rare lamb vs rare beef

[guajolote]

Hello,

Beef is usually considered rare at about 120 degrees F, while lamb is rare at about 135 degrees F. Why the difference?

Thanks

[Harold McGee]

Of course doneness in meats is a subjective matter, and I’m curious to hear from others whether there is indeed a consensus that lamb has a higher minimum temperature for becoming palatable.

I’ve never directly compared say a lamb loin and beef tenderloin cooked to the same “rare” temperatures. Sounds like a delicious experiment that I need to do! If there are differences, they might have to do with the distinctive flavor of lamb--I love it but have not enjoyed my encounters with lamb cooked bleu—or with textural differences due to the relative ages of the animals, the younger lamb having more water and immature collagen (I remember the bleu lamb being wet and slippery and chewy).