How to French a Leg of Lamb
This quick visual guide shows you How to French a Leg of Lamb, step-by-step.
While Frenching a leg of lamb or Rack of Lamb is not essential, I love the classic presentation.
Sometimes you can buy the meat already Frenched at the butchershop, but if it’s not done already, it’s quite simple to do yourself.
How to French a Leg of Lamb:
Here’s how I bought the leg of lamb from the butcher:
You’ll notice that it’s tied, and the meat goes all the way up to the edges.
I actually prefer to remove the twine for my Roast Leg of Lamb recipe, because I find it unnecessary for holding the shape. Leg of lamb already holds its shape decently as it cooks, because the bone runs up and down the whole piece.
Get a sharp paring knife, and cut all around the bone, slicing straight in toward the bone:
Now slip the paring knife right along the bone to begin removing the meat:
It is easiest to grab the meat with your fingers and pull it away as you run the knife along the bone:
Once most of the meat is off, make sure to scrape off any last bits of connective tissue:
The leg of lamb is now ready to go for cooking:
See my Roast Leg of Lamb for my favorite way to make this glorious cut of meat. Enjoy!
How to French a Leg of Lamb
Ingredients
- 5 lb leg of lamb
Instructions
- Place the leg of lamb on a cutting board or flat surface.
- Using a sharp paring knife, cut straight into the bone about an inch and a half from the end, moving the knife all around the bone.
- Run the paring knife along the bone down toward the cut, pulling the meat away using your fingertips as you slice. Make sure to remove any connective tissues and scrape everything away from the bone.
- The lamb is now ready for your recipe!
- I do not waste the little piece of meat I cut. I keep a bag of bones in the freezer to make bone broth, and I throw that little piece in there too.
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.