Cooking Lamb: How to get rid of the “gamey-ness”
Many people often avoid cooking lamb at home because the flavour is much stronger than beef and you may think it’s difficult to handle. Much of the smell comes from its fat and myoglobin – the red liquid that isn’t actually blood – in the meat. This smell can be reduced before cooking and there are many ways to go about getting rid of the “gamey-ness”.
Fat holds flavours as well as odour. So trim off as much excess fat as possible before cooking. Less fats means less of the lamb’s oil is released during cooking, and less to worry about your kitchen smelling “gamey” too.
Here are some ways to pre-prep your lamb cuts:
Salt
Sprinkle salt generously on all sides and let it rest for about 1 hour to draw out the myoglobin. Then rinse away the salt, pat dry, and your meat is ready to cook.
Acidic Brine/ Marinade
Prepare a brine mixture: water, salt and vinegar. Acidic marinades that contain vinegar or citrus juices with oil and spices work very well to give additional flavours and help tenderise the meats too. Let the meat immerse in your concoction for at least a few hours or overnight for the “gamey-ness” to be significantly reduced.
Milk
Soaking the meat in milk for several hours or overnight will also draw out some of the red liquid from the lamb cut. Just rinse off the milk and excess blood, pat dry before cooking.
There will be a bunch of us that love the taste of lamb but hate that it lingers. Without the hassle of pre-preparations, the help of other ingredients will incorporate well with lamb’s natural meaty juices.
Fresh Aromatics
Adding on to all the flavours in the lamb, use aromatics like fresh herbs and spices. The classic combination has to be rosemary and thyme with a knob of butter; simply sear on both sides in a skillet and baste as you’re cooking. The simplest way of cooking lamb can be tasty and full of good flavours when you choose quality lamb to cook. You can get fresh herbs along with your lamb cuts right here on MAXZI.sg .
Go ahead to explore other aromatics you can find in your kitchen pantry: garlic, oregano, basil, sage, mint, coriander, cumin, garlic, cayenne, paprika, you name it. Lamb can actually be so versatile with herbs and spices.
Acid on the side
A spritz of lemon juice, yogurt sauce or balsamico will give that elevated dimension to your lamb dish.
This is an ending touch that’s a game-changer to make your lamb dish impressive.