I CAN HAZ LAMB PLEEZ?

 Oh!! you're making her wait till morning!  you big meany!

 I know, I know. She did have a little bit of it earlier, but it's gotta finish cooking and cool off some.

Anybody know a less disgusting way to cook lamb? I was going to crock pot it, but my two crock pots are full to the lids with veggies, and this hunk of meat (with a KNEE in it--- A KNEE!!!!) is huge. And a KNEE. EEWWWW!!!! 

Emma, I IZ like lammies too. My mom iz not cooks it fur me. U can share? xoxo PiRate.

 Cute.  Lamb is supposed to be roasted at a low temp, and not for very long (it's supposed to be very rare still when done).  It shouldn't smoke!  If you do use a high temp method like barbecuing, wrap tightly in foil, place it well back from the heat, and watch it like a hawk.  I'll never forget the time we were at a sheepy friend's and she was barbecuing a shoulder and set the grill and the side of her house on fire!  Revenge of the black sheep!

Crockpotted lamb is excellent (though I know they won't be sharing with you).  You can also braise it, since it's just for the dogs (though the roasted flavor will be best and the nutrients will also be best roasted).  And of course you can simply stew it - just don't tell me about it as I weep bitter tears over the thought of a leg of lamb boiling away all its goodness in a stockpot.  Really, if you just want to feed lamb, you should be able to find some place to sell you cuts that are less prime - there is no difference at all to the dogs.  Leg is so overpriced compared to almost any other part you can find, it's ridiculous. 

Anyway, the key is that lamb cooks really fast and at a very low temperature, so be nice to it!     I wish you lived closer, then you could just feed mutton - much better for the dogs than lamb - for us, too.

mmmm....laaamb *drool* 

See?  And Now I want a Sheep Farm even more... 

 Where are you, now, Becca? I'm going to be in SC in January. Mutton would be nice. I didn't pay too, too much for this hunk of meat. $3.50/lb. It seems good quality, though I overcooked it The dogs don't care.... I put it on 350° and I guess that's too hot. I didn't want it rare at all, with Em's immune system being "off".

Emma says Lammiez iz good, Pi. Der is lotz to share. 

If you get the internal temp to 250 degrees, that will kill all the bad bugs.  People eat it at 270 degree internal temp.  A really fatty joint would need to be set at no more than 325, or 300 if your oven runs hot.

I'm actually almost in VA - near Danville.  But, depending on where you are in SC, my mom lives in Winston-Salem and from there it's not a bad jaunt to Charlotte.  Maybe we can arrange something.  I'm getting set to take several sheep in and could certainly put one in for you.

I know $3.50 is an excellent price, but it still makes my eyes bug out!  Some day I need to do the math - it's complicated because a bigger sheep is much cheaper.  Culls are a flat price unrelated to size, but the butcher will charge a rate per pound cut, which varies depending on the live weight of the animal.  It took me FOREVER to understand how it worked, so much so that I kept messing up when I sold a sheep for processing and charging too much or too little.  But it's still an excellent deal if you can buy the whole animal - that of course is why there's not more call for it.  But even a large sheep fits in a medium sized cooler (or goat).  Beef and pork is a different matter!  Bring the pickup truck - and have an entire freezer ready for that cow!

brookcove

then you could just feed mutton - much better for the dogs than lamb - for us, too.

Why's that? I thought mutton was all tough and yucky.I'm not a meat connosiuer,so have no idea.How come you never see mutton in the butchers?

Jennie you've spurred me on to buy a leg of lamb for my guys tomorrow.I'll have to put a peg on my nose as i can not stand the smell or taste of it.I dont know how you handled it being a vegan,good on ya! 

 The girls love it sooooo much! I normally don't cook their food, Edie, because... YUCK. I don't want to deal with it, and they do great on raw. Right now, though, Emma's immune system is pretty haggard, so I'm cooking up all of her meat. She needs the least chances of getting sick I can give her. If that means cooking for a month or better, so be it.... I'm probably going to have to get some enzymes for her, though. She has a harder time with cooked food. Prozyme clears up any issues, though,

The reason mutton would be healthier is because it's older. It has had more time to accumulate nutrients. 

If you get the internal temp to 250 degrees, that will kill all the bad bugs. People eat it at 270 degree internal temp.

Whoaaaa no way -  Lamb is well done at 160.  Lamb at 270 would be a burnt mess

I actually like mutton - when cooked properly is is just as tender as lamb, though leaner, and very, very flavorful - like lamb crossed with beef. My cousins in Yorkshire sometimes serve it, and when I am over "The Pond" (unfortunately now infrequently) we have mutton shepherd's pie. Generally it is from sheep around 2 to 5years old, raised on pasture/in the field, and then brought down "off the hills" for a few months to put a bit more fat on them right before slaughter.

US lamb can be really fatty - I  ALWAYS trim as much fat off the leg as humanly possible before cooking it, or else it can get rather nasty (although tastes yummy!)

I cut it into little chunks. I get ALL the fat off then cook it in the oven or crock pot with veggies. It is VERY much a favorite food for Trudy!

Ack!  Slip of the keyboard!  I meant to say 150 to 170!

I like mutton raised properly also - it's like very very tender beef only with tons of flavor.  It cracks me up that people talk about hating mutton (and actually they've never tried it), but also talk about how wonderful aged beef is - you age beef to get that same flavor in it and tender texture that mutton has without standing around for a week or so.

The legend of horrible mutton goes back to, apparently, when our troops were overseas during World War II and were fed whatever, because Britain was in a food crisis.  Evidently some pretty old sheep sacrificed their lives to the cause!

There's a huge difference between the breeds that are raised commercially (and finished in feed lots), and what is actually the vast majority of sheep raised in North America.  Most are raised on small farms and sold to niche markets - direct to consumers, or by lot to restaurants and ethnic processors.

I am right up the road in Blacksburg - our Food Science Department is selling a big Simmental steer carcass by the side or whole, $1.20 / lb,       http://www.fst.vt.edu/meatbids/

That's fantastic!  I'll have to check it out - not at the moment as our freezer is about to become full with our winter culls, but definitely in a couple months.  I'd like some beef for us - we're in the baby calf cycle next door, no culls for a long while.