The Food Lab's Complete Guide To Buying, Storing, and Cooking a Leg of Lamb. But statistics tell us a different story. Here's the average U. S. We eat over 1. Not only that, but the vast majority of Americans don't eat a single bite of lamb all year. Most of this per capita consumption comes from minority communities—Greeks, Muslims, Indians—who eat a ton of it, bringing up the entire average. Even more dire is the fact that lamb is what economists call an . Dressing percentage is one of many factors affecting the value of a slaughter animal. A basic knowledge of dressing percentage is important in understanding slaughter. Chuck Rib Loin Brisket Round Plate Flank BeefCuts Primal & Subprimal Weights and Yields 1300-pound Steer Choice, YG3 When people have money to spend, they'd rather spend it on beef and chicken breasts. A 2. 00. 1 study from Kennesaw State University in Georgia found that for every 1% increase in consumer income, there was a corresponding 0. ![]() It's an odd dichotomy, because while in many communities, lamb is seen as the . I can think of precious few situations when I'd rather have a steak than a fatty, musky lamb chop. Or when I'd rather have a pot roast than a rich, slightly funky braised lamb shank. And when it comes to holiday roasts, the Prime Rib may be the king of the table, but the roasted leg of lamb is his wilder, funner cousin. Lamb marketers have long known of the trouble with selling their product to consumers reluctant to leave the safety of their beloved chicken and beef and have responded by carefully breeding and raising lamb that is more suitable for the American palate as well as selling it in forms that are increasingly easier and easier to cook. Indeed, if you haven't at least attempted to cook lamb for yourself at home yet, you've really no excuse. And what better time to start than now? We roasted our way through a half dozen lamb legs and chatted with Mark Pastore at Pat La. Frieda Meats to put together this complete guide to buying, storing, and cooking lamb leg. Domestic vs. Imports. I see lamb from Australia, New Zealand, and the U. S. What are the differences between these options, and is one better than another? There are major differences both in terms of flavor, size, and price when it comes to American lamb vs. According to Mark Pastore, it's a matter of both genetics and feed. Lambs from Down Under are smaller to begin with, and they spend their entire time grazing on grass, giving them a more intensely gamy flavor that some people can find off- putting. They also tend to be lower in fat, making them a bit harder to cook properly—legs in particular have a tendency to dry out. That said, if you're cooking for a smaller party—6 to 8 people or so—and you value gamy flavor over tenderness or richness, NZ or Aussie lamb is a good choice. American Lamb, on the other hand, are larger, fattier, and sweeter in flavor. Most American lamb are fed on grass most of their lives which gets supplemented with grain for the last 3. The lamb at La. Frieda comes from Mennonite farms in Colorado that finish their lamb on a combination of grain, honey, alfalfa, wheat, and flaked corn. The results mean a much larger layer of protective fat around the legs, as well as better marbling. The lamb bastes itself as it cooks, helping it to maintain a moister, more tender texture. Because of the grain supplements, American lamb tends to also have a less funky, richer favor. ![]() Thank you for your continued support of Deadspin. Thank you for your continued support of Deadspin. Many deer hunters cringe at the thought of having to butcher and prepare a deer for the freezer. While I am far from an expert at the task, I do know the basics of. Dehydration Percentage Chart The correct amount of fluid replacement is the amount of fluid loss due to dehydration plus 10% of the body weight: Example: a 10 pound. Yields and Dressing Percentages. Back to Table of Contents. It is important for anyone direct marketing meat to determine how much meat a market animal. Ask The Meatman's Own Beef Processing DVD! Video Clips of all of our DVD's!! These are clips from the actual DVD's. This will give you a brief. ![]() A single leg of American lamb can weigh up to 1. But I've read that grass- fed meat is always better—better tasting, better for the animal—is there any truth in this? It depends on your point of view. Some people do prefer the gamier taste of 1. As far as the health of the animal goes, while it's true that an animal that lives solely on grain would eventually develop health problems (much like a human who exists solely on hamburgers), grain finishing only takes place for the last 3. This time period is not nearly long enough for the animal to develop any health problems that would cause it to suffer in any way. In fact, given the choice between grass and grain, sheep (and cows, for that matter), choose grain every single time. ![]() ![]() Finishing sheep on grain is as simple as providing grain to feed on in their fields. They could still eat grass if they wanted to, but they choose not to. As Mark Pastore from Pat La. Frieda Meats puts it, . Most of us are gonna pick the steak. It's a matter of scale. Australia and New Zealand's lamb output is several times greater than that of the U. S. If you value tenderness and juiciness, the extra cost is probably worth it. Bones. I'm confused by all of the butchering options I have when buying a lamb leg. What should I be looking for? Bone- in leg of lamb like the one above comes in two forms: shank end, and sirloin end (occasionally, you'll find a massive one for sale with both the shank and the sirloin still attached). The shank end lamb legs start at just above the lamb's ankle and go to midway through the calf bone, while the sirloin- end legs start at the hip and stop at around the knee. I prefer the sirloin end because the meat is fattier, more tender, and the cut is more evenly shaped, making it easier to cook evenly. On the other hand, the shank end tends to have slightly more flavorful meat. Its tapering shape is desirable for some cooks, who like being able to offer both medium- rare meat from the thick upper part and well- done meat from the thin lower part all off of the same roast. Because the bone acts as an insulator, boneless lamb leg cooks faster than bone- in lamb leg, giving you more leeway in terms of hitting the exact doneness you want, but this advantage can be easily mitigated with careful monitoring and a good thermometer. Boneless leg of lamb often comes sold in netting like this in order to help keep its shape during cooking. It offers several advantages to bone- in lamb. First of all, it's lighter, making the arduous task of lifting it in and out of the oven much easier on the back. It's also easier to calculate how much you need to feed your party. Finally—and this is probably the greatest advantage of all—it's far easier to carve—just cut straight through it into neat, even slices. Of course, because of the lack of bone, it's slightly harder to cook it to the exact temperature you want (not really a problem if you've got a decent digital read thermometer—and you do have one of those, right?). Butterflied leg of lamb is a boneless leg of lamb that has been split open and rolled out. This is how I prefer to purchase my lamb; it affords me opportunities to season it both inside and out. Often this just means a quick rub with salt and pepper before rolling it up and tying it, but often it can mean more elaborate rubs or herb mixtures. If you choose to go with a butterflied leg, you'll need to know how to tie it up before roasting. I have a crazy friend who says it's wrong to eat meat. Is he crazy? No, just ignorant. You see, your friend never heard of the food chain. Just ask this scientitian. Seasoning, Rolling and Tying. What are some good things to season my lamb with? Salt is a must, and just like with steak or a beef roast, the best time to salt your meat is at least 4. This gives enough time for the salt to draw out the liquid, dissolve, then re- enter the meat, seasoning it better than if it were just stuck to the surface. With its robust flavor, lamb takes well to all kinds of spice mixes and aromatics without allowing them to overpower the meat. With a butterflied leg, you want to apply your seasoning the both the inner and outer surfaces before rolling the thing up. Here are a few of my favorite combinations: Lots of garlic and oregano or rosemary. Roughly chop a dozen cloves of garlic and a few tablespoons of picked fresh oregano or rosemary leaves in a food processor, then mix it together with a quarter cup of olive oil. Season to taste with plenty of salt and pepper. Olives and parsley. Place a cup of good pungent olives like taggiasche or high quality kalamata in the food processor along with a cup of parsley leaves and a few tablespoons of olive oil. Pulse until nearly pureed, then spread the paste all over the inside of the lamb. If you want to get extra pungent, add a half dozen anchovies to the mix as well. You should go easy on the salt because of the salty olives. Five spice. Chinese five spice powder with cinnamon, fennel, star anise, Sichuan peppercorn, and cloves provide an interestingly sweet/hot/pungent flavor profile to the meat. I like to add a touch of sugar, soy sauce, and oil to the mix as well to more deeply flavor the meat. Harrisa. This spicy North African condiment has a particular affinity for lamb with its heat, vegetal notes, and warm spice background. Ras el Hanout. Another North African flavor combination, it's a dry rub that includes cardamom, clove, chili, coriander, pepper, cinnamon, and occasionally floral herbs like lavender or rosehips. You can buy it in specialty spice stores, blend it yourself, or order it online. Want a more specific suggestion and instructions? This Slow Roasted Boneless Leg of Lamb with Garlic, Rosemary, and Lemon is a great place to start. OK, so why do I need to tie up my lamb leg? Because that's what Jesus'd do. If you don't tie up your lamb leg, it won't keep a regular shape during cooking. Irregular shapes lead to uneven cooking. Uneven cooking leads to unhappy bellies. Unhappy bellies lead to lack of familial harmony, and familial harmony leads to ruined holidays. Would you risk ruining a holiday for 5 minutes and the cost of a roll of butcher's twine? OK, I'm convinced. So how do I do it? Simple. After laying your lamb out flat and seasoning it, roll it up again with the fat on the exterior, then lay it seam- side- down across pieces of butcher's twine that you've already thoughtfully laid out in parallel lines on the cutting board at one- inch intervals, each piece long enough to tie easily around the roast. Working from the outside towards the center, tie up the lamb. You can show off by using fancy self- cinching butcher's knots, but regular old granny knots (the kind you tie your shoes with) will do just fine. Your lamb is now ready to cook. Cooking in the Oven. How do I know when my lamb is done? Can I just follow one of those handy timetables with x minutes per pound?
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
August 2017
Categories |