A bone-in loin roast (rack) is always a good choice, especially for a special occasion or celebration. But there’s more ways to cook than just roasting in the oven and trying to pin point a specific temperature. Today, we’re going to share with you, hands-down, the easiest way to roast a rack of lamb or goat. No thermometers, no tough outer rib meat, and most importantly, no chance of overcooking. Just delicious, tender meat falling off the bone. Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it?
The secret of the recipe has to do with the differences between fast and slow cooking. When muscle fibers get heated, they tighten up and contract. Contraction and tightening is good because it gives texture to the meat, similarly how a steak tightens up. But too much tightening and the meat will overcook and dry out.
Slow cooking at low temperatures is more forgiving, and has a tenderizing effect, slowly breaking down the meat until it falls off the bone. The only thing to consider is that slow cooking cuts of lamb or goat is just that, slow. Expect at least 2-4 hours for whatever cut you’re cooking to break down and get tender.
Just like Chef Tham’s recipe for lamb cooked in parchment, plenty of cuts are good cooked low and slow. The rack, in particular, is delicious since it’s covered in a layer of fat that melts, basting the meat as it cooks. Roasted quickly, the meat covering the bones, if it hasn’t been frenched, will be much more chewy than the loin eye itself.
The loin eye and the ribs are two separate muscles, with different cooking times. This isn’t a bad thing, but cooking slow until the muscles break down eliminates any disparity in when it’s finished, and gives you a rack of goat or lamb that eats like pot roast with a rib attached, covered in deliciously crisp, rendered fat.
Seasonings can be imparted to the goat rack however you like, too, or left out. A simple rub could be nothing more than salt and pepper, or something with a little more kick like the coffee rub Chef Bergo outlines below. Use your imagination. We dare you to eat just a single chop!
This recipe is by James Beard Award-winning Chef Alan Bergo. He’s a chef from Minnesota and author of The Forager Chef’s Book of Flora. Learn more about Chef Alan at foragerchef.com.
Looking to buy lamb or goat online? Shepherd Song Farm: Grass to table. We raise lambs & goats traditionally, humanely and sustainably. 100% Grass Fed, Pasture Raised, Never Confined, no Hormones, Grains or Animal Byproducts. Born, raised and processed in the U.S.A. Good for you and good for the environment.
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