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

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
i've had lamb from both the u.s. and new zealand often enough to say that lamd is lamb from either country. age seems to be the determining factor in just how "lamby" or "gamey" it tastes. if you want a milder taste, buy young.

personally, i'm with michaelinftw on this. i enjoy the taste and muttun is just fine by me.

if you're opening a restaurant based on lamb dishes, the people who will be coming will want it to taste like lamb, not beef or pork.

icon12.gif
 
i think we can agree that anyone that likes lamb, likes it for it's distinctive taste. if you want another explanation, go to gb's "the pit". :-p

it seems that the age of the creature has to do with it's flavor. i would imagine it's diet and the time elapsed from slaughter to butcher to sale might also have factors in the flavor.
is it possible lamb sold in or near australia/new zealand has had less time of the latter, keeping fresh and local in mind, and the same going for american lamb. therefore, it's less "lambey". (i don't find lamb "gamey", as i would boar, deer, or bear).
another variable might be age at slaughter for beasts intended for export, as well as variations in diet for the same.
fyi, i don't trust aussies as much as i don't trust canadians. :glare: they sell us their crappy, over-marketed tourist beers like fosters in "oil cans" ("cause aussies are all so rough and tough, they can drink engine fluid and fart diesel" is the retarded madison ave. propoganda), and keep the good stuff for themselves. ;)

but i think a good sub-thread of this one would be "how to control the amount of flavor in meats like lamb, deer, boar, and various fish species like bluefish and shark".

i would also put forth that while there's fish flavor, there's also fishy :sick: . like i mentioned about lambey and gamey. there's a difference.
 
seung said:
Hi,;),

Pls.help me to find out how to get rid of gamey lamb before cooking. I've tried using garlic, ginger, lemon juice,pepper,etc.. not to mention of remove all fat from lamb. Is there any other way to rid of gamey lamb?

Thanks ,regards
Seung

For me i'll mask the "odor" using herbs .. what workes for me is Garlic- Rosemary Marinade. Herbs works well.

Regards
 
Z you are so right.
Every met has its own smell/taste. If people don't like a particular one, why eat it or feed it to them?
Personally I love lamb and don't find the taste strong at all (on the contrary)
Now mutton is a different thing all together.
I love that too, but can understand why some people can't stand the smdell/taste.
It is kind of like with goat smell.
Love goat cheese. A friend of mine raises goats and I'm just in love with her billy goats! They smell exactly like goat cheese!
And interestingly enough most people find the smell offensive! Go figure.
Oh, the point of this post?
I agree with Z, why open a lamb restaurant when most people wouldn't like lamb?
Just doesn't make sence to me...
 
I'd say the good garlic rub and seasoning will help a lot. You'd be surprise how well it will taste. I love leg of lamb rubbed with garlic and seasoned, baked, yum.
 
I adore lamb, but I dislike mint jelly, so for a long time (as a kid) I thought I didn't like it because that green glop was always served alongside.

Lamb with garlic and rosemary is Provençal perfection. Here's my all-time favorite recipe for Leg of Lamb....

Leg of Lamb with Garlic Sauce

"Everyone who has eaten this dish says it's the best Leg of Lamb they've ever tasted. I agree, and I can verify that it’s the highlight of one of the most requested classes I have ever taught. Just be sure you don't overcook the meat. Lamb tastes best when it’s rare and juicy."

Makes 6 [or so] servings, with lots of leftovers for sandwiches!

1 5-pound leg of lamb, with the bone in
6 garlic cloves, slivered
12 anchovy fillets, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Garlic Sauce:
24 garlic cloves, peeled, left whole
1 cup dry red wine (such as Côte du Rhône)
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley (preferably flat-leaf)

1. Have your butcher prepare the meat by removing most of the fat and skin from the leg, and by removing most of the bare bone that protrudes from the leg. If you want a slightly smaller leg, have him (or her!) shorten it from the hip end. When you're ready to roast it, trim lamb of any excess fat. Make many slits all over the lamb and insert a sliver of garlic and a piece of anchovy in each incision. Finely chop the rosemary and thyme and mix the herbs with sea salt and pepper in a small bowl. Rub the lamb with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and the herb mixture. Let it stand for 1 to 2 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place the meat on a rack in a roasting pan, and cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F. and cook for 40 to 45 minutes for medium rare lamb. The temperature on an instant-read thermometer should register 130 degrees F. (That's how it’s supposed to be!)
3. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a heavy skillet, and cook the 24 garlic cloves slowly for about 10 minutes, or until they are soft (don't let the edges get crisp -- or brown). Set aside in a small bowl.
4. Remove lamb to a warmed platter, and turn off the oven. Cover with an aluminum foil tent and set it in the oven to keep warm while you prepare the sauce. On top the stove, put wine into the roasting pan, scraping the bottom well to loosen any brown bits or caramelized juices, and cook the wine over a high flame to reduce it by about one-third. Add the reduced liquid to the garlic cloves. Mash well with a fork, and add sea salt and pepper to taste.
5. Slice the lamb and grind some fresh black pepper over it. Spoon on the sauce, and sprinkle it all with freshly chopped parsley.

Teacher’s Tips: 1. If you live anywhere near an Italian butcher, buy your lamb for this dish from him! The Italian-style leg will have the long bone left intact, and it allows for an extremely attractive presentation not possible with the standard American cut.

2. Roasted Potatoes and Garlic, ora any combo of veggies, can be cooked on a flat baking sheet on the rack below the lamb at the same time.

Wine Tip: There are two wines that pair magnificently with this dish. Not surprisingly, they both come from Provence: Châteauneuf-du-Pape (my favorite is Clos des Pape), and Bandol Rouge (I love those from Domaine Tempier inordinately!) If you are on a budget, a Côte du Rhône will do admirably. And, if you want a Cali wine, I'd choose Tablas Creek Red!
 
How would I know it's lamb without it's lamby flavour? It could be anything. I prefer my lamb tasting like lamb. I would suggest cooking the lamb without getting the lamb flavour off it and getting people to love lamb for what it is. Just my opinion. Good luck with the restaurant.:chef:
 
Hi,;),

Pls.help me to find out how to get rid of gamey lamb before cooking. I've tried using garlic, ginger, lemon juice,pepper,etc.. not to mention of remove all fat from lamb. Is there any other way to rid of gamey lamb?

Thanks ,regards
Seung

Often, the problem is not with the lamb, it is with the handling of it. We used to have a huge problem with that. When lamb became more popular, the packing houses and grocers started to take it more seriously and gave customers what they demanded. If it is gamey, that is not good lamb, good lamb is NOT gamey!
 
People from New Zealand are used to gamey lamb, I don't care for it at all!

As I understand it, during the raising of lambs, they are fed grass, then that is switched to grain when nearing slaughter time. New Zealand lamb however is fed grass way more (up till slaughter) then US lamb is. Grass is what makes lamb taste gamey.

I'd like to say something about how US lamb now is being raised that is disappointing to me. Because of economics or whatever, US lamb is being fed grain TOO much during the raising schedule. What results is US lamb not having very much lamb flavor, it's tastes more like beef now. It makes it easy to trim for lamb stew as there is little fat, but the flavor is now mostly gone.

I know this because I like to make lamb curry and lamb is not the same as it used to be.
I didn't look forward to painstakingly removing the small fatty areas from the old type lamb, but now its ridiculous how it's almost like cutting up lean beef.
 
Last edited:
Marinating in kiwi does wonders to lamb, venison etc. I just add it to my favorite marinade, give it a good spin in the food processor. It doesn't really add to the taste but helps tenderize and deoderize. You could also add a bunch of parsley in the blender too. I have heard that cold tea works, too.
 
I'd like to say something about how US lamb now is being raised that is disappointing to me. Because of economics or whatever, US lamb is being fed grain TOO much during the raising schedule. What results is US lamb not having very much lamb flavor, it's tastes more like beef now. It makes it easy to trim for lamb stew as there is little fat, but the flavor is now mostly gone.
I agree with you 100%. Like some of the other posters here, I also remember lamb from my youth having a distinct flavor. I wouldn't call it gamey. I would just call it "lamb" flavor.

My dad, who was a butcher by trade (or as he would say, a "meat engineer"), used to make a leg of lamb roast every Easter. He was meticulous about cutting away all the silverskin and most of the fat. I say "most" because he always left a little, saying it was that fat that gave the roast it's rich flavor. As sheep get older, the flavor becomes more pronounced.

Then he would use a sharp paring knife to cut slits in the remaining fat and insert slivers of garlic. As the meat cooked, the fat would render and carry all of that succulent, garlicky goodness into the meat. Dad's lamb roast was one of those things I always looked forward to.

Like you say, lamb today is fed a grain diet up until slaughter. This changes the flavor, or rather, it seems to strip away the flavor. Animals raised this way taste like generic "meat" to me. Kind of bland. Lambs are also typically slaughtered younger these days, so there is not as much fat or flavor. This is unfortunate if you like the old style lamb - which I do.

I prefer grass fed lamb and beef and will go out of my way to find it. Not only does it have more flavor, but it's healthier and has a significantly better fat profile than the corn-fed equivalent. It can often be hard to find, though. Where I live, you either have to go straight to the farmer, or buy from a butcher or co-op that specializes in this type of product. Sadly, it also comes with a much higher price tag, and for that reason I don't eat as much meat as I used to. But that's okay. I truly believe that quality is preferable to quantity.
 
Last edited:
Mediterreans, normally make an herb marinade with wine and a spice rub for their lambs and rub either olive oil or pork lard ( manteca de cerdo on the meat for crisp exterior ) -- normally the animal is less than 45 days of age. We do not employ mutton in Spain nor Italia for meat. *** For cheese only, yes. MC.

**good to see u Dan Gone Fishin. Thanx for all information. Interesting.
 
I agree with the sentiments that others have expressed: you like lamb or you don't. If you like lamb it's because of its unique aroma and taste. If you hate lamb it's because of its stink, its odor, its gaminess. There isn't any to make lamb that will please people who don't like lamb. If somehow you were to be able to remove lamb's uniqueness then it wouldn't be lamb anymore, and people who like lamb wouldn't like it. What's the point anyway? Giving lamb haters the opportunity to eat it and not hate it? It would be a better choice to just use a different meat, perhaps pork, which doesn't have the "odor/gamyness" of lamb.

Many sources indicate that lamb gets more gamey with age. The least gamey lamb is the youngest lamb. Those who like lamb but want to avoid extremeness of lamb's unique aroma and taste should use the youngest lamb they can acquire.

My grandfather used to cut up lamb into large cubes and marinate it in chopped onion and lemon juice, then he threaded them onto metal shishkabob skewers and grilled them over a charcoal fire. It was delicious!
 
I see no point in trying to make lamb taste different so people will like it. If you like it, great, eat it. If you don't like it, eat beef.

Since this thread is five years old, I suspect our responses are a tad late.
 
I too had noticed the OP was long past, but somebody revived the topic and I figured I was "game" to continue the newly revived discussion.

I think people who don't like lamb shouldn't eat it. I love leg of lamb roast with mint jelly! :)
 
I wonder if the special taste of lamb "gets old" if you eat a lot, a lot of lamb. I'm thinking of eating snowshoe hare. I loved it and its special flavour for a long time, but I ate it too often (we were broke and had a snare line). I haven't eaten hare or rabbit since 1983.

We, and friends, used to try to come up with ways to disguise the taste. East Indian food was one of the best ways, really hot East Indian food. :LOL:
 
I too had noticed the OP was long past, but somebody revived the topic and I figured I was "game" to continue the newly revived discussion.

I think people who don't like lamb shouldn't eat it. I love leg of lamb roast with mint jelly! :)

Absolutely a valid topic for discussion.
 
IMHO, lamb always has a distinctive flavor (sometimes stronger and other times less pronounced). To my taste it is well complimented by some rosemary and garlic. One of my favorite dishes is a soup made from leftover lamb, lamb bones and barley.
 
IMHO, lamb always has a distinctive flavor (sometimes stronger and other times less pronounced). To my taste it is well complimented by some rosemary and garlic.

+1

I often wonder why people don't like lamb.

Could it be they've only had beef and pork, and lamb is not beef or pork? Beef is "beefy." (There's no other way to describe it. You like it or you don't, or maybe you crave it.) And pork is ... "the other white meat" (probably national pork council trying to convince people pork is just as healthy as chicken). I think most folks would agree that pork has less porky taste than beef has beefy taste, unless cured pork.

Could it be they suffer from the "cutie pie" syndrome that lambs are viewed as sympathetic "cute" animals in literature, television and film? "Oh my gosh! We don't want to eat Bambi or Mary's little lamb!"

I think the most common reason is that people weren't fed lamb when they were children and that lamb did not get included in their concept of what is ordinary and reasonable food to eat.

Myself? I say let's kill Mary's little lamb and eat it before it gets old and gamey! :D
 
Back
Top Bottom