Lamb breast question

[Jimcone]

I bought a package of lamb breast at Walmart. They have a lot of fat and I was wondering if I should trim it down or leave it on. Attached is a photo of them cut in half. I trimmed the fast off one and there wasn’t a lot of meat left. Any input is greatly appreciated. They are currently marinating in fridge. 

[liuzhou]

Lamb breasts are fatty. That's what's good about them. Fat = Flavor. Leave it on!

[Jimcone]

Thanks. Appreciate the quick response 

[rotuts]

if you like lamb fat , fine

 

some do nit.

 

if you can manage it , Id try to make lamb bacon :

 

seasonings , brine

 

then perhaps cold smoke and treat like Pork Bacon

 

it might be a bit of work as I don't know your interests and culinary set-ups.

 

BTW Welcome !

 

 

all answers to questions re: whats on Your Plate , are somewhere on eG.

[scubadoo97]

The lamb breast at WM are on the bone. At least the ones I’ve bought.   More like lamb spare ribs.   And yes they are very fatty, which is why I cook them on my smoker and keep the mess outside.  Plus they are great off the smoker 

[Baron d'Apcher]

That is not a healthy animal.  Those are unnecessarily fatty breasts from an unnecessarily crap/grain fattened animal.  Lamb fat is not a flavor that most people crave. Unless you are into making soap or candles, I would not recommend buying those ever again.

 

12 hours ago, liuzhou said:

Lamb breasts are fatty. That's what's good about them. Fat = Flavor. Leave it on!

I work on a farm where we raise and butcher lamb and have only seen anything barely close to that fatty from 5yr+ rams (mutton).  Salt is flavor too, but within reason and marbled is much different than fatty.

[liuzhou]

5 hours ago, Baron d'Apcher said:

I work on a farm where we raise and butcher lamb and have only seen anything barely close to that fatty from 5yr+ rams (mutton).

 

Well, it looks like every lamb breast I have been buying, cooking and eating for the last half a century. Spring lamb, at that.

 

Of course "Agneau de pré-salé" comes with salt and fat. Sublime.

Edited May 31, 2018 by liuzhou (log)

[Baron d'Apcher]

15 hours ago, liuzhou said:

 

Well, it looks like every lamb breast I have been buying, cooking and eating for the last half a century. Spring lamb, at that.

 

 

It looks like the huge Suffolk/Rambouillet breeds raised out in the Western US.  They represent the far end of the spectrum for fat cover and such fatty animals might not be an efficient use of grain.  The craving of fat is subjective, and I much prefer leaner beef.  To each their own.

Objectively however, lamb are born in the spring but slaughtered in the fall/winter, generally before they reach a year in age or else they must be labeled as mutton

 

[liuzhou]

3 hours ago, Baron d'Apcher said:

Objectively however, lamb are born in the spring but slaughtered in the fall/winter

 

Quote

Spring lamb is the term given to the seasonal peak in supply, following the traditional breeding cycle: lambs are born in winter and sold in spring. Spring lambs are generally milk fed and considered to be particularly sweet as they graze on the fresh spring shoots of grass.

 

http://www.australianbutchersguild.com.au/Farming/Lamb/Spring-Lamb

 

[Baron d'Apcher]

I should have specified that above the equator, most sheep naturally breed in the fall (October-November) and give birth in the spring (April-May).  Below the equator it is likely the opposite.  There is also a lot of artificial insemination in the US and Australia/NZ.

 

[liuzhou]

1 hour ago, Baron d'Apcher said:

I should have specified that above the equator, most sheep naturally breed in the fall (October-November) and give birth in the spring (April-May).

 

Quote

Our Extra Special Welsh Lamb comes from the lush, natural pastures of North Wales mainly from the Conwy Valley, Anglesey and the Vale of Clwyd.

These lush pastures provide ideal conditions to produce what is arguably some of the finest lamb available anywhere. With full traceability you can be sure of the highest standards possible of animal welfare and quality. This type of lamb is available throughout the year beginning with the superb new season spring lamb in April.

 

http://www.edwardsofconwy.co.uk/shop/welsh-lamb

 

Quote

Spring lamb, also called early or summer lamb, is 3 to 5 months old. It is very tender though doesn't have as much flavour as lamb later in the year since the lambs haven't had as much time to graze.

Availability

Look out for Spring lamb from February to June.

 

BBC

 

Last time I went home, the UK, including Wales, was north of the equator.

[Baron d'Apcher]

1 hour ago, liuzhou said:

Last time I went home, the UK, including Wales, was north of the equator.

 

Fine.  But the link you provided was from Australia.  Lamb gestation is 5 months and it takes at least 6, even 9 months for a lamb to reach market weight and the ones in the OP are at least 135lb hot weight which is huge and would definitely be graded 5.  A dressed 6-8 week lamb will weigh no more than a suckling pig and the price will be prohibitive (baby vegetables vs full grown). Sheep can breed throughout the year, but not every breed does and the World Famous Welsh lamb that is available all year round might be breed artificially.  Tomatoes are available all year round, but they still have a natural season.

 

Quote

 

Yield grade standards estimate the percentage of closely trimmed, boneless retail cuts from the leg, loin, rib, and shoulder. They are based primarily on the amount of external fat in the carcass. The grades are 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, with 1 being the leanest and 5 being the fattest. From 2012-2016, approximately 75% of lambs yield graded graded 2 or 3. In the commodity market, yield grade 1s, 4s, and 5s are usually discriminated in price. 4s and 5s are too fat and heavy, while 1s lack sufficient fat cover and quality.

 

Quote

A hot house lamb is a milk-fed lamb that is usually born out-of-season (fall or early winter) and raised indoors. Hot house lambs are a delicacy favored by Orthodox Christians, especially at the Easter and Christmas holidays.

 

 

Quote

Estrous cycles are usually affected by the seasons. The number of hours daily that light enters the eye of the animal affects the brain, which governs the release of certain precursors and hormones. Most sheep are seasonally polyestrus and short-day breeders. They will begin to exhibit estrus when length of day begins decreasing. They will come into heat every 16 to 17 days until they are bred or return to anestrus. Thus, the most natural time for sheep to breed in the U.S. and Canada is the fall (Oct-Nov). 

 

Wherever and whenever the OP's lamb were bred/born, they are at the fattiest end of the spectrum and I would not be comfortable selling them.