Be Your Own Butcher (BYOB)
A Guide to Breaking Down a Leg of Lamb
Greetings Friends, ☀️ 🐑
One of the great joys of seasonal eating is Spring Lamb.
Lamb is a phenomenal meat that is rich in proteins, 8 essential amino acids and, ounce-for-ounce, lamb provides roughly 50% of the omega-3’s you’ll find in tuna.
Further, think of lamb as the “multi-vitamin” of meats 🙌 High in Vit B12, B3, Selenium, Iron, Zinc, Phosphorous and more.
The best news?
Lamb is absolutely delicious.
Depending on what part of the world 🌎 you’re in, Lamb is either frequently used… or rarely used.
Gyro 🇬🇷 , Curry 🍛 🇮🇳 , BBQ 🇦🇺 , Roast Dinners 🇬🇧 , Tagine 🇲🇦 , Burgers 🍔 are but a few examples of the versatility lamb has… and why it should be on your table when possible.
It has a somewhat polarizing reputation for being aggressively flavored. While lamb does have a rich, smoky, gamy flavor… any aggressive or overbearing flavors are usually a result of cooking error or bad quality. So we can easily fix both of those. The meat is naturally more firm but has a wonderful tender quality (when cooked properly)
Lamb also offers an exceptional opportunity in efficiency. While it’s not practical for most people to buy 1/2 a steer and store it… the smaller size of lamb allows us to get primal cuts and then butcher ourselves… getting multiple meals out of one primal or joint.
Today is the ultimate example of efficiency. I’m going to show you how 1 leg of lamb can get you 3 separate meals! 💪
Geography:
Lamb is pastured in many places across the Globe. Many people believe Australia 🇦🇺 to have the market cornered on quality lamb. I have opinions (big surprise 😂 ) and have been lucky to work with pheonomal quality lamb… and not so great lamb, which helps put that in perspective.
I tend to prefer lamb from cooler climates. Normandy 🇫🇷 and Northern Coastal California 🇺🇸 are personal favorites. A friend of mine who’s deep in the meat industry recalled to me years ago: In both Normandy and N. Coastal California, the sheep graze on grass that gets a lot of dew from the ocean in the early mornings. This dew has a higher salt content than regular water and it’s speculated that the higher salt content contributes to a delicious and “well seasoned” meat. 😉
Whether that’s true or not… is immaterial. They are both delicious. Here’s a quick list in order of preference.
N. Coastal California 🇺🇸
Normandy 🇫🇷
Scottish 🏴
Colorado 🇺🇸
Australia 🇦🇺
New Zealand 🇳🇿
This list is not exhaustive but covers the more widely available.
Sourcing:
So where’s the best place to get your lamb?
If you have a farm closeby or one that does mail-order, that could be a great option. This isn’t practical or feasible for a lot of people.
In general, if you can find a place that consistently sells lamb that will be a good indicator for at least getting fresh stock. Yes.. you know what I’m going to say. ⬇️
Middle Eastern Market. If you have a good one nearby, a halal butcher will get the lamb carcasses whole, process on site, and usually offer a good price. You can easily get a whole leg cut and wrapped for you.
This isn’t the first time I’ve talked about how much I love these grocery shops.
Barring that option. Check wholesale (Costco/Sams). And if you’re only option is a large supermarket.. you can totally find good lamb there. You’re probably going to be a paying a premium vs the other options and may not be able to get a whole leg unless you give some advance notice the butcher counter to order one in.
Grading: The USDA does grade lamb as it does beef. You will usually see Choice or Prime as available options in Retail shops. (See a previous Substack all about USDA Grading and beef for more info)
Butchering At Home:
Many people get intimidated by the thought of “butchering” at home. You’re simply using a knife to separate meat muscles and bones into smaller parts. Anyone can do this, and like anything, the more you do it the better and more comfortable you’ll get at it.
One thing to note… don’t freak out if you make a wrong cut, etc. In most cases when the meat cooks the protein will fuse back together from the heat. Be chill and enjoy.
In addition to upping your knife skills, buying animal cuts in primals is usually cheaper per lb. So you’re saving money in bulk. And getting multiple meals out of it.
There’s also a flexibility because you’re the butcher now! you can trim, cut etc to your preference. Any scraps can be saved to make stock, sausage or render fat down for cooking.
Ok without further ado… let’s break down this Leg of Lamb. Nothing to fear… and you’ll be on your way to butchering at home!
