About Lamb

The first thing to know about lamb is that where it comes from is of great importance.  Lamb raised in New
Zealand is grass fed and truly free range and it tastes like lamb.  Lamb raised in the United States is
not a feed lot product just yet but the producers are working on that.  It is either grain fed or grain finished.
It has high fat content similar to US feedlot beef and it tastes like beef.  It is more tender than beef but it
does not taste like lamb. I suggest you save your money.
I have not had the opportunity to eat French saltmarsh lamb or lamb from Britain or Ireland.  I understand they
are very good.  I hope to find out someday.
The rest of this article is about New Zealand lamb which is available at Costco and many other places in the US.
It is usually clearly labeled as coming from New Zealand.
Lamb is not widely eaten in the US but is very popular in other countries.  I think I know why. Lamb must be
prepared properly to be enjoyable.  I think many in the US have been served ill-prepared lamb when they were
young and made the decision that "I don't like it."  That's a shame.  I don't like poorly prepared lamb either but
I love it when it's done right. The problem is in the fat.  Lamb is an inherently fatty meat and lamb fat has a strong
flavor that many find excessively gamy.  Some do like it.
I find lamb that has been cooked so that it is overdone and greasy to be repulsive.  Lamb that has been carefully
trimmed of fat is much better but on the dry side.   I find the best preparation is to meticulously remove as much
fat as possible, apply olive oil to the meat then blot off the excess oil.  This not only re-moistens the meat but
the olive oil extracts and removes more of the gamy flavor so many dislike.
This requires time and effort but I think the results warrant that.  Lamb is so expensive that paying for it and
not putting forth the effort to take it to its best level just doesn't make sense.

An additional way to enhance the flavor and texture of lamb is to brine it, which is soaking it in salt water
which may have other flavorings added.  The formula given here suits most purposes.  The sugar doesn't make
the meat sweet but definitely enhances its flavor.  You could add rosemary and lemon to the brine if you like.

Ingredients:
One quarter cup sea salt or kosher salt
Two tablespoons of granulated sugar
Ten garlic cloves roughly chopped
Four quarts tap water

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir until the sugar and salt are completely dissolved.
Submerge the meat, cover and refrigerate for two to four hours.
Loin chops are easy to work with but they cost so much.  If I really want to splurge I will buy them, cutting them
into perfect medallions and then using the bones and trimmings to flavor a stock.  I usually avoid the high cost
of these chops by doing more prep work.  The large discount clubs such as Costco usually have boneless leg of
lamb roasts from New Zealand sealed in heavy plastic.  These are more affordable and can be made into completely
satisfactory strips and cutlets.  This, I think, is the best lamb at a price I can afford.  I shrink from any
"product placement" but this is the best deal if you are willing to spend the time needed.
This roast can be taken out of the netting it is sold in and unfolded so the fat can be very thoroughly trimmed out.
The meat can then be anointed with olive oil, seasoned, rolled back together, and tucked back into the netting
for roasting.  It can also be left opened and cut into cutlets, fingers or medallions - whatever is wanted.
It's a versatile item.  Here's how to do it.
Open the plastic bag over the sink, drain off the gore, and remove the netting the meat is rolled in.  On a roomy
cutting surface, examine the meat carefully.  There will be a large thick sheet of connective tissue covering much
of the surface of the roast.  This is the caul.   Cut it away from the red meat and discard it.  The caul is fat
mingled with fascia and lamb fat has a displeasing flavor so the caul has no use.  It should be trimmed away and
discarded, either whole in the case of a leg roast or in parts as cutlets and medallions are cut.
For a roast, free and remove the caul then meticulously remove any fat you can find.  This takes a while but you
will be rewarded with a very enjoyable roast.  When the fat has been removed you may brine the meat as set forth
above, drain it and pat it dry, then anoint the meat with olive oil, season it and refold or roll it up and work
it back into the netting it came to you in.
For cutlets, medallions or fingers, find the largest muscle in the roast, separate it from its neighbors with
your fingers as well as you can and slice it across the grain into the pieces you want.  Perfect medallions will
be roughly circular, about two inches in diameter, and about one half inch thick.  Irregularly shaped or smaller
medallions are acceptable but smaller ones will cook more quickly and this must borne in mind when sautéing
them.  Having them all the same thickness is important: this is needed to be able to control degree of doneness.
Cutting across the grain so that the muscle fibers are short makes the meat tender.
Trim off any fat and connective tissue as you go.  Repeat this process with the next largest muscle, and so forth.
Eventually you will have a nice pile of cutlets and medallions and a remnant of the leg from which no more
presentable cuts may be taken.  This remnant should be cut into chunks and used another way. I  suggest biryani.
The cutlets and medallions may be brined if you like.  Being smaller, they will only take an hour or so in the
brine.  Drain and pat them dry before proceeding further with them.
A bone-in leg roast may be cut in just the same way and the bone can be used to flavor a stock.  Stock made only
of lamb bones will have too strong a flavor but simmering a modest amount of lamb bones in chicken stock produces
a very agreeable result.