ISO method to remove lamb's "odor/gameyness"

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the flocking, or lack thereof.

like all good predators, she prefers to kill the animals she can single out easily.

some she keeps alive for a while... :(

jj/k. the lesser gameyness.
 
Most of the lamb I've bought was butchered by my local supermarkets (Ralphs/Kroger's, Albertson's, Von's), and I'm pretty sure they weren't from NZ. I'm assuming they're US products.

I've gotten a few cryovac frozen racks of ribs from Trader Joe's that were from NZ but I didn't notice any difference, although I've had them (or any NZ) very few times.

So I don't know that I have much to offer towards the question of whether NZ lamb has a stronger aroma.
 
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I had a discussion with a friend about US milk vs. Canadian milk. I did read a rather long paper on the impact of different feed on the taste of the milk (cows feed a diet with a higher clover content produce a sweeter milk than those fed a diet higher in corn). I imagine the same is true with respect to meat as well. That may explain the difference between N.Z. lamb and U.S. lamb.
 
Although I don't have sufficient experience eating NZ lamb I think it's reasonable to conclude that NZ produced lamb has a stronger "lamby" flavor or aroma (or both) than US produced lamb, because of the different feed used in each country. I'm going to accept that as a fact since many DC members who I respect have said it's so.

Since I like the flavor and aroma of lamb I hope I can find some NZ lamb so I can see for myself.
 
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Since I like the flavor and aroma of lamb I hope I can find some NZ lamb so I can see for myself.

If you can't find any, it's like the taste and aroma of the lamb your used to (me too) multiplied many times in gamey taste.

American lamb is fed grass during the raising (to get the gamy taste), which is switched to grain towards the end to make it more moderately gamy tasting. It's a shame that a lot of US lamb now is fed less and less grass. It's going the other way in taste, from mildly gamey to less gamy flavor. I think the reason is that raising lamb on grass is now too costly in the US. A sign of the times.

NZ lamb is raised almost exclusively on grass and therefore very gamy tasting.

I tossed out a 2.5 lb. batch of NZ made lamb curry when I couldn't find my usual US lamb at the store. It's that strong tasting to me.
 
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I am really only familiar with the NZ lamb. I buy it frozen, packaged in NZ. It's yummy. It does not have a strong gamey flavour, but it has a flavour.
 
If you can't find any, it's like the taste and aroma of the lamb your used to (me too) multiplied many times in gamey taste.

American lamb is fed grass during the raising (to get the gamy taste), which is switched to grain towards the end to make it more moderately gamy tasting. It's a shame that a lot of US lamb now is fed less and less grass. It's going the other way in taste, from mildly gamey to less gamy flavor. I think the reason is that raising lamb on grass is now too costly in the US. A sign of the times.

NZ lamb is raised almost exclusively on grass and therefore very gamy tasting.

That's an interesting obvervation, that US lamb may be getting less gamy. I can't say for sure but it seems to me that my lamb the last few years hasn't had quite as "lamby" a taste or aroma as I recall. It could be my sense of smell may be declining, it could be I'm just imagining things, or maybe you're right.

Maybe US lamb producers are trying to get a wider lamb acceptance by toning it down. If so I'm going to be greatly disappointed because I really like lamb.

Or maybe it's just that grass is too expensive.
 
Or maybe it's just that grass is too expensive.
Grass itself isn't inherently expensive. The reason grass-fed meat is more expensive is because it takes longer to raise a grass-fed animal. As you might expect, grain fed animals gain weight faster than grass fed (imagine a diet of pure carbs versus salad). I don't know the figures for lamb specifically, but when it comes to beef, grain fed cattle are slaughtered at 14-16 months of age, compared to 22-26 months for grass fed.

I honestly believe the age of the animal makes for more intense flavor than what they are eating, but that's just an opinion. Also, keep in mind that grass fed animals spend their entire lives in a pasture getting exercise versus standing around in a crowded feed lot. That means the meat is leaner and a little tougher.

I stumbled across a good article on lamb, if anyone is interested. It also touches on the differences between Aussie/NZ/US lamb.
The Food Lab's Complete Guide To Buying, Storing, and Cooking a Leg of Lamb | Serious Eats
 
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Yes, my comment was overly simplistic. I should have said "Or maybe raising grass-fed animals is too expensive." Thanks for your elaboration on the issues involved.

The age of the animal making for more intense flavor makes sense, and ties into your comments about the longer raising time of grass fed animals. And it seems to me that range raised animals are probably generally leaner and tougher, and probably more tasty too. I know that applies to chickens for sure.

It's going to take me quite a long time to read and understand the article. I've bookmarked it for future use. Although I haven't completed it yet it looks like a good article.
 
*sigh* The packaged lamb cubes I buy now that's cut for stew looks like lean chunks of beef. It's great in that I don't spend an hour carefully cutting away the fat like I used to have to do for my lamb curry. It's not so great that the flavor isn't there like it used to be. Lamb curry should have some lamb taste, it has little nowadays, at least the lamb for stew available to me. I admit I'm talking about supermarket available packaged lamb. Where I live, there aren't that many butcher shops I wanna walk into, let alone drive around that dilapidated part of town.
 
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Coming up to Easter, I'm sure I would be able to get a whole baby lamb at my Greek supermarket. Soon, I expect to see that in the butcher display case.
 
The folks I know who raise lamb for meat, tend to send them for slaughter in the fall so they can be on the grass pasture for about 5 months, grain-fed the last month. It runs $8.50/lb dressed, so it is definitely not an inexpensive meat. Interestingly enough, sheep can suffer from copper toxicity if the pasture isn't the right blend of grasses. This shows up in the wool (and stays in the liver forever). It can be fatal as well as it is difficult to correct re: grazing land. This may contribute to why lamb is grain fed. That, and one doesn't need a flock guardian to protect against predators if sheep/lambs are not out grazing.
 
I'm in the camp that misses the "gamy" flavor lamb had when I was younger. If it tastes like beef, why bother? I was curious, and this is a lamb-raising area, so I asked a farmer I know .... Is it my imagination? He said they get lamb to market much younger than even 20 years ago. "Are you saying the flavor I used to think of as lamb was really closer to mutton? Yes. He did say that they use a better quality of feed these days as well.

From cooking really gamy game, the soaking in milk/buttermilk/yogurt works (watch the live cultures, they can over-tenderize leaving you with mush), and strong flavors to go with strong flavored meat: Chile of various types, anything made with a hearty red wine (stroganof is a favorite way to prepare gamy flavors, and "boueuf bourginion" type recipes. In these marinade the cubed meat in some of the wine, onions, garlic, bay leaves -- lots of aromatics.)
 
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