This weekend I taught a food enthusiast class on butchery. One of the tasks was frenching a rack of lamb. But why? Well it is a long standing debate with those who love lamb whether or not to remove the extra bits of meat along the bones. Some will remove it right to the eye, otherwise known as lollipop chop; others will leave over two inches of extra fatty meat on the ribs and just clean off the tips of the bones. Most New Zealand pre-frenched racks come with about an inch and a half of material above the eye. So its is up to the individual to decide. If serving mini appetizer chops, I would lollipop them. When creating a crown roast I go with about an inch and a half. My dad would leave on all of the trim on the ribs and simply trim some of the exterior fat. The meat crisps up almost bacon- like and is very tasty. Rustica!
Techniques vary for frenching. Lately I show how to do it with a butcher twine. There are a series of steps to it and if done correctly the bones will be very clean. In class I am also showing how to french using a drawer handle. I saw this on Alton Brown's You Tube video. Check it out...
