Greek Lamb Cuts and Tips

Greek Lamb is easy to prepare at home, with these three different cuts. Once you decide on your favorite one, I added a few tips on preparing your selection. Many choices are made according to your time frame and cooking application. Lamb is low in fat and lean, making it a healthy choice as a main dish. When I shop for meat, I look for a butcher in town that I can trust, and look for grass fed organic; as much as possible. There are many cuts to choose from which makes it so much easier to plan your meals. What makes Greek Lamb different from other recipes is that we use very few ingredients and basically rely on the simple ingredients of the Greek pantry which includes EVOO, lemon, oregano, basil, parsley, mint, wine, tomatoes, salt and pepper.

In Greece and in Greek homes around the world, an entire lamb is started early in the morning on a spit over coals, in which it will take hours to cook. When I visited Greece, the deep aroma of lamb juices surrounded the small countryside homes on early Sunday mornings as the men repeatedly rotated the hot spit, basting and filling the pit with more fresh wood. Lamb is the meat of choice during the Easter Season, chosen for celebratory menus across Greece. Today, we have many choices beside the traditional grilling a whole lamb on a spit or on your BBQ. You have many choices for cuts and what works for you and your family. Look for these various meats at your large box stores, or your local butchers, but plan ahead, you may have to order them ahead of time.

There are many select cuts of lamb.

Leg of Lamb is a good choice for a large group. And very easy to prepare.

Lamb Shanks are slowly cooked for hours for tender individual servings.

Lamb Ribs or Chops are usually marinated and grilled for a quick main dish.

Flavors that Enhance Lamb can be overwhelming if you are using lamb chops, sprinkle them on lightly. Lambs shanks and a Leg of Lamb on the other hand can use more spices, since they will be cooking for such a longer period of time in the oven.

bread crumbs, lemon, fennel, garlic, mint, mustard, oregano, parsley, black pepper, rosemary, tomatoes, thyme, wine, yogurt.

Roasting a Leg of Lamb

Once the lamb is grilled or roasted, we use the lamb drippings to make our favorite pasta, Orzo. Always double the pasta for it’s always the first to go!

Step 1 – In a large pan place the leg of lamb on a rack, simply add fresh whole garlic cloves to the top of the leg cutting many small slits on leg and inserting them into the meat. Add salt and pepper, sprinkle with lemon juice and olive oil and bake in the oven at 375 degrees for 2-3 hours until the temperature reaches, 125-130 degrees for medium rare, another 35-45 minutes for medium or well-done around 145 degrees. Allow the lamb to rest before carving.

Step 2 – Remove the lamb from the roasting pan, and remove any fat from the juices. Add 1/4 cup tomato sauce and either water or broth depending on the amount of orzo you are using. Place back in the oven, until boiling and then add the orzo. Cook until the pasta is done. Stir often to prevent sticking. Taste for salt and pepper. This can also be made in a large pot on the stove by removing the broth to the pan, and proceed.

I also have these recipes below for you to enjoy on my blog.

Greek Lamb Shanks with Orzo