You might just need to look around a bit more. I can find breast, shank, and shoulder in my local grocery. If you have Middle Eastern communities in your area, that’s a good place to find cheap cuts of lamb (we’re talking about $2.99/lb, if that, in the Chicago area. I smoked an entire lamb shoulder last year at one of my barbecues.) Indian neighborhoods tend to be good, too.
I should add, if you’re a member, check your Costco. They usually have boneless leg of lamb for about $4/lb (maybe a little less) and it’s good quality (as are all Costco meats I’ve had.) While leg is often roasted, it works very well as stew meat, too.
Thank you for this. My husband has been craving lamb and I have never cooked it. The only lamb I can find at my usual grocery sources is so expensive- whole legs of lamb mostly- that I can’t bear the thought of using it as an experiment to see if I can cook it well. The smallest/cheapest I had found was a leg of lamb for over $40 and I could not bear the thought of possibly ruining it or really of spending that much for one meal…But we do have a large Middle Eastern population around here and many Middle Eastern markets (which I have not been to). I will definitely look there for reasonable cuts of lamb to learn on. Even if it does end up costing me a dinner out, since normally he would have to take me to a restaurant to get his lamb fix.
I never thought about neck bones until I had my own freezer lamb. I put off using those neck bones until I was out of leg, out of shoulder, out of everything. I finally used them in a stew and before I finished the first few bites, I was wishing I could grow sheep with more than one neck! IMHO, that is the best part of the lamb- tender and flavorful. My grocer (Albertsons) does carry it if I’m on the yuppie (Summerlin) part of town, but I imagine if I ventured into one of the Mexican markets here, they would have them too. Shanks are easier to find, and pretty tasty as well, but I prefer rack of lamb to shanks.
I’ve seen reasonably priced lamb shoulder (alongside the ridiculously expensive racks and little lamb chops) in every grocery store that carries lamb. If I were you, I’d call around to stores and meat markets and ask what cuts they might have.
I have trolled supermarkets and butchers wide and far. No luck with getting the cheaper cuts.
I am living in Canada (Calgary) - I wonder if it is because of where I live?
Anyone living close to me have better luck?
I would dearly love to get some of these cuts even if I have to pay a little more.
I tried the local farmer’s market- I once got a bit of neck end - then after that, no dice: seems they don’t carry it because there is no market for it.
I don’t live in Calgary, but here’s a list of Halal groceries that I would start looking at. The Madina Halal meat looks promising. I’d be surprised if not one of those places have the cuts you’re looking for.
I can get rolled breast of lamb at Tesco in the UK - it’s very cheap indeed. I like to slice it into strips, then drape them over a tray quartered potatoes and bake in the oven - the meat crisps up and the fat renders out, making the potatoes tasty and crispy - although it is necessary to drain off the excess fat halfway through cooking.
Lamb fat is delicious, but you can tell by the way it rapidly sets into hard tallow at room temperature, that it can’t be very good for you.
I also like shoulder - I think it’s nicer than leg - but it’s not particularly cheap here, in fact last time I bought it, it was in a hard plastic security box on the chiller shelf that had to be unlocked at the till.
Shoulder of lamb is good cooked long and slow in a slow cooker with red wine and onions. I did this last week - again, draining off all the liquid halfway through cooking, skimming off the fat (nearly a pint of it) and pouring the stock back in. The meat just fell off the bone in tender, juicy shreds.
This sounds incredibly good. I’m going to have to try it. I bet that my daughter will like it, too, she loves lamb as much as I do. And yes, lamb fat is very tasty.
I’d be surprised if all the Halal meat places were goat only. Although it may be some sort of regional preference. Here, it seems goat is more popular at the Mexican butchers, while lamb is at the Halal or Middle Eastern places.
I did find this place in Calgary, Second to None Meats, that definitely has the cuts you seek:
We’re looking at $18-$20 a kilo for the cuts you seek. I’m not sure whether that’s cheap or not where you are. That’s about US$8/pound, which is not unreasonable, but I know I could find it for about half that at certain places. However, it seems the meat they source is indeed very high-quality.
Here’s another place, Master Meats in Calgary that at least has lamb stew meat. No prices on that one. I wouldn’t be surprised if they could get a breast or shoulder for you.
The Butcher Shopper in Airdrie also looks promising. It doesn’t specifically say what cuts of lamb they have, but it’s worth a call. Digging through Google, it seems they’re one of the best butchers in Canada. And if they don’t have the cut you’re looking for, it’s always worth asking if they know anyone who does.
I can barely get any lamb at all here. They will usually have loin chops at $10/lb and rib chops at $16/lb. That’s basically all I can find. Of course, they also sell lamb heads and lamb tongues. Where is the rest of the little beast?! I can usually get cabrito (baby goat) in the spring, but that’s not the same.
Maybe lamb, like fish and frogs legs, is going to become a thing of the past. Too expensive, too rare. I see the day coming when the meat counters will hold “white meat” and “red meat”.
Fish is a thing of the past? Most of the grocery stores I’ve been to have large seafood counters–bigger than any one animal’s meat, but about half the size of the entire meat counter. And lamb isn’t any more expensive than beef, in my experience, if you’re comparing similar cuts from both animals.
In my area (Boston, MA) lamb is hard to find - Americans by and large, do not like lamb. I love it, and ny favorites are shish kebab and braised lamb shanks (in tomato sauce).
. Unfortunately, lamb is so rarely available (and so expensive) that most of the time, I get my lamb fix at a Greek restaurant!:eek:
