Vent: I ruined a whole lamb shoulder because I thought I knew better than the cooling rack

Last Saturday, I was breaking down a 45 lb lamb at the shop in Portland. Got this beautiful shoulder, trimmed it perfect, seasoned it right. Then I put it straight onto a sheet pan to rest. No rack underneath it. My old boss used to yell at me about that - 'air needs to flow, Grace' - and I always thought he was just being fussy. Well, the bottom got all steamed and soggy. The crust I worked for was ruined on one side. Had to trim off like 6 ounces of wet meat. I was so mad at myself. Has anyone else just ignored basic advice and then paid for it?

3 comments

3 Comments

gavin6926d ago

Oh man, that's rough! I actually think the opposite is sometimes true for certain cuts though. Like for pork shoulder when you're doing carnitas, you WANT it to steam and break down that connective tissue. But lamb shoulder is way more tender and that crust is everything. You probably lost some good Maillard reaction flavor too.

stella_lane6d ago

Honestly @gavin692, the carnitas point is valid, but this wasn't a braise - it's a seared crust you're protecting. Letting steam hit it is like taking a victory lap and tripping.

patriciah515d ago

Actually read a technique piece in Lucky Peach a few years back that explained how a rack stops steam from killing your crust through capillary action under the meat. Makes a lot more sense when you see the science behind it. Ever tried flipping your roasting pan technique after that kind of mistake?