A friend recently scored some lamb from a farm in Wisconsin, so I'm posting the text of an article I wrote for Lerner Newspapers a while back. Not really in season at the moment, but these days you can get lamb all year round.
Spring is the season for lamb.
Lamb is now available all year long, but traditionally lambing followed the natural progression of the seasons. Just as hogs were slaughtered in the fall, and smoked or cured to preserve them through the winter, the arrival of the year's first lambs -- often sold as "hothouse" or "milk-fed" lamb -- marked the coming of spring.
This (along with other more symbolic reasons) makes lamb an obvious choice for the springtime celebrations of Easter and Passover. Easter dinner at my cousin Eileen's almost always meant roasted leg of lamb, and often ended with a lamb-shaped cake covered with shredded coconut. (As a child I was more impressed by the cake.)
At Crawford Farm in New Glarus, Wisconsin, lambing takes place from February through June. Janie Crawford, whose customers include Rick Bayless and Charlie Trotter, raises lamb using low-intensity methods that allow the animals as much reign as possible to move about the farm.
"Sheep are well-adapted to agriculture, and can be raised under a variety of conditions," says Crawford. "It's important not to impose a farming method, to let the sheep be sheep."
This adaptability may help explain lamb's popularity in many parts of the world, where it is often far more common than here in the U.S.
More tender than beef, lamb has a mild yet distinctive flavor that pairs well with a broad range of seasonings, from thyme, garlic, and rosemary to orange, mint, and Indian-style curries.
Most lamb sold in the U.S. comes from either the U.S., Australia, or New Zealand. Imported lambs tend to be smaller, with a correspondingly milder flavor.
Lamb can be graded by the U.S.D.A. as prime, choice, or good. But it's hard to find any grade other than choice, so this is not likely to be a big factor in purchasing. (If you can find prime, by all means buy it.)
While grading is based on standardized measures of size and fat content, Crawford has her own criterion, breeding delicate, finely-boned animals known for their texture and flavor.
To qualify as lamb, the animal must be less than one year old, with most lamb sold in supermarkets averaging five to seven months. Animals from one to two are sold as yearlings; anything older then two is mutton, which is rare in the U.S., though popular in other parts of the world.
The youngest milk-fed lamb may be a very pale pink, with a mild flavor and texture. The meat gains color and flavor as the animal ages.
With lamb, as with other meats, the basic principles of meat cookery apply.
For cuts that are naturally tender to begin with, the goal is to keep them that way by cooking until just done, but no more. Dry-heat methods like grilling, broiling, and high-temperature roasting are used to sear the outside without overcooking the middle.
In general, the tender cuts are those that get the least exercise, particularly the rib and loin sections along the backbone. In lamb, most cuts qualify since no part of the animal has had much exercise yet.
The only exceptions are the neck, shoulder, and shanks (lower leg). These tougher cuts can be made tender by long, slow cooking in moist heat, such as stewing or braising. Inexpensive and flavorful, these cuts are also rich in connective tissues that dissolve into a rich, silky sauce.
When preparing lamb for cooking, trim as much fat as possible. Lamb fat smokes and burns at a low temperature, can have an off flavor, and has a tendency to congeal on the plate (or in the mouth) if the meal is served less than piping hot.
In Chicago, most supermarkets carry boneless leg roasts, but other cuts may be harder to find. For better selection try a specialty butcher such as Paulina Market, any of the ethnic groceries around the city (there are a number of good ones near the corner of Kedzie and Lawrence), or any of the butchers in the meat-packing district centered at Halsted and Lake streets.
Nothing beats lamb for spring, and for a holiday meal, nothing beats a roast. The most popular cuts for roasting are the rack (or rib), loin, and leg.
please explain the cuts properly with a proper diagram like the cuts of beef.
Posted by: wilson | February 28, 2005 at 07:23 AM
Will Crawford farm be at the Dane County Farmers Market and have lamb shoulder available this Saturday?
Posted by: Jim Porter | April 13, 2008 at 11:07 AM