Last Updated on January 3, 2024 by Michele Tripple
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Christmas is a special time of year to celebrate with your family, so of course, it is the perfect occasion to make a special dinner to share! These Christmas lamb recipes are one of a kind and will wow your guests this holiday. Be sure to search the list for your favorite to make this year!
In Australia Lamb is a tradition around the holidays so I thought it was only fitting to bring their special tradition to the United States with these Christmas Lamb Recipes. If you have been wanting to try something a little different this year, now is the time with these delicious lamb recipes that will certainly impress!
In the United States lamb is not commonly cooked with, this makes it seem more difficult to cook than other types of meat. Cooking lamb, when following a good recipe, it actually is fairly easy to cook. The thing you want to worry about the most is the meat being too tough or too dry. If you can avoid this, then you will have a delicious Christmas Lamb recipe to enjoy.
What is the best cut of lamb to cook with?
The leg and rack are known to be the most tender cuts of the lamb. These do taste the best when roasted. Tougher parts of the lamb that are also used in cooking are the shank and shoulder. Most often these are used in stews.
What temperature do you cook meat to?
You want to be sure that you cook your lamb long enough. An internal temperature of 140 degrees is rare, 160 degrees is medium, and 170 degrees is well done. Use a digital meat thermometer to get the cook on the meat just right.
Christmas Lamb Recipes
These Christmas lamb recipes are some of our favorites from all our favorite food bloggers!
Michele Tripple is a renowned author and expert in the fields of parenting, relationships, and personal development. With her degree in marriage and family studies, her experience as a Family Life Educator, and over a decade of experience as a professional writer, Michele has authored books that provide practical advice and insights into improving family dynamics and personal growth. Her work is celebrated for its blend of research-driven information and relatable, real-world applications. Michele has been a keynote speaker at conferences and has contributed to numerous publications and media outlets, solidifying her reputation as an authoritative voice in her field and helping families build relationships.
Tips for cooking the perfect roast lamb this Christmas
Shoulder, leg, and neck are especially good when slow-roasted, as in Georgina Hayden's slow-roast lamb with fresh dates, while rump and rack of lamb are very tender, so are usually served rare or medium-rare.
Spices compliment Lamb, but it also holds its flavor with just salt and pepper. Lamb pairs well with fruits like pomegranates, apricots, figs. It also goes well with dairy, yogurt, and feta cheese.
Whether boneless or bone-in, the perfect leg of lamb should be either oven-roasted until blushing pink on the inside (with an internal temp around 130°F) or roasted long and slow for several hours until the meat is very tender and falls apart to internal temp around 175°F (I often use the slow cooker for that).
The loin produces the most flavorful and tender cuts of Lamb in our opinion, due to its generous and tasty fat cap. Lamb Loin is located in between the ribs and sirloin. Lamb Loin Chops look like miniature bone-in T-Bone steaks or Porterhouse, that are straightforward to grill or pan-fry.
Some breeds, like Cheviot, Dorset, Rambouillet, or Suffolk sheep, are best for succulent meat. Selective breeding over the centuries has created sheep dedicated to wool, milk, or meat, although some breeds are good for all three.
Many people feel that New Zealand or Australian is the best and others feel there is no lamb other than American and are willing to pay the premium price for it. Lamb from each region has its own distinguishing characteristics including flavor, size and price.
This simply prepared (it's rubbed in a paste of just Dijon mustard, garlic, and herbs) rack of lamb is best served with equally unfussy vegetable sides, like grilled asparagus or baby artichokes.
The distinct game flavor of either birds or animals will be milder after soaking the meat overnight in the refrigerator in either a salt or vinegar solution.
The vinegar and water soak is optional, but it's the way grandma would do it to helps remove some of the gamy taste of the lamb. If you want to skip this step, simply marinate the lamb in olive oil, lemon, oregano, and salt and roast the recipe in the same way.
Lamb is often best enjoyed when cooked to a slightly pink or medium-rare internal temperature. This helps preserve its tenderness and flavor. However, personal preferences for doneness can vary, and lamb cooked to medium or well still tastes great!
For the perfect roast lamb, we recommend seasoning the surface of the meat, and then searing it, especially fat side down in a pan before roasting. Why bother with searing? Contrary to some stories, searing is less about locking in moisture, and all about improving the flavour!
A cherished yearly tradition for many families, slow-roasted prime rib roast is rich, flavorful, and exceptionally tender. Let Prime Time Butcher prepare your Christmas roast standing, cradled, or herb-seasoned to your specifications.
Lamb leg is always a great option for a Sunday roast dinner. The leg meat is juicy and tender and can slow-cooked with herbs or roasted for less time and served slightly pink in the middle. This is a very versatile cut of meat and goes well with a variety of seasonings and is a great all-rounder cut of lamb.
Many customers have a large crowd for Easter dinner and often prepare both. The number one cut of lamb to cook for Easter is a roasted leg of lamb. It's great on a rotisserie, here is one of my favorite recipes. Leg of lamb is truly a celebratory roast.
Bought either as bone-in or boned and easy to carve, this is one of the most flavoursome and tender cuts of lamb. Roast in the oven and finish on the barbeque for a wholesome, smoky flavour.
Introduction: My name is The Hon. Margery Christiansen, I am a bright, adorable, precious, inexpensive, gorgeous, comfortable, happy person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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