184 Part II: Now You’re Cooking! Healthy and Hearty Dishes
Trying Out Lamb, Another Red Meat
Lamb is considered a red meat, but American domestic and imported lambs
have very different taste and texture. American lamb is grain fed, which tends
to give the meat a sweeter taste and smoother texture. Lamb imported to the
United States comes mostly from Australia and is grass fed, which tends to
make the meat taste a bit grainy and gamy (strong and tangy).
Lamb, like beef, is easiest to digest when cooked to medium doneness. This
gives the fat a chance to melt and flavor and moisten the meat without
overcooking. If left rare, the fat doesn’t have a chance to cook through the
muscle and the lamb may be tough. If cooked medium well to well done, most
of the fat is cooked out and the lamb will be tough.
The four main cuts of lamb are the shoulder, rack, leg, and loin (see
Figure 11-1). Most of the grilling cuts come from the shoulder. The loin, leg,
and racks are frequently used for roasting. Additionally, chops and riblets,
the best cuts, are commonly found in your local grocer’s meat department.
Buying lamb can be a bit confusing. Here are a few quick tips for buying the
best cut for your recipe:
✓ If you need a boneless leg of lamb, choose sirloin. It has the least
amount of connective tissue, making it the most tender part of the leg.
✓ If your recipe calls for rack of lamb, be prepared: It’s the most expensive
cut of lamb. Rack of lamb is most commonly served rare to medium rare.
If overcooked, the lamb can become tough.
✓ If you’re looking for lamb chops, go for loin chops. They’re the leanest
and turn out well when grilled or sautéed.
✓ If you want a cut of lamb for low and slow cooking, choose a roast or
shoulder. They’re larger and tougher than other cuts, so plenty of
cooking time over low heat makes them tender.
