Cardrona Merino’s Rib Eye has so many layers and textures. Just like the beef rib eye, it has more flavour than many cuts and truly represents the Cardrona merino taste. It is unusual to get lamb rib eye, but at Cardrona Merino, they have their own Craft Cut butchery where they look at the lamb and work out the best ways and for what customers it should be used. In this way, they produce cuts for the love of taste and not just the speed of production.
Hannes Bareiter, at Glenfalloch restaurant on the Dunedin Peninsula, is quickly being ‘food followed’ for this cut and the neck fillet. He cooks the cut sous vide for 24 hours at 58 degrees to make it medium-rare. This means it falls apart while still retaining the full texture of the lamb. Also, being around the 200 gram each, it is an ideal portion size for each customer with no trimming or waste, so he knows he will have happy customers and be within his budget.
Other chefs like to ‘soften’ the cut with buttermilk and kiwi fruit before braising over hot coals. Either way, this is a delicious, juicy and very flavoursome cut of lamb.
For more information, contact Rob Ottrey at rob@cardronamerino.com.
