Unit 629 - Cook and finish basic meat dishes.

1. Unit 629 - Cook and finish basic meat dishes.

2. Quality Points of Lamb. • Bones porous, with slight bluish tinge. • Fat evenly distributed, hard brittle, flaky and clear white in colour. • Lean flesh firm dull red, with fine texture or grain. • Before preparation, carcasses should be hung in a cool, dry area (cold room) for up to five or six days. This will improve taste, texture and tenderise the meat.

3. Storage. • Carcasses of lamb should be hung by the leg. • Joints should be stored in well drained trays, which should be changed daily, under refrigeration 3°C to 5°C for a maximum of 5 days. Smaller joints and cuts deteriorate quicker than a whole lamb carcass. • Frozen joints should be stored in a deep freeze at -18°C with an appropriate wrapping and defrosted in a refrigerator at 3°C to 5°C for 24 hours.

4. Joints And Usage From A Side Of Lamb.

6. When a carcass of lamb has been dissected into its basic joints it will require some preparation before it can be cooked. If it is to be used for smaller cuts then the basic preparation would be taken further.

8. Cuts From the Loin and Saddle. • Single loin chops: • cut across the un-boned loin; each chop 100-150 g. • (4-6 oz) in weight. • Noisettes (French style): • cut from a boned loin at an angle of 45º; cuts are 2 cm. • (1 in) thick; flattened out and trimmed of excess fat.

9. Rosettes: • cut from a boned saddle (i.e. across two loins); 2 cm. • (1 in) thick; ends rolled in and secured with string to achieve a flat heart shape. • Barnsley chops: • cut from the un-boned saddle; 2 cm (1 in) thick. • Cutlets (cotelette): • Prepare as for roasting, excluding the scoring.

10. Cotellettes double: • divide evenly between the bones; or the cutlets can be cut from the best-end and prepared separately. A double cutlet consists of two bones; therefore a six. • bone best-end yields six single or three double cut-lets. • Saddle: • A full saddle includes the chumps and the tail. For large banquets it is sometimes found better to remove the chumps and use short saddles.

11. Leg of Lamb. • This is generally boned or partly boned for roasting. Leg of mutton is usually boiled. • Preparing a leg of lamb. • Cut along a line following the line of the aitchbone and through the ball and socket. Remove the aitchbone. • Saw off the bottom knuckle and bone. • Remove any excess fat, and tie with string before cooking.

12. Cuts from a Leg of Lamb. • Chump chops: • Cut from the chump end of the leg. • Gigot chops: • Cut from the centre of the leg.