A lamb in two parts

December 24, 2014 9:24 AM

I am roasting a whole lamb leg for Christmas day. I would like to cook it most of the way at my house, take it out, transport it to my sister's place and finish it off in her oven, so that it will be hot and freshly cooked when we sit down to lunch. Is this a fool's errand?

It's a 2.1kg leg (4.6lb) with bone in. I'd like it medium rare and I'm planning to cook it about 1.5 hours in total, and will be using a meat thermometer.

Will cooking it in two parts toughen it or do anything else weird to it? What obstacles am I not seeing here? Also, if this is an okay idea, any suggestions on how to break up the cooking? 1 hour here and half an hour there?

Is it advisable to minimise the time between cooking stages? My sister's place is nearby and it will not take us long to get there.

Thanks and Merry Christmas!

posted by reshet to Food & Drink (5 answers total)

Best answer: 250 (or 225 if you want it super even) at your house until it comes up to 130 (or 5 under whatever temp you want). Hot as you can get her oven (at least 450) until it gets crusty-- 15 minutes? The transport won't make any difference, but if you really want to be good, wrap it in foil, then a bath towel, then a cooler. (Bbq folks call that a "faux Cambro".) It will sit like that basically as long as you want and be better than if you roasted it in one go. (The longer you leave it -- assuming it doesn't drop into the danger zone -- the lower you can cook it on the first go, since heat from the outside will penetrate farther during the rest.)
posted by supercres at 9:32 AM on December 24, 2014 [4 favorites]

I'd also point out that most "recipes" for roasting a large piece of meat often call for a period of time to "rest," usually requiring "tenting" with foil. So you've got this great rest time built in for taking it over to your sister's and then blasting/browning it as supercres mentions above.

Always good to let meat rest, particularly in roasting.
posted by kuanes at 10:44 AM on December 24, 2014

Just came in with super's strategy. Most folks these days are recommending a low and slow roast. Followed by a rest then a quick blast at 500+ for outside crust.

I'm doing a prime rib this way at home and depending on timing I could have it out for an hour before going back in for that last bit of heat.
posted by bitdamaged at 5:15 PM on December 24, 2014

"What obstacles am I not seeing here?"

The starting temperature of the meat and the difference in temperature between the exterior and interior of the cut, especially for large cuts, is what I most often see overlooked in weight/doneness cooking charts.

Call before you are on your way to your sister's to make sure the oven is preheated and that the oven won't be shared with something that needs a lower cooking temperature.

..."I'm planning to cook it about 1.5 hours in total..." Cook to temperature, not time.

..."and will be using a meat thermometer." This is the better strategy in my opinon.

Agreeing with the above. I would cook it to above the danger zone - though not much past - and finish it at your sister's.

Erm, that was all a bit terse of me. Merry Christmas!
posted by vapidave at 9:35 PM on December 24, 2014

A bit late, but for future reference, I smoked turkey parts for thanksgiving this year, and transported them to the dinner in a foil lined igloo, with each piece wrapped in foil, and the turkey was surprisingly hot when I unwrapped it (to the point that I burned myself unwrapping it, actually). Excellent way to transport a roast.
posted by Ghidorah at 2:24 AM on December 26, 2014