Five generations of lamb-raising expertise and care ensures Anderson Ranches lambs will produce the highest quality meat – that is tender, juicy and delicious.
Anderson Ranch lamb is 100% grass-fed, lambs graze on open pastures and fields, eating forbs, herbs and grasses living and growing the way nature intended. They are a Certified Humane program, which is a rigorous third-party audited program ensuring animals are cared for and raised the way they should be.
Just like beef or pork, how you cook lamb is determined by what cut of meat you are using. The amount of excersize a muscle gets will dictate the cooking time. For best results when cooking lamb, always follow recipe suggestions for cooking time by cut, and allow to rest before serving.
This is a fatty cut that can be left whole on the bone, or boned then rolled into a roasting joint. It can be traditionally roasted but is best slow-roasted, pot-roasted or braised with liquid until practically falling apart. Shoulder can also be diced for stewing.
Also called a cannon or fillet of lamb, this is the eye of the meat from the rack and is like the lamb equivalent of beef fillet. It’s a very lean, neat piece of meat that should be quick-cooked and served rare.
Taken from the rack of lamb, these neat chops can come with a layer of fat surrounding the meat which extends to the bone, or they can be French-trimmed to expose the bone. These can be pan-fried, griddled, quickly barbecued and sometimes used in casseroles.
Lamb shanks need to be slow-roasted or braised and each one makes a generous single serving.
This is a trimmed rack of six chops that can either be roasted whole and carved, or cut into chops from raw and then quick-cooked.
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 Anderson Ranch Lamb shanks (about 1 pound each), trimmed of visible fat
Salt and pepper
1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
2 celery ribs, sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1-1/2 tablespoons herbs de Provence
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup dry red wine
1-1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes with juice
1 can white beans (great northern or cannellini), drained and rinsed
In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add oil. Season lamb with salt and pepper. Add to hot oil and cook, browning each side, about 4 minutes per side (if necessary, cook in batches). Remove shanks to a clean plate and set aside.
Add onion, carrots, celery, tomato paste, herbs de Provence, garlic, salt and pepper; cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add wine, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan.
Add broth, tomatoes and beans; bring mixture to a simmer. Nestle browned lamb shanks into broth mixture; cover and cook until meat is tender and easily falls off the bone, about 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 hours, depending on size of shanks. Place shanks in individual shallow bowls or plates. Divide vegetables and sauce among bowl.
Serve with a simple green salad (arugula or mixed greens dressed with lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil) and whole grain crusty bread.
