Lamb Cuts
Guide to lamb cuts and how to cook them
Shoulder and middle neck- a well-exercised muscle with plenty of flavour, best suited to low, slow cooking methods. When cut into cubes it is excellent in curries, tagines, and casseroles.
Leg - this cut is tender and full of flavour this is best suited to roasting or dry heat methods of cooking.
Roasting with the bone in flavours and delivers a tender meat. For best results sear first in a hot pan then transfer to the oven to finish cooking. Butterflied leg of lamb cooks quicker than a full leg and it excellent marinated then cooked on the barbeque. The leg is also excellent when cooked slowly at lower oven temperatures.
Best end – this is where the premium cut rack of lamb comes from. The rack is made of the rib bones and a meaty rib eye muscle. Excellent roasted. The rack can also be sliced into individual cutlets for pan frying or the barbeque.
Loin – this area sits between the leg and the rack. This muscle in not used much for movement so is very tender and best suits to quick, dry cooking methods. Usually sold as loin chops which are ideal for the barbeque or grill. The loin is also available as a boned and rolled loin roast which cooks quickly and has room for stuffing, and a layer of fat to stop it drying out during cooking.
Chump, rump or gigot – cut from the topside of the legs this cut is tender and full of flavour this is best suited to roasting or dry heat methods of cooking. Our leg steaks come from here and are absolutely fantastic for pan-frying, grilling or on your barbecue.
Lamb shank – cut from the meat and bone that sits above the knee joint. The rear shank come from the bottom of the leg. The fore shank comes from below the shoulder and is much smaller. Lamb shanks are usually slow cooked in liquid to deliver flavour from the bone and a tender meat that falls off the bone.
Scrag end – a well exercised muscle with lots of connective tissue. Suited to moist, low, slow cooking. Traditionally used in Lancashire hotpot but not a popular cut these days so we include it in our packs of mince.
Breast – contains a portion of the ribs bones layered with lean meat and fat. This is traditionally served as a rolled and stuffed breast of lamb but this is not a popular cut so this is included in our packs of mince.