The food lab better home cooking through science ( PDFDrive ) 791

to cook lamb for yourself at home yet, you’ve really have no excuse What better time to start than now? DOMESTIC VERSUS IMPORTED Q: I see lamb from Australia, New Zealand, and the United States at the butcher What are the differences between these options, and is one better than another? There are major differences in terms of flavor, size, and price when it comes to American lamb versus lamb from Down Under New Zealand/Australian lambs are quite small in size, with whole legs coming in at around 5 to 6 pounds According to Mark Pastore, president of Pat LaFrieda, one of the most respected meat purveyors in the country, their size is a matter of both genetics and feed The lambs are smaller to begin with, and they spend their lives grazing on grass Grass gives them a more gamy flavor, which some people find off-putting, and they also tend to be lower in fat, making them a bit harder to cook properly—the legs in particular have a tendency to dry out That said, if you’re cooking for a smaller party—6 to 8 people or so—and you value that gamy flavor over tenderness or richness, NZ or Aussie lamb is a good choice American lambs are larger, fattier, and sweeter in flavor Most American lambs are fed on grass for most of their lives, supplemented with grain for the last 30 days before slaughter The lamb at LaFrieda comes from Mennonite farms in Colorado that finish their lambs on a combination of grain, honey, alfalfa, wheat, and flaked corn The results are a larger layer of protective fat around the legs and better marbling (the intramuscular fat that adds flavor and moistness to meat) Because of the grain supplements, American lamb tends to have a less funky but richer flavor, more similar to steak A single leg of American lamb can weigh up to 15 pounds or so, with enough meat to feed over a dozen Q: I’ve read that grass-fed meat is always better—better tasting, better for the animal Is there any truth in this? It depends Some people prefer the gamier taste of 100percent grass-fed lamb, others prefer the richer flavor and juicier meat of grain-finished lamb As far as the health of the animal goes, while it’s true that an animal that lived solely on grain would eventually develop health problems (much like a human who existed solely on hamburgers), grain finishing only occurs over the last 30 days of a lamb’s life, after which it’s going to be slaughtered anyway That time period is not nearly long enough for the animal to develop any health problems that would cause it to suffer in any way If you have no problem eating meat, you should have no problem eating grain-finished lamb or beef Q: What about the price differences? Unfortunately, American lamb tends to be more expensive than the imports, despite their long journey across the globe It’s a matter of scale Australia and New Zealand’s lamb output is several times greater than that of the United States If you value tenderness and juiciness, the extra cost is probably worth it  ... Q: I’ve read that grass-fed meat is always better? ? ?better tasting, better for the animal Is there any truth in this? It depends Some people prefer the gamier taste of 100percent grass-fed lamb, others prefer the richer flavor...are a larger layer of protective fat around the legs and better marbling (the intramuscular fat that adds flavor and moistness to meat) Because of the grain supplements, American lamb tends to have a less funky but richer flavor,... far as the health of the animal goes, while it’s true that an animal that lived solely on grain would eventually develop health problems (much like a human who existed solely on hamburgers), grain finishing only occurs over the last 30 days of a lamb’s