Roasting lamb meat rather than grilling it create a delightfully tender dish that melts in your mouth while exploding with juicy flavors. Slow roasting naturally allows the meat to gradually cook over time. As a result, the meat is far more tender than it would be if you were to grill it. As long as you season and/or marinate it appropriately, your slow-roasted lamb will create a truly chef-quality dish. However, there are a few things you should know before attempting to slow roast lamb meat.

Obviously, slow roasting lamb meat will require a greater amount of time than cooking it on the stove or grill. The exact amount of time depends on a variety of factors, such as the size of your lamb meat, temperature and the level of tenderness you desire. Generally speaking, the longer the meat roasts, the more tender it will be. A good rule of thumb is to slow roast your lamb meat for at least 4 hours, even more if you are looking to create a superior level of tenderness.

There are several different cuts of lamb that are perfect for slow roasting. Some of my personal favorite are the leg, shoulder and loin. Each of these cuts are incredibly flavorful, juicy and easy to cook. The next time you are looking to slow roast lamb, try using one of these cuts. You might have difficulty finding particular cuts of lamb meat at the local grocery store, but an experienced butcher should be more than happy to offer you a great deal on various cuts such as these. Besides, you can rest assured knowing your lamb meat is fresh when it comes straight from the butcher. Fresh lamb meat is certainly a better choice for slow roasting,.

Some people may feel the need to trim the fat off their lamb meat before slow roasting it. However, this is an all-too-common mistake that ultimately results in less flavor and less tenderness. Fat, also known as marbling, is a key ingredient that brings flavor to the meat. As your lamb meat slow roasts, the marbling will literally melt off, coating the meat with a thin layer of flavor. Cooking your lamb meat with the fat doesn’t create hard-to-eat gristles or similar areas. Instead, it simply makes the meat more flavorful and tender. The bottom line is that you should always leave the fat on your lamb meat while slow roasting it.

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AVOID THESE MISTAKES WHEN COOKING LAMB KEBABS

Lamb kebabs offer a fresh take on traditional grilled chops. By cutting small portions of the meat off the bone and placing them on a skewer, they’ll not only cook faster but they will also infuse the surrounding vegetables with their flavor. Lamb kebabs are frequently made with red peppers, bell peppers, onions and mushrooms. You can even give your dish a “tropical” touch by incorporating pineapple chunks into your skewers as well. But to create truly delightful and delicious lamb skewers, you must avoid the following mistakes.

Not soaking skewers

Arguably, the single biggest mistake people make when cooking lamb kebabs is not soaking their skewers in water beforehand. Piercing your meat and vegetables with a dry, unsoaked skewer is a disaster waiting to happen. Whether you intend on cooking the kebabs in the oven or on the grill, the skewers must be moist; otherwise, they will simply burn up. A good rule of thumb is to soak the skewers in a bucket or pitcher of iced water for at least 30 minutes. Once they are done soaking, you can pierce them through your lamb meat and vegetables cubes.

Chopping meat too small

Lamb meat must be chopped, or diced, relatively small to fit on a standard skewer. However, cutting your meat too small may result in it falling off. There’s a fine line between cutting your meat just right and making it too small. Unfortunately, the only way to determine if your meat is too small is through trial and error. Carefully watch over your meat to ensure it’s staying on the skewer. If it begins to fall off, you’ll probably want to remove it and finish cooking it on the stove. Small chunks of lamb meat or vegetables will likely fall through the grates of your grill, never to be seen or heard of again.

Overcooking

It’s easy to overcook your lamb kebabs if you aren’t careful. Because the meat is considerably smaller in size, it cooks much faster than normal lamb chops. Depending on how hot your grill is, lamb kebabs should only require a couple minutes of cooking on each side. After a few minutes have passed, flip the kebabs over so the other side will cook. I recommend checking to see whether the meat is done cooking by doing the press test. Press your finger against a cube of cooked lamb meat to see how it responds. If it’s still soft and squishy with red juice coming out, you may want to let it cook for a couple more minutes.

LAMB KOFTA – A FRESH TAKE ON TRADITIONAL LAMB

If you are looking for a fun new way to cook ground lamb meat, you should consider making kofta. This is a highly flavorful dish that’s loaded with seasoning, onions, garlic and breading. The end result in a hearty dish that most people instantly fall in love with. Because it’s primarily prepared in the Middle East and parts of Asia, though, few people know the correct way to prepare and cook kofta. To help you get started on the right track, we’re going to give you a quick breakdown on how to make lamb kofta.

The easiest way to describe kofta is by comparing it to meatloaf. While there are dozens if not hundreds of different lamb kofta recipes floating around, nearly all of them feature a combination of ground lamb meat, bread crumbs and various other ingredients (onions, peppers, etc.). If you’ve made meatloaf before, then you’ll naturally have an advantage when it comes to preparing lamb kofta. The principle of mixing ground meat with other ingredients is the same, and that’s essentially what creates the deliciously flavorful kofta.

The first and arguably most important step in preparing lamb kofta is to choose the correct type of meat. As previously stated, this dish is strikingly similar to meatloaf; therefore, it’s recommended that you choose at least a pound of premium ground lamb meat to use in your kofta. Make sure the meat contains at least 15% fat content for additional flavor. Opting for leaner meat might save you some calories, but it certainly won’t taste as good. Instead, go all out with a pound of ground lamb consisting of 15-20% fat.

Most experienced chefs will agree that the secret to cooking delicious lamb kofta is to blend the right ingredients into the meat. Onions, red peppers, green peppers and egg are all excellent ingredients that work well with the naturally juicy and delicious flavors of ground lamb meat. After adding these ingredients, top your mixture off by using a combination of salt, pepper, thyme and rosemary. Go ahead and cook the ball-shaped patties on the grill or in the oven until they are almost crispy on the outside.

Before serving the lamb kofta, place them on a warmed flatbread with a bit of lettuce and yogurt. Some people might be thrown off by this otherwise unusual combination of ingredients, but it actually workers incredibly well. The smooth and creamy yogurt highlights the warm and spicy flavors of the kofta.

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Hi, I'm Jennifer! I love creating original and delicious recipes and sharing them here. I cook and photograph food with my husband Jeff in Boston.

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