Lamb lovers survey

[phatj]

I'm a big lamb fan, although I haven't cooked it much, as aside from the leg, and very pricey chops, it's not easy to find around here.

I have on a few occasions bought legs and boned them, cutting the meat into chunks for things like curries and making stock from the roasted bones. One thing I really loved was making a basic beef stew recipe only substituting lamb & lamb stock for beef. Easily my favorite stew, at least that I've made.

[BonVivant]

i love love love [spring] lamb! have tried all sorts of lamb dishes but i still think the simple leg of lamb with rosemary and garlic is best. a couple of months ago i had Franconian knuckle of lamb for the first time in Nürnberg. not the first time i had this cut, but the first time 'Franconian style'.

it's frustrating not able to get lamb from Texel [island north of Netherlands], and i live in the south. [this is a small country, you can drive probably 3 hrs to get from north to south, west to east ect] one must go to the island to eat it. the rest is imported to France!

[thursdaynext]

I'm happy to report that lamb is much more widely available here than when I last posted in this thread! Most of my usual shopping venues regularly carry shoulder & rib chops, rack, leg roasts, shanks, and ground lamb.

Yesterday we managed to get a couple of shoulder chops on the grill before the weather turned (30 degree drop in just a couple of hours- yikes!). Quick marinade of EVOO, oregano, rosemary, pepper, etc.

I'm also starting to see different cuts of goat in some stores. Yay!

[Jennifer Brizzi]

Yay is right about the goat!! I only have one local store that has it occasionally, frozen, but I'm a big fan. It's milder and leaner than lamb and way underrated in this country, except by some immigrants who know better. I usually just make it Jamaican curry style when I can find it, which is absolutely heavenly, but I'm looking for new ways to cook it. Maybe I need to start a new thread on goat!

[thursdaynext]

Count me in!

ETA: Just noticed gfron1's thread here.

Edited March 3, 2008 by thursdaynext (log)

[hummingbirdkiss]

Lamb and goat are my family's favorite choices of red meats ..I find that purchasing both from local folks like the 4H'rs and FFA kids to be the best option and am so thrilled to see threads like Rob's appearing here ...local folks need support that is for sure!....hopefully the word will spread and people will branch out of the plastic tray meat! and try new things as a result... If that is not a good option for folks to buy larger quantities of meat you should try a Halal markets (if they do not have a butcher they can direct you to one) they have not only young lamb/goats but older versions as well ..for some dishes like curries I love an older goat or lamb the flavor stands up better ..just ask for "sheep meat" instead of lamb it has much more fat and the meat is to die for ..not quite mutton but a full grown sheep ..for mutton I ask for "old sheep"

I love dealing with Halal butchers, I have learned a ton about preparing and dealing with these prescious animals.

there is absolutely nothing like feeling good about where your meat is coming from that is for sure.

Edited March 3, 2008 by hummingbirdkiss (log)

[Lindacakes]

Lamb is one of my favorite things to eat in Indian or Middle Eastern restaurants. Lamb curry, lamb kebob, lamb stews . . . Lamb is good. However, other than the odd chop here and there, I don't buy lamb myself. I don't buy a lot of meat, so that's not particularly odd, but I suspect it goes back to the time there was once a rabbit on the table when we were kids. I will never forget how the legs looked . . . And I will eat rabbit all over Italy but don't ask me to buy one.