Lamb Sirloin Tip

[JLK]

Yeah, this is another topic I'm starting by saying "I have _____ and have never cooked ______ before. Can you give me some guidance, por favor?" This time it's something I saw at Whole Foods marked "New Zealand lamb sirloin tip."

I bought just over a pound of it, cut into about boneless chops that are maybe 7/8" thick. What's the best cooking method for this type of meat and how should I consider preparing it? Thanks!

[zoramargolis]

"Sirloin tip" is the sort of amorphous name that leaves you wondering. I'd think of it as similar in texture and cooking requirements to boneless leg of lamb.

The very tastiest method I've found for preparing boneless leg of lamb involves some prep, and waiting a few days to cook and eat it. I make a marinade with plain yogurt, onions, garlic, ground cumin, fresh mint, parsley, thyme , rosemary and bay leaves and citrus peels (go easy on the lemon juice or the marinade will be too acidic). Put the meat and marinade in a ziplock bag, moosh it around and put it in the refrigerator. Moosh it around and flip the bag a couple of times a day.

Yogurt is the one marinade-base that won't turn meat to mush, because the lactic acid in the yogurt is much gentler than wine, vinegar or lemon/lime juice. It will tenderize the meat and give it great flavor--I've had lamb in this marinade for as many as five days with good results. Even a day or two works well.

Take the meat out of the bag, scrape off the herbs and some of the yogurt and grill over charcoal. The meat you bought sounds like you could cut it into chunks before marinating, if you chose to, and skewer it for kebabs.

I first tasted lamb cooked this way in the mid-70's at a very high class Moroccan restaurant in West Hollywood called Dar Maghreb. It absolutely blew me away. I asked for the recipe, and I've been cooking lamb like this ever since. Whenever I prepare lamb in this way for guests, someone invariably says: "That's the most delicious lamb I've ever eaten in my life."

[ScotteeM]

The maple rosemary marinade on this pagegoes well with lamb--reminiscent of the Maple-Rosemary marinade that Trader Joe's used to carry.

I would cook the lamb as rare as possible, because I am guessing that this cut could get tough if overcooked.