 Probably the oldest domesticated animal in the world and also the most widespread because of its ability to live on wild mountains and moorlands with sparse grass coverings. The flavour of lamb does improve with better quality feeding as in the case of Romney Marsh sheep that feed on salty marsh grass or Welsh lamb feeding on the herbs and heather on the mountains. Lamb is killed before it is a year old, after which it is called mutton. Lamb is only hung long enough to get rid of rigor mortis before being butchered. Lamb should have pink meat with a waxy, crumbly, white fat.
Cuts of Lamb
Breast
This cut is one of the cheapest cuts and whilst the price is similar to scrag end, but is much more versatile. It can be roasted on the bone, boned, stuffed and rolled, or when well trimmed, can be used for mince, burgers or skewers (kebabs). Some butchers also sell this cut in strips which are ideal for barbecues.
Flank
Unlike other cuts from the loin area, the flank is much tougher and is usually sold as mince.
Foreshank
Also known as Lamb shanks, this cut is suitable for slow roasting, stewing and braising. It has become very popular in recent years especially when braised and the whole shank with the bone is served per person. It is a very flavourful cut of meat.
Leg
This is a prime cut with little fat which is excellent for roasting as a joint. It is often cut into lamb steaks suitable for frying or grilling or into cubes for lean kebabs.
Loin
The loin is the tenderest part of the lamb. It is from this area that loin chops come from as well as medallions, noisettes as well as roasting cuts. Suitable for roasting although the joints tend to be small unless you have a whole saddle which is made up of a double loin roast, from both sides of the backbone. Frying and grilling are excellent for the smaller cuts.
Neck
This is one of the tougher cuts and is generally sold as Stewing lamb or made into mince (ground) meat. When sold in pieces it is only suitable for very long, slow, moist cooking. Although tough the flavour is very good so well worth the extra cooking. Best End of neck is traditionally used for Lancashire Hotpot.
Rack
A "rack of lamb" is the name given to the whole rib section on either side of the backbone between the shoulder and the loin. A tender and flavoursome cut, it is also expensive and it is suitable for dry heat cooking such as roasting or grilling. This cut has a layer of fat which, although it can be trimmed down, is best left on when roasting as it melts and bastes the meat during cooking. Racks are often "Frenched" which means that the upper ends of the rib bones are scraped clean of meat and fat thereby exposing the bones which sometimes have paper frills popped over the top. Once frenched, it can be used to create a "Crown" where two racks are tied together to form a circle, the middle of which is then stuffed or a "Guard of honour" where the two sides of the rack are stood vertically with the bare bones uppermost and rib ends interlocked to resemble soldiers' swords. Racks are not large pieces: one rack of lamb is usually large enough to serve three people.
Scrag
Also known as scrag end or neck end, this is one of the tougher cuts and is therefore one of the cheaper ones. The meat from this area is often more fatty than other cuts and is usually sold chopped or diced for use in stews and casseroles.
Shoulder
Shoulder is often sold as two separate joints, blade and arm (knuckle). The whole shoulder is also sometimes called "square cut" which consists of the arm, blade, and rib bones. Suitable for roasting, shoulder is a relatively expensive cut, even more so if you buy it boned and rolled although adding a stuffing before rolling makes it more economical. Many cooks prefer to buy it this way as the structure of the bones in the joint can make carving difficult. Shoulder meat is also often trimmed of fat and sold as cubes for curries, kebabs and casseroles. Shoulder chops are suitable for pan-frying, grilling or braising.
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