Sous Vide Rack of Lamb

While rack of lamb isn't something I make often, it sure as heck doesn't need to be saved for special occasions. I mean, everything goes on sale once in a while, and when that happens, I take advantage.

As far as cooking it, of course I cooked it sous vide. It's my favorite way to cook a lot of different kinds of meats, and it's particularly good when you want an exact doneness.

And, unlike when you're roasting, you get the same doneness all the way through. You don't end up overcooking the thinner parts or the outside edges. and you don't have to watch it like a hawk. If it cooks a little longer because you didn't hear the alarm, it's not going to get ruined.

This was insanely easy, and it was done pretty quickly, too. While this was a "just for me" splurge, this would be a great main dish for company. To make it even easier, you could cook the meat sous vide the day before, then sear it right before serving, to get that nice crust and to warm the inside.

Sous Vide Rack of Lamb
Depending on the size of the rack and what else you're serving, figure on 2-4 chops per person.

1 8-bone rack of lamb
Salt and pepper, to taste
Greek seasoning mix*
Olive oil

Heat the sous vide water to 135 degrees.

Sprinkle the rack of lamb with the salt, pepper, and seasoning, to taste. Drizzle with olive oil, just enough to moisten, and rub the seasoning onto the meat.

Place the meat in a sous vide bag, vacuum, and seal.

Place the bagged lamb in the water and cook at 135 degrees for 1 hour.

Remove the bag from the water. Remove the lamb from the bag and pat dry.

Heat a small amount of olive oil in a pan until it's just about smoking. Sear the lamb, fat side down, until it's brown and crispy, then sear on the other sides.

Let the lamb rest for a few minutes before slicing into individual chops.

*Or use any spices or any spice mix you like. With lamb, I like oregano or rosemary with lemon, but feel free to use anything you like.

Slow-Cooker Braised Lamb Steaks

Tonight's dinner is  brought to you by "things in the refrigerator that were not fuzzy."

Okay, maybe that's extreme, but dinner was all about what I had on hand. From the vegetable crisper, I grabbed the last of the carrots from the last farmer's market of the season. From the freezer came some lamb shoulder chops. Onions are always around.

And then I did some accessorizing.

As is so common lately my method of cooking was the slow cooker. It's so nice to be able to throw everything into the slow cooker before I go to the hospital, and have a hot meal ready when I come home at night.

I love the Greek seasoning from Penzey's - I usually use it in salad dressings, but it's great for cooking, too. The mix includes salt, so I didn't add any more.

If you don't have a Greek seasoning mix that you like, you can add your choice of herbs and spices. Rosemary, oregano, and marjoram are my favorites for lamb. And, of course, add salt as well.

I didn't measure the carrots, but I'm guessing I used about 1/2 pound.

I used water for this, but wine or broth would be great.

If the cut of meat you see here isn't quite what you've seen at the store, don't worry about it. I buy whole lambs from local farmers, so some of the cuts I get aren't quite the same as what's sold by your local grocer.

Slow-Cooker Braised Lamb Steaks

1 tablespoon olive oil
4 lamb shoulder chops
1 tablespoon Greek seasoning
1 teaspoon lemon juice
12 dried apricots
4 Greek pepperoncini
1 onion, large dice
Carrots (about 1/2 pound or as desired), peeled and cut in chunks
Water, as needed

Heat the oil in the bottom of a slow cooker that has a browning function and brown the lamb shoulder on both sides (or perform this step in a separate pan, or skip this step).

Add the seasoning, lemon juice, apricots, pepperoncini, onion, and carrots.

Add just enough water to come about 3/4 up the sides of the chops. Set the slow cooker to low and cook for 3 hours, or until the chops are tender and the carrots are cooked through.

You can reduce or thicken the sauce, if you like.

Serve hot.

I served this with mashed potatoes.

    

Lamb, Two Ways

The lighting is weird - they were medium rare, not totally rare.

Every year, I buy a whole lamb so I can have it on hand any time I want it. Buying a whole lamb is cheaper than buying the occasional high-end parts, even after I pay for the whole lamb plus the processing free.

Even better, I get all the parts, so I've got a good selection of tender bits and stew-worthy meat. And I get some odd cuts that never show up in grocery stores.

So when lamb was on the menu recently, and I decided to make it two different ways: racks and meatballs.

No exact recipes for either version, but here's how it went.

The racks (4 bones each) were seasoned, then seared in a hot pan. Then I brushed them with mixture of dijon mustard and honey, then covered that with some fresh bread crumbs.

The racks went into a 425 degree oven until they reached about 130 degrees.

I pulled them out and let them rest for a bit more than 20 minutes, then cut each rack into two 2-bone pieces. They were perfectly cooked, juicy, and wonderful.

The meatballs started out as lamb stew meat, which I ground, then seasoned with Greek seasoning from Penzeys, and a generous amount of cracked rosemary.

After the lamb made its way through the grinder, I also ground some onion and some bread, which I added to the mixture. I also added an egg, and mixed it all up gently before I let it rest overnight in the fridge.

Before I stashed them in the fridge, I cooked a couple test meatballs. They needed a little more flavor, so I added a bit more salt and more rosemary. Seasoning is to taste, and I wanted more.

The next day, I formed the meatballs and browned them on all sides, then finished them in the oven. For presentation, I put the meatballs on skewers, and I served the meatballs with some homemade tziatziki sauce for anyone who wanted it.

I've got to say that I liked both dishes. Hard to pick a favorite. But next time I make lamb, the sure bet is that it will be something else. I've got plenty to choose from.