The Outright Best Cuts Of Lamb For Searing

Just as with beef, pork, or chicken, there are many things that you can do with lamb. With a gamy, if not sometimes polarizing, flavor profile and a remarkably tender texture, lamb can be served as a roast or smothered in mashed potatoes and vegetables as part of a classic shepherd's pie. Although Americans consume less lamb than beef or pork, the Helgi Library tells us that lamb is a very popular culinary option in countries such as Mongolia, Turkmenistan, Iceland, and New Zealand, to name a few. However, this doesn't mean that you can't enjoy lamb for yourself throughout America. So long as you know where to look in your grocery store's meat aisle, find a good butcher shop, or possibly even know someone who raises sheep for consumption, you can enjoy lamb any time.

Let's say you've managed to secure some pieces of lamb and are eager to try them out. Then you should know which cuts to choose to get that perfect seared exterior. Let's get into some examples.

While you could roast or braise just about any cut of lamb, there are a few select cuts of lamb that are particularly good when you want to sear them. One of these cuts is the rib, which is taken from — you guessed it — the rib of the lamb. But what exactly makes this particular cut so good for searing?

Chef Kevin O'Donnell explains to Food and Wine that searing is a "great method for cooking small, tender cuts, like rib and loin chops." To sear them properly, pat the meat dry and season it liberally with salt. Then place a well-oiled cast-iron or carbon-steel pan over medium heat, allowing the pan to get as hot as possible before adding the rib loins to sear them quickly. Due to the rib loin's tenderness and thinness, the process must be done rapidly, or else the loins will overcook. To prevent overcooking, cut the ribs into chops first, searing each chop separately rather than searing the whole piece of meat all at once.

Lamb's ribs have been described as having much more flavor than pork or beef ribs, despite not being as fatty as them — another reason to consider trying lamb over the usual roast.

Another excellent option for searing is loin chops. Located behind the ribs, you will find loin chops which are very easy to cook. To sear these chops, put them in an oiled pan and sear them three minutes per side — this is for a medium-rare interior. It should be noted if you want it well done, you should cook it longer.

The loin is a prized part of the lamb and can be ordered as chops or a whole roast. They are also described as somewhat less tender than the above rib cuts but are said to have a much smoother flavor and are meatier than the ribs. This makes them suitable for someone trying out lamb for the first time, as the meaty texture and flavor can be a better introduction than the grassy, gamier, and more tender cuts of lamb.

A good recipe for these types of lamb chops is to prepare them in the style of the Greek Island Taverna, which involves soaking lamb chops in a marinade of lemon, olive oil, and rosemary and then grilling the chops until medium and tender.