Different animal meats have different properties, meaning their cooking method should vary to release the best flavour while still cooking them well. For lamb, for example, you only need to look up “how to roast lamb” in your preferred search engine, and you’ll get inundated with a number of recipes and cooking techniques.

Lamb is a popular type of meat worldwide, and not without reason.  The animal is farmable in a host of climates. The meat can be very tender and easy to digest, releasing its nutrients swiftly. It doesn’t contain much fat, saving one from unwanted calories. All one needs to do to make its rich taste stand out is follow the best techniques while cooking it for the occasion. 

Below are a few tips on how to roast lamb for the best results:

Know Your Cuts

It may come as a surprise that the way they cut the meat has a bearing on how well it cooks. The shape, size, and location of the cut all play a role in influencing the outcome of the cooking process. 

If you are going for a slow cook, looking to create quality braises and stews, a tough cut is what you need. On the other hand, prime cuts work wonderfully for quick-cooking, making them suitable for barbecues and simple roasts. They are best-eaten pink. 

Mincing is another great way to consume lamb. You can use minced lamb to make kebabs. You can also use it as a beef substitute in making burgers. Some other dishes, like Shepherd’s Pie, are also possible.

Warm It Right

Meat is to be stored frozen, so you need to unfreeze it before usage. The duration and temperature conditions will have a significant bearing on this process. Therefore, it’s best to time it. At room temperature, the meat will be ready in about 15-20 minutes. The higher the temperature, the quicker it will unfreeze. Do not put it over a flame or in the oven to do this. 

Rack or Leg Cuts

The rack and leg cuts are tender cuts of lamb meat and are perfect for a standard roast. The rack roast is the quicker cook of the two, thanks to its lean meat content. 

The pan to cook rack in must be pre-seared for uniform browning of the meat. The leg needs a more direct approach. 

Temperature and Time 

Both the temperature and the duration of the roast are critical factors while roasting any kind of meat. The tenderness of lamb makes it all the more important to monitor these while it’s getting cooked. 

Different temperatures cook the meat to various levels: very rare (50C), medium rare (55C), medium (pink) (60C), medium well (65C), and well done (72C). Depending on the dish, you need to increase or decrease the temperatures. The variation could be in tandem or mutually exclusive. 

Lamb is best cooked to medium and medium-rare. The typical duration lasts 20-30 minutes. The thickness and part of the lamb also affect the time needed. 

Once done, leave it alone for 15-20 minutes, covering it with a thin plastic sheet or a loose foil hat.