The Flavour of Lamb

According to Harold McGee, "Lamb and sheep meat is finer grained and more tender than beef, but well-endowed with red myoglobin and with flavor, including a characteristic odor that becomes more pronounced with age. Pasture-feeding, particularly on alfalfa and clover, increases the levels of a compound called skatole, which also contributes a barnyardy element to pork flavor, while lambs finished on grain for a month before slaughter are milder.

In the United States, lambs are sold in a range of ages and weights, from 1 to 12 months and 20–100 lbs/9–45 kg, under a variety of names, including “milk” and “hothouse” lamb for younger animals, “spring” and “Easter” lamb for the rest (though production is no longer truly seasonal).

New Zealand lamb is pasture-fed but slaughtered at four months, younger than most American lamb, and remains mild.

In France, older lambs (mouton) and young female sheep (brebis) are aged for a week or more after slaughter, and develop an especially rich flavour.

It's worth mentioning that lamb, sheep (or hogget), and mutton are not the same products. Lamb are sheep under a year old, hogget is from one to two years old, and mutton is anything older than that. Hogget and mutton are typically not sold in markets outside of Norway, New Zealand, South Africa, Scotland, and Australia; so, if you are in North America and reading this, you will likely only have lamb available to you (unless you know a butcher or sheep farmer). As well, if you are a Caribbean or South Asian reader, mutton refers to goat meat, not lamb.

Lamb Cooking Temperatures

The USDA recommendation for safe preparation of lamb is an internal temperature 145 degrees Fahrenheit, which will ensure your lamb is medium-well. However, the USDA also recommends that beef steaks be cooked to 145° F, which may not be how you enjoy your steak (we cook our steaks to rare, and our lamb to medium-rare). We leave the choice of internal temperature up to you, but for reference, here are some internal temperatures and corresponding "doneness" labels for each temperature:

• Rare: 115-120° F
• Medium-rare: 125° F
• Medium: 130°F
• Medium-well: 145° F
• Well-done: 150°F+

Marinades for Lamb

Marinades are liquids that you immerse a piece of something in so that it is tenderized and takes on the flavour of the marinade. Marinades can range from buttermilk, to wine, to fruit juices, and are useful for bringing big flavour to a meal with little direct effort. Meat can marinade anywhere from a few hours to whole days, but attention should be paid to longer marinade times: your marinade will work slowly to penetrate the meat, and could leave the outside of the cut more sour than pleasant. Use your discretion to figure out when to remove your meat from the marinade.

Marinades are acidic liquids, originally vinegar and now including such ingredients as wine, fruit juices, buttermilk, and yogurt, in which you immerse meat for hours to days before cooking. They have been used since Renaissance era, when their primary function was to slow spoil age and to provide flavour. Today, meats are marinated primarily to flavour them and to make them moister and tender. Perhaps the most common marinated meat dish is a stew, for which the meat is immersed in a mixture of wine and herbs and then cooked in it.

The acid in marinades does weaken muscle tissue and increase its ability to retain moisture. But marinades penetrate slowly, and can give the meat's surface an overly sour flavour while they do so. The penetration time can be reduced by cutting meat into thin pieces or by using a cooking syringe to inject the marinade into larger pieces.

As mentioned before, lamb is a wonderful vessel for herbs and spices. You won't need to marinate lamb for tenderness, but you may want todo so for seasoning. Here are some ideas for marinades or rubs to take your lamb's flavor to eleven:

• Lemon, oregano, and garlic
• Coriander seed and orange
• Garam masala and yogurt
• Pistachio and mint
• Chimichurri
• White wine and thyme
• Five spice and chillies

We encourage you to start with a flavour combination you like, then branch out from there.

How to Make it

Make the Marinade

In a food processor or blender, blend the lemon juice, lemon zest, dill, rosemary, parsley, garlic, shallot, salt, and pepper together until well-combined. If you do not have a blender or food processor, you can chop the ingredients finely instead.

Add your marinade and the lamb chops to a large freezer bag or container. Make sure that the lamb is completely coated in the marinade before placing it in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

Prep and cook the Lamb

When you are ready to cook the lamb, remove it from the marinade and wipe away any excess marinade. With a paper towel, pat the lamb dry. This will help to create a crust. Set the lamb aside and allow it to come to room temperature before cooking (20-30 minutes).

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Meanwhile, heat a neutral oil in a stainless steel or cast iron pan. A neutral oil like canola or grapeseed has a higher smoke point, which will allow you too cook the lamb at a medium-high temperature. Using a stainless steel or cast iron pan ensures even heat distribution, making it easier to cook the lamb.

When your pan is ready, add the lamb chops, fat cap first, to the pan. Keep it on the fat cap until the fat renders out and a crust begins to form. This will melt the fat and incorporate it into the pan while cooking, imbuing the lamb with its delicious flavour.

Sear the lamb chops for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until a crust forms and it reaches an internal temperature of 125°F. If you would like your lamb more well-done, cook the chops longer on each side until it reaches your desired doneness.

Remove the lamb from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to rest for 10-15 minutes before serving. This recipe would go well with mashed or roasted potatoes, green beans, snap peas, or a fennel salad.