One thing about living in Indiana is that you find yourself with the Meat Trinity - pork, beef, and chicken. And that’s it. >sigh< Neither the spouse nor I care much for pork (we’ll eat it if we’re visiting folks and it’s served, but it’s not something we buy for ourselves). That leaves beef and chicken. Thank Og we also like beans. Anyhow, we do get lamb at the local Mediterranean eatery and I’ve been thinking of adding it to my repertoire.
Oh, wait, I live in Indiana…
It’s VERY difficult to find anything but beef, pork and chicken around here. Hell, I’ve had more venison these past few years than lamb (because I have friends who are deer hunters, and they’re decent shots). Let’s see - local butcher doesn’t sell lamb (?!), this grocery store doesn’t, that grocery store doesn’t, this other grocery stores sells ALLIGATOR (!!!) but not lamb…
Alright, I found one store that sells ground lamb and lamb chops for $8.99 a pound. OK… and this one sells ground lamb for $6.99 and lamb shoulder for “only” $5.99 BUT you have to purchase the whole damn shoulder and that was like $20-30 bucks (lambs coming in different sizes, of course).
Didn’t lamb used to be a cheap meat?
Anyhow, went back to the local Mediterranean/Arab eatery which also has an ethnic grocery store attached. I was sort of expecting their prices to be through the roof due to small size and being hallal (which makes no difference to me, but ethnic markets are often more costly) and low and behold: lamb for $4.39 a pound, which isn’t bargain basement but competitive with decent cuts of beef and seafood around here. OK, they want you to buy the whole shoulder or whole leg, but what the hell, if I have good recipes we’ll just have leftovers to munch so it’s all good, right?
How the hell do I cook a lamb shoulder or leg of lamb?
I’m interested in making lamb stew and ground lamb, but that’s not such an issue as I have a meat grinder (which I will have to dust off and clean, but I have one), sharp knives, and even a saw if necessary for bones. Mmm! Homemade stock!
I also have a small jar of Penzey’s lamb seasoning, and also a Greek seasoning which should also work nicely.
So, have at it, Dopers - suggestions, tips, tricks, recipes. My only request is that we stick to tomato-free options (which means no tomato sauce, no ketchup, etc.) as I’m sort of deathly allergic to them.