A Guide to Cooking Lamb
A great resource is https://www.australianlamb.com.au/ - here you will find many tips and hacks!
LAMB COOKING TIMES
• Preheat oven or barbecue to the recommended temperature for your cut.
• Follow the recommended roast lamb cooking times for your cut's weight.
• Check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer.
• Remove roast before it reaches the final temperature as it continues to cook while resting.
Roast Lamb Cooking Times - Weight per 500gm (approx) - Internal Temperature goal.
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SLOW-COOKING TIMES
Just saying the words slow-cooked lamb makes us hungry! As a general rule, we recommend simmering or slow-roasting lamb at 160–180°C for two hours.
The best lamb cuts for slow-cooking:
Diced lamb forequarter, forequarter chops, shanks, Frenched shanks, neck chops, lamb topside, leg (bone in), shoulder (bone in), easy-carve (leg or shoulder bone out), boned and rolled shoulder or leg.
GRILLED LAMB COOKING TIMES
From chops and kebabs to ribs and steaks, we love our grilled lamb. Add a flavour twist with a delicious marinade or rub, bring lamb to room temperature then grill over medium heat. Cooking time depends on the cut – for an accurate result use a meat thermometer to test the internal temperature or try the finger method if you’re out and about.
Lamb steak is the starting point for enticing recipes like juicy kebabs, warm seasonal salads and moreish sandwiches. We recommend your steak is at least 15 mm thick. Watch our video guide: How to cook the perfect lamb steak.
HOW DO YOU LIKE YOUR LAMB?
Rare, medium rare, medium well… the colour, juiciness and internal temperature of your cooked lamb determine its doneness. Cooking lamb to perfection begins with working out the correct cooking time and remembering two simple things:
- Lamb carries on cooking while resting so remove it from heat around 3–6°C before your goal temperature.
- Rest is best! After cooking, leave your lamb alone – this helps those delicious juices to return to the meat. Find out more about resting lamb here.
THE MEAT THERMOMETER TEST
Once you’ve started using a meat thermometer, you’ll never look back. Thermometers ensure you serve up the best lamb, every single time. Here’s the big tip: measure at the centre of your lamb cut. We recommend the following temperatures:
- Rare 60°C
- Medium rare 60–65°C
- Medium 65–70°C
- Medium well done 70°C
- Well done 75°C
THE FINGER OR TONG TEST
If you’re out enjoying our national pastime on one of Australia’s thousands of public barbies, chances are you won’t have a meat thermometer in your back pocket. All is not lost. As the end of the cooking time draws near, press the outside centre of your lamb lightly with tongs or a clean fingertip to judge its degree of doneness. As a rough guide:
- Very soft = rare – bright red, raw centre
- Soft = medium rare – pink inside with a red centre
- Springy = medium – pink throughout
- Firmer = well-done range – mostly brown inside
- Hard as a rock = shoe leather. Uh-oh. You must have been busy chatting...