Lamb. do you eat it?

[LionessMom]

are they really baby lambs or are they older animals?

maybe a stupid question, but i dont know and never asked before.

[laohaire]

I've asked this very question :)

It seems they tend to be yearlings. Which are kind of adolescent. Definitely weaned. Not nearly as cute.

I think it's that way for other meat, too. Factory chicken is usually slaughtered at about 6 weeks, which is not a chick but just barely grown.

[laohaire]

Oh, but veal is definitely baby.

[ollyoxenfree]

I think "spring lamb" is less than 6 months and anything older than 1 yr. is considered "mutton", so if it is labelled just "lamb" it's probably between 6 and 12 months old. 

[philomom]

Hmm, lamb is yummy. I buy it whenever I can afford it.

[cristeen]

I do eat it. It is usually between 6 and 12 mos, since under 6 mos they're usually to small to be worth slaughtering and over 12 they're mutton.

I don't have a problem with it because my lamb, like my beef, is humanely raised, pastured, etc. On smaller farms, lambs are culled, based on factors like sex, color, etc. And those not suitable for wool or further breeding are slaughtered for meat, since otherwise they're useless.

[Sol_y_Paz]

No I do not and would not.

[Magelet]

We love lamb.  Like Cristeen said, our meat is mostly from small farms that treat their animals well, and I don't worry about it much.  I also love mutton but it's hard to get.

[bluebackpacks]

Yes, from a local farm.

[redclover]

LOVE LOVE LOVE it.

And yup, approxiamately 12 months (younger) when slaughtered.

Locally raised, outdoor, (sometimes even Island raised!!!) yumminess. Expensive, but my favourite meat by far.

[SubliminalDarkness]

Yes, we eat it. Not really often because it's fairly expensive. But we have leg of lamb for Thanksgiving instead of turkey(we don't like turkey). And we make lamb curry with some regularity. 

[KempsMama]

I don't like the taste, but we do eat it on special occasions (St. Patrick's Day, etc.)

[LionessMom]

i have never tried it before. But i am on a special diet and the most safe thing for me to eat is meat. so I was looking for ways to get more variety than pork, beef, chicken, and turkey. I still dont like the idea of eating a yr old lamb. I dont eat veal either. my DH refuses to eat organ meats. and we cant have any marinade or what not. so i thought I would ask.

Where would you get mutton. That would be better by me.

[ollyoxenfree]

Originally Posted by LionessMom 

i have never tried it before. But i am on a special diet and the most safe thing for me to eat is meat. so I was looking for ways to get more variety than pork, beef, chicken, and turkey. I still dont like the idea of eating a yr old lamb. I dont eat veal either. my DH refuses to eat organ meats. and we cant have any marinade or what not. so i thought I would ask.

Where would you get mutton. That would be better by me.

I would check with smaller butcher shops that offer lamb, as well as farmer's markets, rather than supermarkets. Even if they don't usually have mutton, they might be able to order it for you.  

Mutton is fairly tough and the taste can be strong, so you should use slow cooking methods - stews, braising, minced pies etc., especially since you can't use marinades to tenderize. There are a lot of curry recipes for mutton - would that be out of the question too? 

Here is some information that might be helpful. 

[Addie]

I love lamb. Ground lamb makes great burgers.

We'll buy a whole lamb from a local farm now and then, we get it butchered into different cuts and frozen. Otherwise we get it from a local halal butcher who sources his lambs locally.

If you live in a decent-sized city, see if you have a halal butcher nearby (more likely if you have a Muslim population, and/or an immigrant population). They'd likely have lamb and mutton, and you could get just a few cuts to see if you like it.

[Lovemy3girls]

I just made lamb burgers the other night - just add salt, pepper, and garlic and they're delicious. I remember reading that lamb is a healthier red meat than beef because it is pasture fed and not injected with antibiotics and such, but maybe someone on this thread knows more about that than me. We don't eat it that often because it isn't cheap, but I like having an alternative to beef. There is also buffalo meat which is delicious and I believe it is healthier than cow beef as well.

[raksmama]

We buy local free range lamb as well. DH is Lebanese and lamb is used in a variety of recipes.

The lamb from New Zealand is smelly!

I find it is important when cooking lamb to always brown the meat first and don't add too much liquid. We cook it a very long time over a low heat until tender.