Do you find it hard to cook meat? Do you love succulent, tender, melt in mouth lamb? It is possible to achieve this and its so simple. So let me tell you how to get your friends and family singing your praises.
This dish is best to try when you are home and have fifteen minutes to prep and then allow to slow cook in the oven or on the stove for as long as you can. The length of time will vary between 3-6 hours depending on the size of the cut and how you prefer the tenderness.
You will also need to get you hands on a dutch oven. I use my 28 cm Le Creuset, it is the best traditional cast iron ware on the market and is certainly worth an investment.
Ingredients:
- 1.5-2.5 kg Shoulder of Lamb on the bone (you could use any cut of meat, the cheaper the better!), wash and pat dry, cut off the excess fat if you would prefer
- 1 Brown Onion, leave whole in skin (cut off the ends)
- Head of Garlic (optional)
- Olive oil
- Handful of Flour
- Herbs (Rosemary/thyme/oregano)
- Salt and Pepper
- 1 Cinnamon stick
- 2 Star anise
- 4 Cardamom pods
- 2 Bay leaves
- 2 cups Water (Some people opt to not use water in the cooking process, but personally I think it turns out better with it)
Method:
- Pre-heat the oven at 200 degrees
- In a tray big enough to put your meat into, prepare the seasoning mix (flour, seasonings of choice, salt and pepper)
- Rub meat with a little oil and add to the tray with the seasonings mix and coat meat
- Prepare your heavy based pot (with lid) by putting on the stove on high heat, when pot is hot, sear the meat on all sides to seal
- Add water, remaining spices (Cinnamon, Star anise, Cardamom, Bay leaves), garlic and onion - leve on stove until boiling. Once water boils, replace lid and transfer to pre-heated oven. Reduce heat in the oven to 150 degrees (Alternatively, you can opt to complete the entire cooking process on the stove, just leave on low on the medium sized burner)
- Cook for 3-6 hours and check every hour - you can turn the meat if large but this is not necessary. Slow cooking the meat this way will ensure it is succulent and tender. Sometimes during the cooking process and toward the end you will need to season with more salt to your taste and you can remove the bones during to speed up the process a little more
- Add more water if you think it is drying out too much
- Towards the end of the cooking process, remove the lid to dry up the remaining stock and to crisp up the meat
- If you want to cook pumpkin and potatoes, use the melted fat from the lamb pot to cook them in
- Serve with rice and salad
- Leftover meat can be used for other meals or can be frozen to use at another time.
