# What the heck should I do with this Lamb? (Need answer fastish) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 14, 2013, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-heck-should-i-do-with-this-lamb-need-answer-fastish/666255 "2013-08-14T21:34:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-heck-should-i-do-with-this-lamb-need-answer-fastish/666255/1 "2013-08-14T21:34:52Z")
Earlier today I started a thread asking about what to do with harissa. Well, I got it in my head to do a lamb stew. Since my grocer doesn’t carry lamb, I had to go to this Halal place. I don’t know if this is typical of halal places, but lamb is cut to order. So I told the butcher guy 3lbs of lamb. I wasn’t really paying attention to what he was doing. When I got home, I find the lamb is in cubed size pieces but they got frick’n bones on them! So what now? Should I braise the lamb first, then painstakingly go back and cut off all the bones piece by piece? Or should I debone it now? I guess if I stew it long enough the bones would just fall off but then how would I go back and pick them all out? I don’t know, I’ve never cooked lamb before,. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-heck-should-i-do-with-this-lamb-need-answer-fastish/666255/2 "2013-08-14T22:47:53Z")
Personally, I’d cook it bone on. It’s more efficient that way (the meat will slip cleanly off the bone when it’s finished braising) and there is a lot of flavor and gelatin (which improves the consistency/mouthfeel of the stew) to be gained by leaving it on. Then again, I’m somebody who likes bones, although it depends on the type of stew I’m going for. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Mondegreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/91b2a8/32.png) [@Lord\_Mondegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Mondegreen)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-heck-should-i-do-with-this-lamb-need-answer-fastish/666255/3 "2013-08-14T23:48:38Z")
I agree with **pulykamell**. Too much of a pain in the arse to remove the bones before cooking, especially considering how easy it is once cooked. My only hesitation is that if there are only a small number of pieces I would probably remove the bones prior to cooking, just for later convenience. From the OP I assume there are lots of pieces, but I can’t tell. The expression “cubed size pieces” is meaningless, but I’ll assume 1" cubes rather than 6" cubes. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-heck-should-i-do-with-this-lamb-need-answer-fastish/666255/4 "2013-08-15T00:00:32Z")
Yes, bone in cooking is your best bet, as well as the most authentic, if you’re doing a northern African stew with harissa. When you eat it, use fingers. Suck the meat off the bones. (And get your mind in the gutter. 😉 ) ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-heck-should-i-do-with-this-lamb-need-answer-fastish/666255/5 "2013-08-15T00:18:45Z")
Yup, what everyone else said, unless you live close enough to me to drop it off instead. 😃 Bone-in is harder to eat, but tastier. It’ll be fine. ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-heck-should-i-do-with-this-lamb-need-answer-fastish/666255/6 "2013-08-15T01:47:08Z")
Agree with all of the above, just braise/stew it on the bone (as you would, say, whole chicken pieces). ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-heck-should-i-do-with-this-lamb-need-answer-fastish/666255/7 "2013-08-15T02:22:32Z")
> [@Lord\_Mondegreen](#): > > I agree with **pulykamell**. Too much of a pain in the arse to remove the bones before cooking, especially considering how easy it is once cooked. > > My only hesitation is that if there are only a small number of pieces I would probably remove the bones prior to cooking, just for later convenience. From the OP I assume there are lots of pieces, but I can’t tell. The expression “cubed size pieces” is meaningless, but I’ll assume 1" cubes rather than 6" cubes. 🙂 You are correct in your assumption! Well, I had to start my stew at 5:30, so I went ahead and went with my instinct and cooked it with the bone on. (I tried to debone a couple of pieces and realized it was too daunting a task.) I’m glad to see my intincts were correct according to y’alls post. Stew is delicious and spitting the bones out as you go is not at all cumbersome. (It falls right off.) I couldn’t be happier with the dish. Thanks for your input guys. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-heck-should-i-do-with-this-lamb-need-answer-fastish/666255/8 "2013-08-15T13:07:31Z")
\*\*What the heck should I do with this Lamb? (Need answer fastish) \*\* Well, first y’ get y’self a right-size hay bale… ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-heck-should-i-do-with-this-lamb-need-answer-fastish/666255/9 "2013-08-15T13:22:59Z")
Silence it. ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-heck-should-i-do-with-this-lamb-need-answer-fastish/666255/10 "2013-08-15T13:56:22Z")
> [@Sicks\_Ate](#): > > \*\*What the heck should I do with this Lamb? (Need answer fastish) \*\* > > Well, first y’ get y’self a right-size hay bale… Bottle of wine…putting on a little Sherry Lewis and Lambchop to set the mood… ummm… Or so I have been told…