Lamb Roast

[londoneye]

I know it's not really French but hey ho!

Have some friends around for dinner boxing day, so we are having a small xmas dinner together on christmas day and doing something a little grander on Boxing Day this year.

I am not exactly a natural cook (picture hair on end, sweat, panic, requirement to drink alcohol to get through the experience, thus normally legless by the time I have finished). Getting the picture?

Normally when I cook lamb what happens is that everything looks lovely and then when I cut into it, it's practically raw in middle, so I hack it about a bit and stick it back in the oven to finish cooking.

Anyway, it occurred to me that perhaps I might have greater success with slow roast lamb, which surely must be cooked after xxx number of hours, thus saving me the stress of following the above procedure with 4 guests staring at me in abject horror while I butcher the half cooked carcass and stuff the bits back in the oven. (No, I am not exaggerating either!).

Question, after very long-winded explanation, is it fool-proof and does it taste good. I have a 2.7 kg leg of lamb by the way.

Temperature, cooking time?

There are so many recipes that I am exhausted just trying to decide on which one.

Feeling stressed already and it's not even Christmas yet ...

[cooperlola]

I Delia my lamb.  1/2hr at 230 then 1/2 hr per lb at 180  (you'll have to figure out the kilo bit!)  That cooks through too much for my taste (the way it usually turns out for you sounds perfect to me) so I leave it in for less time than she says but it will probably suit you. Stab it about 15 times and stick slivers of garlic in the stab wounds!   

IMO, shoulder is best; it's also flatter so cooks through better.

[londoneye]

Sadly Delia is the one who has been causing me all my problems !

Actually not true - I have a wood-burning stove with no temperature gauge which probably causes most of the problems.

But it's quite good on low (ie don't put any wood in until you only have embers left!).

Have you ever done slow roast coops ?

Oh and it has to be leg because that's what I've got (special offer intermarche a few weeks ago - I'm so tight!)

[suej]

 

 Have a look at bbcgoodfood.com/recipes, then search for  Seven Hour Lamb.

I've been using this for quite a while now, its great. Just make sure you  brown it as much as possible before. I cook it in the oven ,covered,in my le Creuset thing or in the slow cooker. I spike it with slices of garlic or sprigs of rosemary or both depending on my fancy, and I tend to use a dry rosé rather than a white wine.

It really is easy-peasy and delicious.

For me the joy of this recipe is that all the browning , preparation and fiddly bits are done hours before any one arrives on the scene and stress levels are low!  It's called SEVEN hour , mine is always ready after 5 hours at the most ,but that maybe my oven ... Works equally well with small or large legs, just watch the timing but sits around cooked for hours quite happily.

I find it very hard to steel myself to cook a leg of lamb any other way now!

 

 

 

[Théière]

[quote user="londoneye"]Sadly Delia is the one who has been causing me all my problems ! Actually not true - I have a wood-burning stove with no temperature gauge which probably causes most of the problems. But it's quite good on low (ie don't put any wood in until you only have embers left!). Have you ever done slow roast coops ? Oh and it has to be leg because that's what I've got (special offer intermarche a few weeks ago - I'm so tight!)[/quote]

Jees why not do it the hard way [blink]

Go and buy a meat thermometer that will do two jobs, tell you the oven temp before you insert it into the meat and then tell you when the meat is done how you like it.

Good luck.

[just john]

Well you could do worse than cook it the way Van Gogh liked it, in the cookbook Van Gogh's Table at the Auberge Ravoux which gives recipes from his time at the cafe Auberge Ravoux and still trades, (bit more expensive these days!). We've used the recipe for lamb several times and once even for a leg of Venison (won at the Chasse dinner), each time it was superb, melting in the mouth.

Their recipe for 7hr lamb is to marinade the joint in a large dish with carrot, onion, celery, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, peppercorns and cover completely with a couple bottles of white wine (we used rose the second time and with the venison); ensure the leg is submerged in the wine, cover then leave in the Fridge for 24hrs. To cook, remove the lamb and brown thoroughly in a pan, put it in an oven proof dish (or if on top I use a  lecreuset. Doufeu/  ) next brown off the veg from the marinade in the same pan, add to the oven dish with the meat and pour over the marinade wine, (you could add a quantity of stock at this stage if in the oven but I didn't) get the oven to about 150 (or sit it on top a la Doufeu instructions) for about 3 hrs, start looking after 2hrs subject to your temperature control). Leave before carving for an hour, during this time you can do veg and reduce the cooking stock to make a gravy, serve with green beans and lentil and onion mash. Simple, GI, and heaven on a plate[:D]

[londoneye]

thanks

Think I am going to give the 7 hour lamb a go.

Thiere, thermometer for oven would be no good I think, because the temperature probably goes up and down all the time. Although surprisingly I manage to cook pastry and the odd (normally very odd!) cake with no problems - you do start to get a feel for general temperature - except lamb! I never thought of a meat thermometer before - might look for one.

I'm going to have a go !

Will report back ...

Wishing you all a fantastic Christmas.

[Chancer]

I am cooking a le of lamb as we speak in my halogen oven, it is browning nicely already after half an hour at 175c but I have no idea how long to cook it, I do however have a tyre pyrometer in my old race car toolkit which should make a good meat thermometer.

My question is what temperature at the core of the joint should I be looking for?

And even a guess at how long to cook it in a conventional oven would give me somethng to go on, its 2.2kg

[Pommier]

Here you are!

http://halogenovenrecipes.forumotion.com/your-favourite-recipes-f3/roast-lamb-and-veg-t132.htm

Hope it helps.

[just john]

[quote user="Chancer"] I do however have a tyre pyrometer in my old race car toolkit which should make a good meat thermometer. My question is what temperature at the core of the joint should I be looking for? [/quote]

Depends if you don't want it to go rubbery . . .[:P]

[Théière]

[quote user="Chancer"]

I am cooking a le of lamb as we speak in my halogen oven, it is browning nicely already after half an hour at 175c but I have no idea how long to cook it, I do however have a tyre pyrometer in my old race car toolkit which should make a good meat thermometer.

My question is what temperature at the core of the joint should I be looking for?

And even a guess at how long to cook it in a conventional oven would give me somethng to go on, its 2.2kg

[/quote]

How do you like your tyres, medium rare, radial or crossply? [:P]

Edit: Sorry JJ crossed post

[just john]

[quote user="Théière"] How do you like your tyres, medium rare, radial or crossply? [:P]

Edit: Sorry JJ crossed post

[/quote]

No problem, it was on the same track, more mileage in mine of course[8-|]

[Patf]

Hope it turns out well, Londoneye.

But I agree with Coops - next time buy shoulder. It's much easier to cook and is more succulent and flavoursome, roasted slowly to draw out the fat.

Pot-roast it on a bed of vegetables - carrots, onions,leeks, potatoes, tomatoes etc and a few fresh herbs. Plus some stock.

[Chancer]

Cooked to perfection, eaten and now all washed up. the batteries were dead in my pyrometer so I just stopped when it looked about right, its only the second time since I bought the halogen oven that I have been able to afford to cook anything of a decent size in it (the first was a chicken) and I am still very very impressed with it.

My under counter oven has not been used since summer 2009, if only I could find a matching facade to remove it.

Pommier. I have just seen your posting thankyou [:)]

[idun]

Friends? French? Just wondering as lamb is something that we always have with french friends for the Reveillon de St Sylvestre.

I know lots of people like lamb 'pink'.

I know lots of people like lamb with garlic and maybe rosemary stuffed into it too.

I LOVE roast lamb, I like it well cooked and simply roasted on it's own, it's wonderful flavour IMO needs nothing with it. I put it in the oven 'covered' and some water in the bottom of the roasting pan, on about 150°c for about two hours. Then I up the temperature up a little and baste it well and cook it for another hour or two.

Left overs, I will do all sorts with, curry it etc.

[theboy]

Hi chancer, meat turns brown at around 62 degrees c, so if you want your lamb, rare, keep the core temp under that. I prefer other meats, cooked to a temp. of around 83/4 minimum, but that is only my preferrence.

Regards, the boy.

[goose]

If I want a slow cooked leg of lamb I use the Good Food recipe for Slow-cooked lamb with onions & thyme it takes 3.5 hours and is delicious. http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1826/slowcooked-lamb-with-onions-and-thyme