Lamb Preparation Guide

Lamb that has been frozen should never be defrosted at room temperature because harmful bacteria may grow rapidly under such conditions. The best method for thawing lamb (or any other type of meat) is to place it in the refrigerator where it will defrost slowly and safely. A temperature range of 33ºF and 40ºF is ideal. A large cut of lamb may require 24 to 48 hours to defrost in the refrigerator. The meat should be placed on a plate or dish (to catch any juices that may drip from the thawing meat) and stored on the lowest shelf of the refrigerator.

If it is not practical to wait the required time for thawing lamb in the refrigerator, it is possible to defrost the meat in the microwave using the proper defrost setting, but this is definitely not recommended. Some microwave ovens may not defrost the meat evenly, which may allow some portions to become fully thawed while other areas may still be frozen. While waiting for the frozen areas to defrost, harmful bacteria may grow rapidly in the thawed areas of the meat. It is best to use small cuts or pieces of lamb, which are safer to defrost with this method than large lamb cuts. Never use a normal cooking setting to defrost the meat. Lamb cuts should be cooked promptly after defrosting in the microwave and ground lamb must be cooked immediately after thawing. Microwave defrosting should be used only if necessary and should not be the thawing method of choice.

Turn the rack on end and push a knife through the flesh between each rib, using the initial cut as a guide for the knife.

Turn the rack so that the fat side is down and score the thin membrane covering the rib bones using a sharp knife.

A "Guard of Honor" is simply two racks of lamb that have been frenched, with the rib ends interlocked to resemble soldiers' swords. This is another special preparation of rack of lamb that may require an advanced order from a butcher or the home cook can easily create it.

Begin the guard of honor by completing the steps in "Preparing a Rack of Lamb" and then perform the following steps.

Boning a Leg of Lamb

1. Using a sharp knife, cut off some of the heavy fat layer from the outside of the leg.
   
   
2. Run the knife around the curved hipbone that protrudes from the sirloin end (wide end) of the leg. Cut close to the bone to free the bone from the meat and connective tissues attached to it, which will allow the bone to be pulled out.
   
   
3. On the shank end (narrow end) of the leg, run the knife around the shank bone to loosen the meat and tendons from the bone. Twist and pull the bone from the flesh.
   
   
4. Follow the same procedure for removal of the upper leg bone in the sirloin end. Insert a knife into the cavity created by the removal of the hipbone and cut closely around the upper leg bone. When the meat and connective tissue are free from the bone, the bone can be removed from the flesh of the upper leg.

A leg of lamb that has been deboned is often cut in half to separate the sirloin and shank ends of the leg. The halves can be rolled and tied (as shown below) and sold as compact roasts.

1. The boned leg should be placed with the fat side down. Using a sharp knife, cut into the cavity, formed by the removal of the bones. Do not cut all the way through the meat. Excess fat and connective tissue should be trimmed.
   
   
2. Spread out the leg as flat as possible and cut into the thickest areas, but do not cut all the way through the meat. This will result in the boned leg becoming flatter, with a more uniform thickness throughout.
   
   
3. Skewers can be inserted through the meat to help keep it flat, resulting in meat that is more evenly cooked (especially when grilling).

Ground lamb may be purchased from the butcher or food store or it can be prepared at home. You can purchase whole lamb cuts of your choice and grind it yourself, however the lamb should not be ground until you are ready to use it because ground meat deteriorates in quality rather quickly. Before the meat is ground, the fat and tendons should be removed. Several methods for producing ground lamb at home are described below.

Meat Grinder

A manual grinder can be used to grind meat as coarse or fine as you require. This method produces the most evenly ground meat. Some electric mixers also have attachments for grinding meat.

Food Processor

Chopping or grinding fresh lamb cuts is made easy with a food processor. Use the following steps for grinding lamb with this convenient tool:

1. Cut the lamb into cubes before placing it into the food processor.
   
   
2. The food processor should be pulsed on and off, which prevents the lamb cubes from becoming over-processed. Don't allow the food processor to operate continuously.
   
   
3. The meat should be stirred after several pulses to provide an even grind.
   
   
4. The food processor will grind the lamb quickly so it can be easy to over-process the meat, resulting in ground lamb that has a pasty texture. The best results occur when the meat is ground just until the larger chucks are broken down into pieces that are no smaller than ¼ inch.

Manual Chopping

With the use of a sharp knife, lamb can be cut into cubes. It can then be cut into smaller pieces until the meat is the consistency that is desired. Manual chopping will provide firmer ground meat than any of the machine methods.