Bitter leg of lamb?

[katygekko]

Hi, I was just wondering if anyone knew of a reason why a defrosted leg of lamb, roasted in the oven (350, about 1.75 hrs) would have a bitter taste too it. It had been in the freezer approaching a year, but it seemed fine after thawing ( in the fridge in cold water, and then I let it come to room temp before putting it in the oven). The meat tasted more or less ok (not highly lamb flavored sadly), but had this sort of bitter taste too it. Any ideas?
Thanks!

 

[Andy M.]

Hi, katy. Welcome to DC.

Did you season or marinate the lamb?

 

[katygekko]

bitter lamb

thanks for your reply . I didn't marinate, but i did season with a "lamb seasoning" mix, which basically seemed to consist of rosemary, mint, pepper, and possibly a bit of paprika. The bitterness was still present on peices of meat without noticable seasoning, so I don't think it was the seasoning. My initial thought was just that the lamb was too old, but I've never heard of it getting bitter from being in the freezer too long. Plus it was shrink wrapped and my freezer is always atleast -10F, if not -15, so I'm sort of confused. I doubt it was bad since I ate it last night and i certainly don't feel sick.

 

[YT2095]

just a Hypothesis, but is it Possible the seasoning was too sweet and so in comparison made the meat taste bitter?

a bit like eating a sweet cookie and then having a sip of tea or coffee and it`s like there`s no sugar in it (even though there Is sugar in it).

just a thought

 

[Andy M.]

thanks for your reply . I didn't marinate, but i did season with a "lamb seasoning" mix, which basically seemed to consist of rosemary, mint, pepper, and possibly a bit of paprika. The bitterness was still present on peices of meat without noticable seasoning, so I don't think it was the seasoning. My initial thought was just that the lamb was too old, but I've never heard of it getting bitter from being in the freezer too long. Plus it was shrink wrapped and my freezer is always atleast -10F, if not -15, so I'm sort of confused. I doubt it was bad since I ate it last night and i certainly don't feel sick.

Well, you're still alive and I assume no one got sick, so the meat wasn't bad.

 

[jpmcgrew]

Marinating over night in buttermilk is supposed to make it better.

 

[Robo410]

never had that happen. May just have been a sour spirited animal. If there are leftovers, try a stew with cooked lamb chunks, mushrooms, onions, beer, make a roux or use mushroom soup. It's really good and will sweeten the meat up.

 

[katygekko]

buttermilk?

jpmcgrew:
By saying "is supposed to make it better" I assume you mean that it is a known phenomenon that sometimes lamb just happens to be bitter, and buttermilk is known to cut the bitterness?

 

[katygekko]

Robo410: So you're saying make a roux or use mushroom soup, and whicever you choose, add beer to the stew base as well? It wouldn't have occured to me to use mushroom soup and beer together but sounds potentially interesting

 

[Yakuta]

I am assuming the lamb was kept in the freezer wrapped up all nice and tight so there was no freezer burn at all. Sometimes freezer burns will add a funky taste (not necessarily classified as bitter) to the meat.

Also I would agree that marinade ingredients can also give it a bitter taste. If you used a lot of dried spices perhaps a little bitterness came from that. Lots of fresh garlic, freshly grated ginger, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, chillies and cilantro is what I use to marinate my lamb. It helps hide the gamey flavors. Give it a try using a different marinade next time and it may not be bitter.