Will my lamb be okay?
October 2, 2021 4:20 AM   Subscribe

I'm a vegetarian, but I'm trying to cook some lamb for my kid. Can you please tell me whether it will turn out okay and, if not, whether I can do anything to save it?

What I have done so far:

* The meat is butterflied lamb leg which I cut into rough cubes
* I browned the meat in a dish which you can use on the stove and in the oven
* Then I caramelized onions
* Added diced potato and sweet potato
* Added the lamb back into the dish
* Covered with a large can of crushed tomato and a little bit of water
* Brought to a low boil
* Covered the dish and put in the oven

It has been cooking at 180 degrees C for about an hour. The vegetables seem good but the meat is tough.

Obviously I have no idea what I am doing. I thought this method would be pretty guaranteed at creating tender meat.

Help?
posted by kinddieserzeit to Food & Drink (7 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
Best answer: I would turn the heat down to 140C or lower & leave it in the oven for another hour or so. Lamb leg is quite lean doesn’t have the fat content that makes eg. a shoulder of lamb cook down nice & soft. Can be done, just takes longer. Low & slow => tender meat.
posted by rd45 at 4:30 AM on October 2, 2021 [3 favorites]


Best answer: I would reduce the heat (to 140 or 150C) and let it cook longer. Check the liquid level to make sure there's enough to cover the meat. It takes time for the collagen in the meat the break down. It could take another hour or more for the meat to become properly tender.
posted by pipeski at 4:30 AM on October 2, 2021 [2 favorites]


Jinx!

Will be yummy in an hour.
posted by rd45 at 4:31 AM on October 2, 2021 [2 favorites]


Response by poster: Thank you.

I checked it to see what the liquid situation was like and it seems like maybe the meat has started to break down. Phew!

I have turned the oven down to 140 and will check it again in about 45 minutes.
posted by kinddieserzeit at 4:41 AM on October 2, 2021 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: Update: it turned out perfect! Also, it's a lot of food, so I hope he really likes lamb.
posted by kinddieserzeit at 6:01 AM on October 2, 2021 [22 favorites]


Cooked lamb and veg freezes beautifully so once cool you can batch some of it into containers and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost thoroughly then reheat gently on the stove top (add frozen green veg such as peas or spinach and/or canned beans/pulses to make it go even further).
posted by humph at 7:47 AM on October 2, 2021 [3 favorites]


Response by poster: Yes, it will be frozen. He'll been eating this for months!

(Sorry to break the no back and forth rule)
posted by kinddieserzeit at 11:35 AM on October 2, 2021


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