C2A Best End of Lamb (BEL-2-1)

The lamb racks should include rib numbers 5-8 (with rib number 1 being the first rib at the shoulder end of the animal). The lamb saddle should be split down the centre of the spine cleanly, leaving an equal proportion of the spine on either side. The lamb should be of comparable quality to a UK 'E' or 'U' conforming carcass, which means that the shape of the hips, body and shoulders is very convex and rounded, with excellent muscle development. The fat covering should be comparable to a UK classification of 3 or 4, which means there is a good and even coating of fat over the carcass, particularly on the hind quarter, which is necessary to get a good result when dry-ageing the meat. The lamb should be dry-aged for 14 days. Once cooked, the sealed lamb should not be opened and exposed to air. This would cause oxidised flavours to be generated and give the lamb a warmed-over flavour. --- Method --- Score the bones in the middle of the racks with a bone saw, being careful not to cut all the way through, and gently snap them. Seal the lamb in a sous-vide bag at full pressure with the olive oil and herbs and marinate for 48 hours. Remove from the bag, wipe off the herbs and excess oil, and transfer the lamb to a clean sous-vide bag. Preheat a water bath to 60?C/140?F, add the lamb and cook until its internal temperature reaches 56?C/133?F; reduce the water temperature to 56C/133?F and continue to cook for 70 minutes. This process should take around 4 hours. Remove the lamb from the bath and allow to cool at room temperature for 15 minutes. Transfer to room-temperature water for a further 15 minutes, then place in a blast chiller or iced water and cool to 5?C/41?F. Keep the meat sealed in its bag until needed.