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Cooked Marinade

Published: Feb 4, 2015 · Modified: Feb 3, 2021 by Michael Ruhlman · 11 Comments

Lamb-X3

Photo by Donna Turner Ruhlman

Having come into the possession of several exquisite lamb tenderloins from the well-known and much admired John Jamison, and it being too cold for pleasant grilling, I pondered what to do with them. I wanted to flavor but not overpower them. So I returned to an old idea: the cooked marinade.

Marinades do one thing: they flavor the outside of the meat. That, combined with a grill pan, would give just the flavor I wanted. If you infuse the oil with aromatics and partially cook those aromatics, the aromatics themselves (here, garlic and shallot) are more deeply flavorful.

I’m loving my grill pan this winter. It does add flavor in ways that oil in a skillet does not. It helps to have one with a top piece that you can use to press down on the meat, searing the meat on the ridges and trapping the smoke created when juices and fat touch the grooves.

I’ve known of John and Sukey Jamison since writing about Michael Symon in the late 1990s in Soul of a Chef. He believed their lamb to be the best in the country. It’s hard to imagine there’s better lamb.

And I met John last summer when Dan Barber came to speak about his fabulous book, The Third Plate. John had driven from Pennsylvania to hear Dan. “I love Dan,” John told me. “He buys all the necks.” That is the parts that most people don’t want. I love that about Dan, too.

Herewith, the cooked marinade for Jamison lamb tenderloins. Thanks, John and Sukey!

Lamb-11

Cooked Marinade

Combine 1 sliced shallot, 4 smashed garlic cloves, 5 or 10 strips of lemon peel, dried or fresh rosemary, a few pinches of cumin, and a pinch of cayenne in a sauté pan with ⅓ cup olive oil over high heat. When the shallot is simmering, give the pan a stir and remove it from the heat. Allow the oil to cool till it’s not uncomfortable to touch (or to room temperature) and pour the marinade over the lamb (which you’ve salted and peppered even before you began the marinade, yes?), and toss it all together. The longer it sits, the better, but you can cook it immediately if you wish. Lay the oiled lamb in a grill pan and spoon the remaining aromatics over the lamb. Cook to medium rare, a couple of minutes on each side, allowing them to rest for 5 or 10 minutes before serving.

If you liked this post on cooked marinade, check out these other links:

  • My recent posts on the Key Lime Martini, Key West Reflections, and Importance of Family Meal.
  • Video: How I Fell in Love with a Fish, Chef Barber on sustainable fish farming from TED.
  • Here is my recipe for braised lamb.

© 2015 Michael Ruhlman. Photo © 2015 Donna Turner Ruhlman. All rights reserved.

« Friday Cocktail Hour: Key Lime Martini
Friday Cocktail Hour: The Boulevardier Returns »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Joseph M. Gardewin

    February 04, 2015 at 11:57 am

    This looks utterly and completely fabulous ... want ... brilliant photography

    Reply
  2. Rebecca @ Bring Back Delicious

    February 04, 2015 at 12:42 pm

    I can't say I've ever just come into possession of some tenderloins. It's usually just when I hand over money. 🙂

    Do you have any recommendations for where to get a grill pan like the one you have?

    Reply
    • Kiara

      February 04, 2015 at 10:34 pm

      Seconded! Best grill pan?

      Reply
    • Jim Holzgrafe

      February 06, 2015 at 1:39 am

      Pretty sure that's just a standard Lodge 10.5" grill pan, $20 at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-L8SGP3-Pre-Seasoned-Cast-Iron-10-5-inch/dp/B0000CF66W/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1423204661&sr=1-1&keywords=lodge+grill+pan

      Reply
  3. Skip

    February 04, 2015 at 1:37 pm

    Would vacuum marinating be faster and possibly deeper?

    Reply
  4. Pam M

    February 04, 2015 at 1:48 pm

    I cook brines all the time but it never occurred to me to cook a marinade. That looks great. I'll definitely give it a try.

    Reply
  5. Kellie

    February 04, 2015 at 3:55 pm

    Thank you for this!

    Reply
  6. John

    February 05, 2015 at 4:52 pm

    Nice.
    Being an Aussie (actually a Tasmanian, we're different!) I find lamb strangely under-represented in the (particularly US) food media.
    Is that an unfair generalisation?
    Good lamb is fabulous.

    Reply
    • Skip

      February 06, 2015 at 12:47 pm

      I love lamb! But many of my New York City friends don't. They say it's too gamey for them, just too strong a flavor. Having said that you will find lamb in most Greek restaurants here and you will find rack of lamb in many upscale restaurants.

      Reply
  7. Joey Conner

    February 05, 2015 at 9:12 pm

    just like Ruhlman... never a letdown. Thanks for all of your translations!

    Reply
  8. Mz

    February 12, 2015 at 4:50 am

    I love this, thank you!

    Reply

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Hi, I'm Michael Ruhlman, an award-winning author and cook who writes about chefs, food and cooking, among other things.

More about me →

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram

See my books!

Ratio App for iPhone

After I wrote my book Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking, a colleague and I built a ratio calculator for iPhones that allows you to cook without recipes. For doughs, batters, custards, sauces, stocks and more, simply plug in the amount of one ingredient and the amounts of the other ingredients are instantly calculated. It's also a handy reference for dozens of our most common preparations. ($4.99 in the app store.)

Collaborate

I’ve collaborated on a dozen books, including cookbooks and a memoir. If you'd like to collaborate on a project, please contact my agent, Gail Hochman, [email protected], at Brandt & Hochman Literary Agents, Inc.

For speaking engagements contact, Kip Ludwig, [email protected].

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