Temperature experiment

[Pferdestarke]

I have been reading more and more recently about cooking food at a lower temperature for a long period (also see thread bout how you like your steak cooked)and I have decided to do an experiment today with a bone-in lamb shoulder.

I will season, oil, herb and cover said piece of shoulder and place in my oven at 80c for anything up to 10 hours. I expect it to fall apart and be meltingly tender when it comes out.

Will let you know. It needs to defrost today.

I also watched Saturday kitchen a fortnight ago and a chef cooked a beef fillet at 60c for two hours, seared it on the outside and ended up with the most delicious, moist and pink meat evenly spread throughout the joint. Wow!

[Le TVR]

It is one of the best ways to cook lamb.
Have a look at Méchoui style for doing a whole lamb (slow cooked over fire embers in deep hole in the ground).

Simply falls apart and melts in the mouth

[Roger645]

Would 80 degrees be too low? I saw the saturday kitchen one and he based his temperature on the basis of core temp for a rare steak. lamb will have a lot more fat etc to render and I know you are using time, but most lamb ones I have seen have been nearer to 120.

[Mobile Chicane]

Try cooking the lamb in a roasting bag. I think you'll be impressed with the results.

[Shaw Tarse]

Heston of the Fat Duck did something like this with beef (rib?)
As for the lamb, spike it with a knife & poke anchovies in.

[shirt]

i will join you. i have a leg of lamb that needs cooking and this interesting.

can we have some direction on accurate temp. and duration? would be nice to go to be able to leave it in overnight and carve a few slices off in the morning


also, what does a roasting bag do? i remember my mum roasting a chicken years ago from a weird recipe that required making a hard setting pastry shell around the chuck. it was amazing but so much hassle she never bothered again.

[malbon]

I saw saturday kitchen too and did it with Mustard crusted lamb for 2.

Put some foil over it, drizzled some olive oil on and then put it in at 100 I think and then went to the pub for 4 hours!

Cooked to perfection !

[Don]

I'm going to be getting a meat thermometer and an oven thermometer and giving this a go, too.

Quite fancy a slow cooker as well. But first things first.

[Mobile Chicane]

shirt said:

i will join you. i have a leg of lamb that needs cooking and this interesting.

can we have some direction on accurate temp. and duration? would be nice to go to be able to leave it in overnight and carve a few slices off in the morning


also, what does a roasting bag do? i remember my mum roasting a chicken years ago from a weird recipe that required making a hard setting pastry shell around the chuck. it was amazing but so much hassle she never bothered again.

A roasting bag keeps the meat moist. If you shake up a teaspoon of flour in the bag before you put the meat in, you get a ready-made lazy gravy in the bag as well.

In New Zealand, I cooked hogget leg (a slightly older lamb) in a roasting bag on a low heat for 4 hours and it was fantastic. If anything, I think the 'bag method' works best on NZ lamb.

[Pferdestarke]

After 5 hours I checked it (90c) and it had given up lots of lovely juice for stock and a slick of fat which would kill marine life off Nova Scotia! I have a jug that pours from the bottom so I have separated fat from stock and ought to have a lovely lamby jus!

I've just whacked the oven up to 180c to crisp up, then i'll turn it off and leave it there to rest for 45 minutes.

The red wine is decanted, I am starving, but hopefully, all the signs show that it is going to be worth the wait.

Or is that weight?

If I could be arsed, i'd post a pic but the thought of trying to remember my Flickr password and username is filling me with utter dread!

ta da

[Pferdestarke]

I lasted 30 minutes and have just devoured 3/4 of a small shoulder. It was soft, savoury, deeply flavoured with cumin, kolonji and black pepper and a delight to eat.

Recommended.

The pic did not materialise. Sorry

Who is going to try some low-temp cooking next?

[Don]

Pferdestarke said:

I lasted 30 minutes and have just devoured 3/4 of a small shoulder. It was soft, savoury, deeply flavoured with cumin, kolonji and black pepper and a delight to eat.

Recommended.

The pic did not materialise. Sorry

Who is going to try some low-temp cooking next?

I will definitely be trying something later this week or at the weekend.

[f13ldy]

Pferdestarke said:

Who is going to try some low-temp cooking next?

I'm half tempted to try out a Nigella recipe of cooking pork over something like 23 hours...

Only thing is, is I'm scared of leaving my oven on overnight in case something goes wrong.

[Pferdestarke]

f13ldy said:

Pferdestarke said:

Who is going to try some low-temp cooking next?

I'm half tempted to try out a Nigella recipe of cooking pork over something like 23 hours...

Only thing is, is I'm scared of leaving my oven on overnight in case something goes wrong.

Is it gas or electric?

I'd risk it.

[Wadeski]

Im hoping to try a lamb shoulder, marinated in yoghurt and spices for 2 days then roasted for 6hrs or so on a very low heat this weekend. I'll let you know if it works....

[Pferdestarke]

Wadeski said:

Im hoping to try a lamb shoulder, marinated in yoghurt and spices for 2 days then roasted for 6hrs or so on a very low heat this weekend. I'll let you know if it works....

Get rid of most of the yoghurt prior to roasting. By then it has done its work and you don't want a burnt yoghurt outer layer on your prize joint.

Edited by Pferdestarke on Monday 16th February 23:45

[pugwash4x4]

there is a restaurant on a side of a hill in Majjorca that only sells lamb shoulders- they are the tenderest and tastiest i have ever had. its alledgedly quite famous!

they sell wine from the a ginormous vat and have some crazy sizzling coffee drink that gets set on fire for afters.

if anyone can tell me the name of the restaurant and the nearest town then i'll give you a gold star!

[shirt]

Pferdestarke said:

I lasted 30 minutes and have just devoured 3/4 of a small shoulder. It was soft, savoury, deeply flavoured with cumin, kolonji and black pepper and a delight to eat.

Recommended.

The pic did not materialise. Sorry

Who is going to try some low-temp cooking next?

i fell asleep when i got home so my half leg is defrosting at the moment. i don't know whether to put in in the oven tonight with some sort of cumin/herb combo. or marinate it overnight and cook it tomorrow. :chinsscratch:

[Pferdestarke]

shirt said:

Pferdestarke said:

I lasted 30 minutes and have just devoured 3/4 of a small shoulder. It was soft, savoury, deeply flavoured with cumin, kolonji and black pepper and a delight to eat.

Recommended.

The pic did not materialise. Sorry

Who is going to try some low-temp cooking next?

i fell asleep when i got home so my half leg is defrosting at the moment. i don't know whether to put in in the oven tonight with some sort of cumin/herb combo. or marinate it overnight and cook it tomorrow. :chinsscratch:

The issue with leg as opposed to shoulder is that it doesn't have the same fat content. I would make sure that you cover it with foil or a tight-fitting lid to control evaporation. Maybe pouring a pint of water in the roasting tin would assist in you achieving a moist, tender roast.

Let us know.

[sleep envy]

slow cooking is the next 'thing'

stick the roast on after getting back on Saturday night and it's ready for lunchtime - excellent