Dark, sticky stew | Jamie Oliver lamb stew recipes (2024)

FAQs

Which part of lamb is best for stew? ›

The best cuts for stewing are shoulder, leg or neck fillet – it needs to quite a hard-working muscle with some fat marbling through it that will break down during the slow cooking to create tender meat. It's also best with economical cuts that are boneless – keep saddle, rack and lamb chops for roasting.

The epitome of comfort food, traditional Irish stew has only a few ingredients: mutton, onions and potatoes. In southern Ireland carrots are added, and some cooks venture so far as to add turnips. These days, young lamb often replaces mutton for a more delicate version.

Starting fat side down, sear the lamb in a non-stick frying pan on a medium-high heat for 10 minutes, turning regularly until gnarly all over but blushing in the middle, or use your instincts to cook to your liking.

And when you have a gorgeous cut, like a rack of lamb, you can cook it the good ol' Gordon Ramsay way—which is to say, lightly pan-sear it first, then baste it with an herby, garlicky butter, and finally finish it off in the oven until it's still pink and juicy in the middle. It comes out perfectly every time.

Browning the meat doesn't take long and has some advantages, including a good looking, caramelised surface and richer coloured dish. It can also give a deeper flavour, and some say a better texture.

The leg and rack of lamb are perfect for herb-crusting and oven-roasting; since the shank and shoulder are a bit tougher, they fare well in stews or braises—the long cook time allows them to significantly break down and become fork-tender.

Brown the lamb first, in batches if necessary. This will maintain a high heat in the pan and caramelise the juices, which will improve the colour and flavour of the meat. Although lamb is a little more fatty than other meats, don't trim all of it away before cooking.

While Irish stew (in the modern sense) can be made with mutton, lamb, or beef, beef stew is always made with beef. Both stews can contain potatoes, root vegetables, flavorings like beer or wine and herbs, and thickened with potato, flour, cornstarch, or nothing at all.

Spices and Seasonings: A blend of dark brown sugar, browning sauce, fresh thyme, sweet paprika, ground ginger, chili powder, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, ground allspice, and dried bay leaves, each contributing to the rich, complex flavor profile of the stew.

What's the difference between Irish stew and regular stew? ›

The main difference between an Irish stew and classic beef stew comes down to the protein. Traditional Irish stew is usually made with lamb, while beef stew is always made with beef.

Slow cooking in liquid transforms tougher cuts of lamb into fork-tender meat. Neck, shoulder and belly, either diced or as whole joints, are the best cuts for slow cooking and need to be cooked for at least 2 hrs at 150C to soften the meat.

Temperature is by far the most critical aspect of cooking lamb chops. Undercooking even tender lamb chops can render them unpleasantly chewy, while overcooking will lead to tough, dried-out meat.

Careful trimming is a flavor necessity. Remove excess fat and fell (the thin outer membrane over the muscle) before cooking. Either ask the butcher to do it or remove it yourself. Remove all but a very thin layer of fat on top of the leg.

Toss meat pieces in flour prior to browning. The flour helps to thicken a stew as it cooks. Whisk a teaspoon of flour in a little cold water to make a slurry, then stir into the stew as it's cooking. Don't add dry flour directly to the stew as it may clump.

A lamb bredie (bree – eh – die) is just another name for a lamb stew. But whereas a stew is typically cooked in a large amount of stock, a bredie uses hardly any stock and relies on the juices from the vegetables to form the liquid component of the dish.

Lamb boasts a very delicate, mild even slightly sweet flavor. Lamb has more of a natural clean grass-fed taste. Although, the Mutton's bolder flavors are softened when slow-cooked or braised since these cooking methods break down the tougher Mutton meat fibers. Mutton can also be very fatty.