March goes out with lamb
It tastes better than ever before thanks to improvements in animal husbandry techniques
I’m an early riser who enjoys getting up before everyone else and having coffee on the deck watching the sunrise. It’s not that I’m a morning person I just need to wake up away from others and sort out my thoughts for the day before me. In recent days these typically peaceful moments were filled with the incessant sounds of twitterpated birds celebrating spring.
There are many things that we associate with spring and lamb is symbolically one of them as historically husbandry practices relied on the natural circle of life to unfold which saw kids being born in January that would be ready for market at 3-5 months, which just happens to coincide with spring making it one of the symbols of rebirth, fertility and religions.
Today improved animal husbandry has made lamb available year round and now the term Spring Lamb refers to a lamb between 3 and 5 months of age and a lamb is a sheep that is less than 1 year old. Mutton is typically a sheep between 1-3 years of age.
It is mutton that I blame for giving lamb its bad rap for having what some call and acquired taste.
Older sheep develop exceptionally high levels of red myoglobin and skatole. The myoglobin forms the pigments that are responsible for making meat red. Skatole is an organic compound that is formed in the intestine by bacterial decomposition and has a strong fecal odour. The word skatole is derived from the Greek root skato, meaning “skat” or “dung”. The high concentration of skatole in mutton explains the taste and odour found in sheep meat of the past and the gelatinous globs of mint jelly used to choke it down by masking its unpalatable flavour as it tasted like skat.
This has all changed now with the milder, more delicate flavour of today’s lamb. Most local lamb producers are raising lamb that is grain-fed, or finished on grain for a month producing very mild flavoured meat while imported lamb is still allowed to graze on grasses, producing a slightly stronger-flavoured meat.
When buying fresh lamb look for cuts that exhibit pink flesh with creamy white fat and even marbling.
Larger cuts of lamb like a leg will probably be covered in a thin white membrane which will need to be removed before cooking. This paper like membrane can usually be pulled off of the meat by hand but might require a bit of persuasion with a knife. Lambs are tender creatures allowing for most cuts to be cooked by dry heat methods such as grilling or roasting. The exceptions to this would be that the shanks, neck, shoulder and blade chops which are always better cooked by moist heat methods, such as braising.
Regardless of the cut or how you cook it you will need to serve your lamb hot. Cold lamb develops an odd texture and flavour when its fats congeal. This is why you rarely see lamb sandwiches.
I prefer my lamb rare, it should be served with some pink in the flesh so it should at least be medium in doneness when served but taste is a personal matter.
The following recipe is for a leg of lamb done on the barbeque. It can be done over a gas grill but you will find that charcoal with some apple or cherry wood smoke will make your lamb exceptionally tasty with very structured and layered flavours. Slow Barbecue Roasted Leg of Lamb Ingredients: One Leg of lamb 6-7 lbs Zest and juice of 2 lemons ¼ cup canola oil Few sprigs each fresh thyme, rosemary and marjoram leaves 3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed 2tbsp freshly ground black pepper Method: Zest and juice the lemons and rub the leg liberally with the juice and zest. Let the leg rest overnight in the fridge.
The next day crush the garlic and mince it fine with all of the herbs. Stir the herbs into the oil and rub the herb mixture all over the lamb leg and let it rest at room temperature for one hour.
While the leg is resting you will need to fire up the barbecue and get it heated up with a good bed of coals. Your barbecue should be in the 400 F to 425 F range. I suggest you have a side or an area of your barbecue that is running at a much lower temperatures as it can be used as a safe parking spot if you need to park the leg off to the side due to excessive flames and flare ups.
Put the meat on the well-oiled heated grill and cook, covered, for 60-90 minutes, occasionally turning the leg.
Remove leg from barbecue and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Serves 6-8.