Cut of the Week: Rack of Lamb

There is not much that rivals the look of a rack of lamb plated, just waiting to be cut up and served barely drizzled with a succulent sauce. This impressive looking cut can also be very intimidating to those unfamiliar with how to prepare this wonderful cut of lamb. I once had the wife of a chef purchase 5 racks for a dinner party and she had never cooked lamb - ever! In fact she had never cooked for her husband before this evening. She was incredibly brave and the birthday party for her husband was a huge success due mainly to a few simple pointers that kept the meat tender and juicy.

The rack of lamb comes from the rib section and is usually cut into sections containing 8 ribs. This cut of meat is so tender that it takes well to grilling or roasting.

The term "Frenching" refers to the technique of trimming the fat from all eight bones up to the first section of meat. This gives the cut its distinctive look.

The rack always comes with a thick layer of fat cover which helps to keep the meat tender and juicy during roasting. The problem with this fat when grilling is that it tends to ignite and char the rack, so trim off any thick layers of fat but don't trim too closely, always leave a small layer that will render throughout the meat during grilling.

Only cook the meat to an internal temperature of 120F and then tent the meat with foil for 15 minutes to allow the protein in the meat to uncurl and relax. This is a big secret to cooking all meats.

When using a marinade don't apply it at the beginning of the cooking period or it will burn and char. Keep the lid on for the first bit of cooking and then grill directly above the coals with the lid removed to get a nice brown crust on the rack. Brush on the marinade before this final phase.

Don't miss this week's recipe - Grilled Rack of Lamb

Grilled Rack of Lamb

Grilled Rack of Lamb - Charcoal Grill

INGREDIENTS

Large disposable aluminum baking pan (12 by 8 inches)

4 teaspoons olive oil

4 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves

2 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)

2 grass fed racks of lamb (1 1/2 to 1 3/4 pounds each), rib bones frenched, meat trimmed of all excess fat

INSTRUCTIONS

· 1. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal (6 quarts, or about 100 briquettes) and allow to burn until coals are fully ignited and partially covered with thin layer of ash, about 20 minutes. Place aluminum pan in center of grill. Empty coals into grill, creating equal-sized piles on each side of pan. Position cooking grate over coals, cover grill, and heat until grate is hot, about 5 minutes; scrape grate clean with grill brush. Grill is ready when coals are medium-hot.

· 2. Combine 3 teaspoons oil, rosemary, thyme, and garlic in small bowl; set aside. Rub lamb with remaining teaspoon oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Place racks bone-side up on cooler center of grill over aluminum pan with meaty side of racks very close to, but not quite over, hot coals. Cover and grill until meat is lightly browned, faint grill marks appear, and fat has begun to render, 8 to 10 minutes.

· 3. Flip racks over, bone-side down, and move to hotter parts of grill. Grill, without moving, until well-browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Brush racks with herb-garlic mixture. Flip racks so bone-side is up and continue to grill over hotter parts of grill until well browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Stand racks up and lean them against each other; continue to grill over one hotter side of grill until bottom is well-browned and instant-read thermometer inserted from side of rack into center, but away from any bone, registers 120 degrees for medium-rare or 125 degrees for medium, 3 to 8 minutes longer.

· 4. Remove lamb from grill and allow to rest, tented with foil, 15 minutes (racks will continue to cook while resting). Cut between ribs to separate chops and serve immediately.

Recipe of the Week: Grass Fed Lamb Chops

The honey does not sweeten the chops-it just helps them brown. For an authentic accompaniment, uncork a bottle of the pungent Greek wine called retsina, or simply opt for a favorite Sauvignon Blanc.

You can make these year round by just throwing them under the broiler in bad weather.

3/4 cup dry red wine

1/4 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano

2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

8 1- to 1 1/4-inch-thick loin lamb chops (about 2 1/2 pounds total), fat well trimmed

2 tablespoons honey

Mix first 7 ingredients in large glass baking dish. Arrange lamb chops in single layer in dish; turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours, turning and basting often. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.) Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Transfer lamb to plate. Mix honey into marinade. Grill lamb to desired doneness, turning and basting with marinade often, about 10 minutes for medium-rare.

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Transfer lamb to plate.

Cut of the Week: Grass Fed Lamb Chops

I am amazed at how many people are intimidated by this succulent piece of meat but that may be a by-product of the confusion that surrounds all the cuts of lamb that can tout the name of chop. There are leg chops and shoulder shoulder chops which do best with some marinating and then there are the juicy, beyond tender loin chop and rib chop.

The loin chops have the very distinctive T-Bone that separates the filet from the NY Strip. While these are a bit more work to remove all the meat from the bone, it is definitely worth the work. The Rib Chops on the other hand are best known as the chops you will see in an 8 bone Frenched Rack of Lamb. The "Frenching" removes the meat, cartilage and fat from the long bone for a neater presentation.

Here is a rule of thumb for feeding your crowd lamb chops.

Loin Chops:
2 chops per person (6 oz. chops for small appetite)
10 x 6 oz. = approx. 5 people with small appetites
8 x 10 oz. = approx. 4-5 people with large appetites Rib Chops:
2 chops per person (6 oz. chops for small appetite)
8 x 6 oz. = approx. 4 people with small appetites
16 x 6 oz. = approx. 8 people with small appetites

Organic Cooking: Leg of Lamb with Garlic and Rosemary

Leg of Lamb with Garlic and Rosemary

• 1 (7-pound) grass fed, butterflied leg of lamb, and lamb tied
• 8 garlic cloves
• 1.5 tablespoon fine sea salt
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup dry red wine or beef broth

Pat lamb dry and score fat by making shallow cuts all over with tip of a sharp small knife.
Pound garlic to a paste with sea salt using a mortar and pestle (or mince and mash with a heavy knife) and stir together with rosemary and pepper. Put lamb in a lightly oiled roasting pan, then rub paste all over lamb. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 325°F.

Roast lamb in middle of oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted 2 inches into thickest part of meat (do not touch bone) registers 130°F, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Transfer to a cutting board and let stand 15 to 25 minutes (internal temperature will rise to about 140°F for medium-rare).

Add wine to pan and deglaze by boiling over moderately high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 1 minute. Season pan juices with salt and pepper and serve with lamb.

Cut of the Week: Leg of Lamb

The leg of lamb is the most versatile cut of lamb. We sell our grass fed lamb legs whole or butterflied. To butterfly a leg of lamb, it is deboned and rolled and tied, this is a tough job and is better left to the professionals. Butterflied leg of lamb is perfect for roasting, stuffing or grilling. I like to cut kabobs or stew from the butterflied leg since I don't have to deal with cutting around the bone and can cut the meat in cubes easily.

A whole leg of lamb can weigh up to 9 lbs which tends to be more than a family can eat in several sittings so butchers have invented many new and exciting cuts but they can also be a bit confusing.

One way that we like to cut our whole legs is to take several steaks from the top end of the leg with gives what is called a "half leg sirloin end". Sirloin steaks (also called leg steaks) are perfect for grilling or pan frying when you want a nice tender piece of leg without having to cook up 5-6 lbs of meat. The half leg also takes off the shank which is best stewed since it is the most used portion of the leg. Osso Bucco is the recipe that made the shank famous.

The most important thing to remember about cooking a lamb roast is to not over-cook it. Lamb has such wonderful flavor on its own, and is so naturally tender, that it is bound to turn out well, as long as it is still a little pink inside. There is some debate over which method yields the best results - slow cooking at low heat the entire time, or searing first on high heat and then slow cooking. James Beard in his American Cookery prefers the slow-cook-low-heat method (he rubs the roast with salt and pepper and cooks it at 325°F the whole time.)

Another point where there are wildly varying opinions is the internal temperature that constitutes "medium rare". I've seen references that range from 120° to 145°F. I pulled my lamb roast out at 130°F. As it rests the internal temperature continues to rise a few points as the meat continued to cook. We like lamb on the rare side of medium rare, and this roast was perfectly done to our taste. Clearly an accurate meat thermometer is essential and is one of the tools I can not be without in my kitchen.

Grass fed lamb cooks faster than grain fed lamb so keep checking the temperature to avoid over cooking.

Remember that any meat with a bone will cook more quickly than a boneless piece of meat so adjust the recipe accordingly.

Amount to Buy: For bone-in leg of lamb, allow about 3/4 pound per person; for boneless leg of lamb allow about 1/2 pound per person.

My Favorite Meatloaf Recipe

Sometimes a recipe comes along that is so wonderful that it spoils you from making any other way, no matter how badly you want to. I have a recipe that falls deeply into this category: meatloaf. Sounds crazy, I know, but since I adapted this recipe from the The Williams-Sonoma Cookbook using grass fed beef, pastured veal and grass fed lamb I have been forever spoiled.

It almost seems that the stars must align just right for me to have all three meats in stock at the same time. As it is impossible for me to purchase meat from the grocery store I seek out local farmers when some special occasion or another has warranted meatloaf and no other recipe will do.

At times like this though, early in the summer when the first flush of grass is waning and our animals are beoming fat enough to butcher, is when I have all three meats in abundance in the store. I make several meatloaves at one time and stock the extras away in the freezer. I cook the extra meatloaves as stated in the recipe and freeze once cooled. I reapply another 1/4 cup ketchup when I reheat.

The uniqueness of this recipe is that the grass fed lamb gives this meatloaf such a wonderful, rich flavor and the pastured veal makes it tender beyond words.

Organic Cooking: Meatloaf From Grass Fed Beef, Pastured Veal, and Grass Fed Lamb

Ingredients:

1 Tbs. olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
3 or 4 slices white bread
1/4 cup raw milk
1 lb. grass fed ground beef
1/2 lb. grass fed ground lamb
1/2 lb. ground pastured veal
8 oz. tomato sauce
1 egg, lightly beaten
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/4 cup ketchup

Directions:

Position a rack in the center of an oven and preheat to 350º F.In a large fry pan over medium-high heat, warm the oil. When the oil is hot, add the onion, celery and garlic and sauté, stirring occasionally, until tender and translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Set aside.

Tear the bread slices into small pieces, transfer to a food processor and pulverize the bread into crumbs. In a large mixing bowl, combine the bread crumbs and milk, stir until blended and let stand for 2 to 3 minutes.Add the onion-celery mixture to the bread mixture and stir until blended. Add the beef, lamb, veal, tomato sauce, egg, salt and pepper and fold together gently until blended.

Transfer the mixture to a 2 1/2-lb. loaf pan and, using your hands, shape the mixture into an oblong loaf. Spread the ketchup evenly over the top. Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the meat loaf registers 165ºF, about 1 1/2 hours.

Serves 4 to 6.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

Grass Fed Beef: Finally the steers are ready!

Finally, after a long wet spring, our grass fed steers are ready for the butcher. Our first steer of the season went to the butcher this morning and will be ready for us to pick up in 15 days. We also took in 4 lambs so all cuts will be available for grass fed lamb also.

Some new cuts for The Farm Shop will be the Flat Iron, flank, skirt, shanks, Eye of round roasts, kabobs and NY strip steak. All the grass fed meats will be in the store the second week of May and we will also be at Franklin Farmer's Market May 9th.  As a reminder, all of our meat is grass fed and humanely raised.  You can buy grass fed beef and grass fed lamb from us with confidence.  Enjoy the marvelous taste of fresh, locally raised grass fed beef and support sustainable farming in your community!  Eat local!

Just to get your appetites whetted, here is the first recipe I will make once the grass fed beef is in.  Organic cooking with grass fed beef is a little different than cooking with conventional meats, so keep a close eye on the dish as you go until you get used to how lean it is.

Organic Cooking: Grass Fed Beef
ARRACHERA CON AJO Y LIMON A LA PARRILLA (Grilled Garlic-Marinated Skirt Steak with Lime )

This meal can be prepared in 45 minutes or less, but requires additional unattended time.

3 pounds grass fed skirt steak (about 3 long steaks)
3 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil
coarse salt to taste
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or to taste
Accompaniments: Guacamole, salsa, sour cream

If necessary, trim steaks, leaving some fat. In a shallow dish rub steaks with garlic and oil. Marinate steaks, covered and chilled, at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day.
Prepare grill.
Season steaks generously with coarse salt and grill on a rack set 5 to 6 inches over glowing coals 2 to 3 minutes on each side for medium-rare. (Alternatively, steaks may be broiled on rack of a broiler pan under a preheated broiler 3 inches from heat about 4 minutes on each side.) Transfer steaks to a cutting board and drizzle with lime juice. Let steaks stand, uncovered, 5 to 10 minutes and with a sharp knife cut diagonally across grain into thin slices.
Serve steak with accompaniments.
24 tacos - Ole!

Lambs in March

This weekend was unusually crazy at our peaceful little farm. With 250 pastured hens, around 60 head of cattle and 100 Katahdin sheep you would think that peace was something we experience about as much as flying saucers and blue moons. Normally though, with all the hardworking hands around the farm things are fairly calm and peaceful. The culprits this weekend though all were under 10lbs and can run like the dickens!

Lambs!! Lambs!! And more lambs!! They are everywhere! In one weekend we had over eighteen babies born and most of those were triplets. 

Our theory is that since the drought hit things have been slightly askew. Last year the lambs came in singles, for the most part, but nature must be making up for lost time.  Over the years we've been homesteading, we've come to see how often nature runs in cycles like this.

One interesting fact about nature is that when there is some environmental deviation from the norm such as drought or famine, the reproductive systems of animal begin to shut down but just until things return to normal. Even in humans, when the body is deprived of proper nutrients the first system to be shut down is the reproductive system.

We saw the same effect on our fruit trees. Last year we had more pears than we have ever had in one season. I guess it's just Nature looking out for our well being.

Well, with this many lambs on the ground we will have plenty of grass fed lamb for sale in the store and at the farmer's markets we attend so I thought I would get your creative juices flowing with my favorite grass fed lamb chop recipes.

The most used lamb chop recipe in our home is very simple but oh, so good. Celtic or Hawaii salt and fresh ground pepper cooked on the grill topped with a good pat of butter. To spice things up a little I will bring out the wine, Turkish oregano and garlic and make up a dish that I always give to those new to eating lamb.

Grilled Lamb with Wine, Garlic and Honey

The honey does not sweeten the chops-it just helps them brown. For an authentic accompaniment, uncork a bottle of the pungent resin-flavored Greek wine called retsina, or simply opt for a favorite Sauvignon Blanc. Serve coffee ice cream and purchased baklava to complete the menu.

3/4 cup dry red wine
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tbs chopped fresh oregano
2 tb minced garlic
2 ts red wine vinegar
1/2 ts sea salt
1/2 ts ground black pepper
8 1- to 1 1/4-inch-thick grass fed loin lamb chops (about 2 1/2 pounds total), fat well trimmed
2 tablespoons honey

Mix first 7 ingredients in large glass baking dish. Arrange lamb chops in single layer in dish; turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours, turning and basting often. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.) Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Transfer lamb to plate. Mix honey into marinade. Grill lamb to desired doneness, turning and basting with marinade often, about 10 minutes for medium-rare.
Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Transfer lamb to plate.