Which cuts of lamb to order?

[CWS4322]

One of the guys with whom I curl (that sport where you slide 44 lb granite rocks down a sheet of ice and sweep) has lamb for sale. I am trying to figure out how to have it cut. How thick do you folks like your chops? Basically, I am buying the entire lamb. Suggestions? I'm dieing to make the lamb stew using the neck meat...think that is BuckyTom's recipe but it might be one of the Andys'. I will get the bones so I can make stock. The kidneys will go to the dogs. I don't cook kidney. The heart and liver...still debating if those will be dog food or people food.

 

[GLC]

If you like them medium rare or thereabouts, I'd go for 1" thick chops or even a bit thicker. Any less, and it's hard to get the exterior nice without overdoing the interior. Cook them always after bring them to room temperature for that thickness to work out consistently.

 

[CWS4322]

Thanks GLC, I can't imagine anything other than medium-rare. I was thinking 1-1/2" (that's what I order when I buy 1/2 a pig). What about a crown roast?

 

[Andy M.]

Loin chops - at least 1"thick

Rib chops two ribs thick or keep them together as a rack

Legs can be whole or half, boned or bone-in

Tenderloin - whole

I never made a stew with neck meat.

 

[CWS4322]

The other option I have is to get it quartered and cut it myself...not sure I want to do that. It has been quite awhile since I helped butcher deer in Northern MN...

 

[Steve Kroll]

Oddly, the last time I bought a half lamb direct from the farm, they didn't include the loin chops. As that's my favorite cut, I was disappointed and called to ask why. I was told that because it's a "premium cut", they would no longer include it with their half lamb. Since, logically, I was buying half a lamb, and a lamb has ribs in both halves, I cried foul. So they threw in the chops that time, but said they wouldn't do it again. So I found myself another farm to buy my meat from.

Honestly, I never met a cut of lamb I didn't like. Even had lambs brains with rice once over in Turkey. Delicious.

 

[CWS4322]

I don't think the head is offered...and I don't think I could handle brains...my DH isn't a big fan of lamb, but I love it. I have searched high and low for ground lamb for stuffed grape leaves to no avail. I'm not ordering any ground lamb, I will grind it from the stew meat myself. I still have to figure out if we have enough freezer space for 30 lb of lamb AND 1/2 a doe. I hope so!

 

[FrankZ]

I don't think the head is offered...and I don't think I could handle brains...my DH isn't a big fan of lamb, but I love it. I have searched high and low for ground lamb for stuffed grape leaves to no avail. I'm not ordering any ground lamb, I will grind it from the stew meat myself. I still have to figure out if we have enough freezer space for 30 lb of lamb AND 1/2 a doe. I hope so!

I suppose I could offer to let you store stuff in our freezer.. you likely won't get it back though.

 

[buckytom]

c dubya, go for 1 whole leg, and 2 boneless halves, full racks (that you can break down as you need, just get them to score the chine bone), neck and front shoulder chops for the french stew i mentioned to you, shanks for braising, and breast/belly meat in chunks for more stew or stuffed roasts.

i envy you. it's been years since i got to break down a beast (i've done lambs and pigs) the way that i wanted.

 

[Bolas De Fraile]

Cws I did two for the freezer in Sept, ask you friend to split it in half, there are two of us so I portion the legs and shoulders using a meat saw.
Scrag end stew, saw the neck into 1" thick circles, layer your pressure cooker with scrag then sliced onions, sliced swede, potato, carrots, repeat till the scrag is used up, add some stock and cook.
I either stuff the breasts or mince with the other trimmings and some shoulder meat for burgers.

 

[CWS4322]

c dubya, go for 1 whole leg, and 2 boneless halves, full racks (that you can break down as you need, just get them to score the chine bone), neck and front shoulder chops for the french stew i mentioned to you, shanks for braising, and breast/belly meat in chunks for more stew or stuffed roasts.

i envy you. it's been years since i got to break down a beast (i've done lambs and pigs) the way that i wanted.

Go curl BuckyTom! Amazing the people you meet tossing rocks down the ice. But that doesn't justify why my back is killing me today...I'll get over this...

 

[pmeheran]

One of the guys with whom I curl (that sport where you slide 44 lb granite rocks down a sheet of ice and sweep) has lamb for sale. I am trying to figure out how to have it cut. How thick do you folks like your chops? Basically, I am buying the entire lamb. Suggestions? I'm dieing to make the lamb stew using the neck meat...think that is BuckyTom's recipe but it might be one of the Andys'. I will get the bones so I can make stock. The kidneys will go to the dogs. I don't cook kidney. The heart and liver...still debating if those will be dog food or people food.

The lamb's liver and heart are a good visual indicator of the health of the animal. A nice dark red liver is from a healthy animal and is a most delicate meat and of good flavor. The heart of course is a fine meat also, though different in taste and texture from the liver. Since they come from a young animal, there should be no strong flavors.

The head if you can get it could be made into what is called down here in south Texas a cabesita [not sure of my spelling, but it means little head]. The idea is to steam it overnight, until the meat falls off the bone. The meat is dissected from the bones and chopped and mixed together. Then you stuff it into corn or flour tortillas, with onion, tomato, chili or hot sauce, and cilantro[coriander leaves] By the way everything edible is included even the brains. More commonly you would see this done with a beef head, which would be called barbacoa de cabeza. Of course now with everyone freaking out about scrappy and mad cow disease, they leave out the brains.

 

[Addie]

I have always made lamb stew with the shoulder meat. And I put barley in it. I could put barley in everything. It is really great in beef stew.

 

[Whiskadoodle]

CWS Terrific you have a lamb. I have purchased two, and that was Years Ago. Would like to get another.

We found a grower not too far outside the city, and bought and split a grass fed half beef between the DxW and myself earlier this year. Even having scored many roasts and steaks and stew meat pkgs, we got a gazillion pkgs of burger too, way leaner than store bought. I am not sure that is always a good thing, depending on what you are cooking. It all tastes so good. I drew the short straw & obtained the tongue, I don't know who was the other Half buyer, but between us all, I win.

I am pleased you say you are saving all the little morsels to mince for your own ground lamb. I think ground lamb is way under-used and there are so many things you can do with it. I just use a small hand meat grinder, the kind you attach with a screw tightener under the table top. For as little as I ever grind anything, this works. I'm not exactly sure which lamb parts I should buy to grind my own. This is what I intend to do the next time I want real ground lamb.

Warmest regards on a cold day in Minnesota !!

Fred