Boiled Mutton
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Clean the mutton thoroughly.
Boil
Place the mutton in a pot of boiling water, ensuring it is covered.
Cover the pot and boil gently for 15 minutes per pound, or longer if needed.
Remove any scum that rises to the surface while boiling.
Turn the mutton several times during cooking.
If necessary, replenish the water with boiling water carefully.
Serve
Once cooked, serve with a sauce for boiled mutton.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Mutton
- Is the main protein; long gentle boiling tenderises its connective tissue and makes it soft.
- Bay leaves
- Add a subtle aromatic, herbal flavour to the cooking liquid and the meat.
The step that matters
Boil gently, keeping the mutton covered. A gentle simmer cooks the meat evenly and slowly breaks down tough connective tissue. A hard, rapid boil toughens muscle fibres and can make the meat stringy, while keeping it submerged prevents dry, unevenly cooked patches.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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