Half Leg of Lamb Cooking Time Calculator

A half leg of lambs typicaly weighs between three and six pound. This cut of meat can serve four to eight person depending on an amount of meat you decide to serve to each person. A half leg of lamb can be purchased with the bone or without the bone.

If the half leg of lamb contain the bone, the bone will help to cook the leg of lamb and it will take longer to cook the leg of lamb because the bone will retain the heat and prevent the leg of lamb from heating as quick as it would if it did not contain the bone. If the half leg of lamb is boneless, it will cook in less time than the bone in half leg of lamb. A boneless half leg of lamb requires sixteen and a half minute of cooking time per pound while a bone-in half leg of lamb require approximately eighteen minutes of cooking time per pound.

How to Cook a Half Leg of Lamb

The shape of the half leg of lamb will affect the cooking time. If the half leg of lamb is butterflied, it will cook in less time than a full half leg of lamb since it will be in more direct contact with the heat from the oven. If the half leg of lamb is rolled and tie, it will cook more slow since the heat cannot escape from the half leg of lamb as easy.

You should adjust the cooking tools to accommodate the shape of the half leg of lamb so that the cook can calculate the cooking time accordingly. The temperature of the oven will also affect the cooking speed of the half leg of lamb. If the oven is set to four hundred degrees, the exterior of the half leg of lamb will cook quick.

If the oven is set to three hundred twenty-five degrees, the bone-in half leg of lamb will cook at a lower temperature. The lower the temperature, the more the half leg of lamb will continue to cook after it is removed from the oven (carryover cooking). Half leg of lambs will carryover cook five to ten degrees in the standing time after it is removed from the oven.

Oven temperatures should be adjusted to the type of half leg of lamb being cooked. The crowded pan of vegetable in the oven will absorb some of the heat from the oven and increase the cooking time of the half leg of lamb. An instant read thermometer can be used to check the doneness of the half leg of lamb.

For medium rare doneness, the half leg of lamb should reach one hundred thirty degree. For medium doneness, the half leg of lamb should reach one hundred forty degrees. For well-done half leg of lamb, the internal temperature should reach one hundred sixty degrees.

However, well-done half leg of lamb may not be as tender as medium rare half leg of lamb. The half leg of lamb should be removed from the oven when the thermometer read five degrees below the desired temperature of the half leg of lamb since it will continue to cook while resting. If the half leg of lamb is cold from the refrigerator, it will take eight percent more cooking time because cold meat will resist the heat of the oven.

Allowing the half leg of lamb to rest after it is removed from the oven allows the juices to redistribute throughout the cut of meat. If the half leg of lamb is not allowed to rest, the juice will be released from the half leg of lamb and the half leg of lamb will be dried. Use a calculator that includes a ten percent buffer to account for the variables that may affect the cooking time such as oven temperature and oven door being open during cooking.

The number of servings from a half leg of lamb will depend upon the weight of the half leg of lamb and the type of meal being served. For a standard dinner portion, one person will receive four to six ounce of cooked half leg of lamb. A four-and-a-half-pound bone-in half leg of lamb will yield approximately three pound of cooked half leg of lamb.

Three pound of cooked half leg of lamb will be enough to serve six people. For a buffet type meal, the portion size can be increased to six ounce of cooked half leg of lamb per person. The best way to prepare a half leg of lamb is to follow a few step.

Remove the excess fat to a quarter-inch thickness, but dont remove all of the fat since the fat will add flavor to the half leg of lamb. Pat the half leg of lamb dry and season the half leg of lamb generous with salt. Allow the half leg of lamb to sit in the refrigerator uncovered overnight to draw moisture from the half leg of lamb.

This will create a crispy skin when the half leg of lamb is roasted. Searing the half leg of lamb in a hot skillet before roasting the half leg of lamb will also create a brown exterior. Do not overcrowd the skillet so as to not steam the half leg of lamb and increase its cooking time.

Various factor will affect the cooking time for the half leg of lamb. An oven thermometer can be used to ensure that the oven is calibrated to the time set on the oven timer. Ovens can often read higher or lower than the setting on the oven.

Cooking at an altitude above three thousand feet may slow the cooking process of the half leg of lamb. If the half leg of lamb is frozen, allow twelve percent more cooking time for the half leg of lamb to reach the desired doneness. Finally, allowing the half leg of lamb to rest will ensure that the half leg of lamb will be juicy and tender when carve after cooking.