Rack of Lamb Questions

[Fat Guy]

Of course, there's going to be a range of product quality from any region. I'm sure there's crap lamb from Colorado as well as the Colorado lamb I find to be fantastic. Colorado lamb is really an imaginary category -- I don't know of anything about Colorado that would by definition make Colorado lamb different from, say, Nebraska lamb. Likewise, we probably shouldn't categorize all New Zealand or all Australian lamb as monolithic blocks.

What I can say is this: As a retail consumer in the New York Metro area, I can't find anything as good as this Australian stuff (Southern Cross brand) for anywhere near the price. It's very good lamb -- better than what most restaurants serve, except the top restaurants -- and it doesn't even seem to have been frozen for shipping. If it has been frozen, the technology used is superb, because I can't tell. The only New Zealand lamb I've seen around here has definitely been frozen. The best lamb I can get in the area comes from various butchers and is all domestic but it literally costs 2-4 times as much as the Australian. I'm assuming that both Australia and New Zealand produce both higher and lower grades of lamb than what I see in New York, but I must applaud the Aussies for what they're able to produce cheaply and in Costco-worthy quantities.

[Life in the kitchen]

http://www.rosenlamb.com/

[Life in the kitchen]

Hi Fat guy,

Your right about the "imaginary"idea of Colorado lamb. From Colorado across all the lamb breeding states in the US you will find similarities in there products,As you will with Beef from Nebraska or Omaha.

Although domestic lamb is pricery than Aussie or New Zealand you have to eat twice as much of the imported lamb as you do domestic to equel the same amount of meat,so it does balance out.

[Jinmyo]

Is anyone able to make an educated judgement on how Ontario lamb compares to the rest of the crop?  I've ONLY had Ontario lamb, and I'm wondering what exactly I'm missing.  I personally find it quite delicious.

Jin, do you feel comfortable making a comparison?

Chris, I do (and I have the time). Ontario lamb is excellent. I haven't had American lamb in over two decades so can't say much about it.

[pixelchef]

Thank you kindly, ma'am.

[jess mebane]

Boy, did I get took yesterday. I have no recollection if the four-banger I bought from Central Mkt was Canadian, Australian or local, but they wanted $21.99/lb, and it was good, but golly! I cobbled together a technique from a Plotnicki thread and Emeril recipe, with honey, dijon and pistachios, but next time I will pan sear rather than crank up the oven for the first crusting--nuts didn't quite toast up evenly.

And I will have to invite a friend who actually enjoys lamb, since it turns out spouse was being polite the last time he had some at a restaurant. (sigh). All in all, an expensive experiment.

[maggiethecat]

Is anyone able to make an educated judgement on how Ontario lamb compares to the rest of the crop?  I've ONLY had Ontario lamb, and I'm wondering what exactly I'm missing.  I personally find it quite delicious.

Jin, do you feel comfortable making a comparison?

Chris, I do (and I have the time). Ontario lamb is excellent. I haven't had American lamb in over two decades so can't say much about it.

I've had all three...Ontario, US and New Zealand. Although I've enjoyed the Yank and the Kiwi, the Ontario comes out ahead. Every time.

[Fat Guy]

Best I've had in recent memory was from Salt Spring Island, British Columbia.

[Nick]

I've had all three...Ontario, US and New Zealand.  Although I've enjoyed the Yank and the Kiwi, the Ontario comes out ahead.  Every time.

You don't happen to work for the Canadian Ministry of Agriculture in the lamb promotion division by any chance?

How would one in Maine get hold of this Ontario lamb?

[pixelchef]

Thank you very much, maggie. I value both yours and Jin's opinion very much. I'm a content little Ontario boy now. :)

[tajanna]

Is anyone able to make an educated judgement on how Ontario lamb compares to the rest of the crop?  I've ONLY had Ontario lamb, and I'm wondering what exactly I'm missing.  I personally find it quite delicious.

Jin, do you feel comfortable making a comparison?

I loved the lamb from Britain. I can only compare it too Ontario Lamb and New Zealand Lamb.

Remeberances of tastes past.

Ontario lamb is good though.

[Saffy]

Well being an NZer I just feel I have to contribute to this discussion.

There are definately different grades of lamb, and the lamb that is exported from NZ is often quite different than the lamb we get from our local butcher here in NZ

There are a number of different cuts sent overseas that are not readily available here, also the lamb that is exported tends to be much leaner than the lamb that is consumed locally. I personally think a bit of fat left on the meat helps add to the flavour and the juicyness of the meat.

When I was in the US and in PNG I was served NZ lamb as a reminder of home and I was very surprised to find that compared to what we actually get in NZ it was less tasty and way more chewy ( it was not overcooked) I don't honestly know if I am just spoilt here eating fresh ( not frozen ) lamb quite regularly. But the exported product was not even comparable to the locally bought fresh product. I don't think the frozen lamb from NZ that is exported does the product justice.

[mjmchef]

Well I would just like to add that I tottaly agree with life in the kitchen about american lamb by far outweighing Austrailian or New Zealand lamb when it comes to quality and sizing. As for rosen lamb I spoke with him a few times as he deals with many meat companies. One thing to add when buying lamb. If the butcher tries making you beleive that you can purchase their whole racks at say $6.00 a pound when other guys are at $7.50 ( not real prices)you must ask yourself

1.Are the bones 3inches or are they 5 inches and up which is my bet.

2.what grades are they 4,5, etc. showcasing how much fat cap.

I had someone try and think I was getting a great deal But to his surprise I knew alot about meat fabrication and costing. I wound up deducting $600 off my total bill.

when somoene is $1.00 to $3.00 a pound less then the other guy it is very questionable when most meat purveyors will work on a difference of a dime, or a quarter or somewhere in that range. Sorry to go off on a tangent but just some usefull information. I prefer the mini New Zealnad Racks over the Austrailian. I cut it so that I have 1 big chop. trim off the other 7 bones leaving one on the good eye side taking 2 chops away for hors for parties. something visually dfferent. I rissole the lamb in butter just to give it caramelization and a nutty flavor. Not charring it in the pan so it has sulfur tendencies. then it is cooked in a 200 degree oven for about 25-30 minutes to come out a perfect medium rare. I hate seeing the old presentation of the typical rack cut in 1/2 or the three double chops.Hope I could enlighten.

[pastramionrye]

i am not a fan of those small australian racks...i much prefer the larger (but not huge) pennsylvania or colorado lamb racks...as for cooking:

sear meat in pan...

smear with dijon mustard (watered down a bit)

crust with anything...but at the moment i have been using pistachio nuts and herbs

finish in oven or under salamander to crisp up crust...serve rare to mid rare.

in pan infuse reduced veal stock with rosemary....maybe some port wine...

let meat rest, and serve with sauce, and some finely chopped pistachios for garnish.

pine nuts are nice too...as is the standard parsley, bread crumb and garlic.

I LOVE CRUST!