Confessions of a Cheese Rebel

Aha, I decided to check Keller's which is both quite near us, less expensive than Palacios even before Palacios' shipping charges, and also uses no nitrates, no msg, and no preservatives or colorings or artificial flavorings.
The list of types of sausages is ... caramba! wonderful.

http://www.kellersfarmstores.com/sausages/

I've eaten their products once in a while, cost being higher than regular market. I've always liked the meat and fresh fish and the people who work the store.

Just make sure I don't get forcec into eating lamb liver or any other lamb parts. Other than cheeses made with lamb's milk, I detest the taste of any lamb pieces.

(can't abide chicken liver either)

I, on the other hand, used to be crazy about the roast lamb at Chez Helene's in Venice, CA. On top of that and other food on the plates, they served it with the best corn pudding I've ever tasted. This was in the seventies or maybe earlier - haven't had lamb since, mostly because I like lambs as animals. Haven't seen it on a menu in ABQ, or in a grocery store.

I used to enjoy a bit of lamb, at times. Haven't had any in 20 years.

It's a staple in Australia.

Becoming more expensive than fresh seafood because it's popular, I suppose.

I like a lamb rump roast. Most other cuts are too fatty.

Most sheep meat sold in US is actually borderline MUTTON> Im sure in Oz, they dont sell 150 lb "lambs" as real lamb. When the rib bones are actually oval in cross section, then youve got mutton. Most restaurnts sell lamd ribs that are actually almost mutton.

We butcher a few lambs each year for our freezer and we like the ribs and a "spoon leg of lqmb". Good lamb should not be doused with mint jelly. Mint jelly is used to hide the tallowy-like flavor of a young mutton.
We use sauces made of pan drippings, mustard with rosemary and S&P, thats enough

I hear ya. Lamb loin chops, and racks of lamb, it would be obvious if they were mutton, but some legs of lamb are clearly way too big, and yeah, very gamey flavoured.

Then there's the "lamb shanks" which I call ram shanks. Way too big to be from any little lamb.

I used to buy a side of lamb, back in the day. It was the cheapest way to go. We're off-grid now, so meat is bought in smaller quantities.

For a several decades since the 1960s if you asked for mutton in most British butchers' shops the guy (it usually is a guy) would say angrily "We only sell lamb, sir!" as if you were accusing him of trying to pass off old animals. The British and Commonwealth definition of lamb (often stretched in Britain) is a young sheep under 12 months of age which does not have any permanent incisor teeth in wear. The Australian definition requires no permanent incisors, whereas the New Zealand definition allows no incisors 'in wear'. These days specialist traders cater for people who like mutton. In the United States under current federal regulations (2014 CFR §65.190),[6] only the term 'lamb' is used to mean ovine animals of any age, including ewes and rams.

In German speaking countries, a suckling lamb ["Milchlamm"] is younger than six months (that's what you mostly get) while sometimes the cheaper variety ("Mastlamm",younger than 12 months) is sold.

Ive had "La,mb" in restaurants in France, the low countries, and UK where the meat served was suspiciously close to mutton. Close breeding of such breeds as Suffolk and Hampshire have led to animals of less than a year old that have already gone through growth spurts and are sexually mature. Weve had ram lambs of less than 6 months already attempting to breed(and yet their testacles arent fully descended) WHaaaa?.
I try to identify those aand they become our first ones to market. We must disclose the ages and the market defines what they call the animal at time of the auction.

(Over here, lamb brings about 3.50 /lb on the hoof and mutton brings about 2/lb. (Sometimes(During ethnic holidays) ram mutton can actually sell for the same amt as lamb because ethnic markets have slowly taken over and claimed the major share of the sheep meat market. In many cultures a mature RAM is what is wanted for the table. (Usually these are the same cultures that relish goat meats). Ive had several ethnic dishes and find these are usually flavored with all sorts of unfamiliar spices (to my taste). I dont care for them but they arent entirely disgusting.

Cattle auctions , in the US, in order to preserve some cred with fine dining restaurants, DO use the term "Spring lamb" which means lamb born within that year and , the closer the restaurqnt buys the lqmb within the first year of its birth, ill guarantee a more lamb-like flavor and structure.
Young lamb is often used for 50 lb or under lambs that are under 5 months old.

These are all defined by the auction since there are really NO laws defining lamb (as Contrex posted a code of federal regs)

I love lamb, which, sadly, is becoming quite expensive. I'm happy to eat almost any cut. (You can keep your liver, lambs fry, thank you)

If I have overseas visitors I will almost always feed them roast lamb and sufficient varied roast vegetables to feed an army (I don't like to under-cater!)

I like to serve kangaroo, also.

I find it amusing when I see lamb cutlets for 26 a kg, and a rack of lamb for 33 a kg. Same chops, but you pay extra to slice your own. :-)

It's worth going to a bulk outlet, and buying 2 or 3 kg of loin chops to get them for 12 a kg, or thereabouts. Or a whole side of lamb for as low as 7 a kg.

You have kangaroos over for dinner?

Love Palacios chorizo and used to buy 8 ozs a week. Then my store discontinued it, said I was the only one buying it.

Not where I live now...but in a previous incarnation! But they're bloody vegetarians so they're not at all appreciative of my roast lamb.

And I don't have any grass here, now.

They ate it all, huh?

That's why they behave so funny.

Glad to hear they have a reason.

Or did you mean the kangaroos?

I can hear your voices, complete with accents,