cut lamb with the grain or against the grain?
For the most tender slices, you’ll want to slice lamb against the grain. To locate the grain, look at the exterior of the lamb and see which way the muscle fibers are running. These fibers are collectively known as the grain. Once you determine which way they go, you’ll want to make slices in the opposite direction. Think of the knife as creating an intersection with the grain.
What can you do with the leftover lamb bone?
The best part about cooking a bone-in leg of lamb is having the leftover bones! These bones make excellent bone broth that’s very high in vitamins and minerals. Simply simmer the lamb bone in water with aromatic vegetables like onions, carrots, and celery (as you would with chicken or beef broth) until the broth is very flavorful and rich.
How much does a leg of lamb serve?
A whole leg of lamb usually weighs anywhere between five to seven pounds. This amount of meat should feed about eight people. You can freeze the leftovers if you have any, so don’t worry about making too much lamb! Leftover leg of lamb also makes a great gyro-style sandwich, or you could create a Mediterranean flavored pasta dish.
