Spring has finally graced our doorstep with warmer temps, budding flowers and the hope for a good fishing season! Springtime reminds me of Sunday afternoons at our favorite pub for a great roast lamb dinner with all the fixings and a good pint of ale.

Okay, that was when we lived in New Zealand. We frequently do our own lamb dinners here, although that amazing small pub atmosphere is missing. Lamb in the U.S. is lower on the consumption food chain then other protein such as beef and chicken. However, it is certainly high on ours.

For those not in the know about lamb, here is a little background I like to share: Sheep are seasonal breeders who are most fertile from September through December, resulting in the late winter or early spring birthing period. Lambs are broken down into two categories, traditional and non-traditional. In a nutshell, it really has to do with the weight and use of the lamb when harvested. The traditional markets prefer live lamb weights between 120-160 pounds, which takes eight to 14 months from birth to harvest. Non-traditional lambs are between 50-100 pounds with a shorter growing season. These lambs are sold off of farms or ranches and mostly sold for whole lamb use. Traditional domestic lamb production is mostly raised in an area from the Midwest to the Western Intermountain ranges. Most traditional lambs are shipped to feedlots before harvest to be grain-fed, which results in a less gamey-flavored meat.

Demand for traditional and non-traditional lamb is year-round. Major factors that drive much of the consumption are directly related to holidays and religious events such as Christmas and Easter. As well, a large number of chefs that put lamb on their menus go for racks and loins which are the most sought-after cuts. During the colder months I have seen braising cuts like shanks and shoulders show up on some very high-end menus — Bravo!

A while back I was working with a manufacturer to develop new, ready-to-eat lamb products for the marketplace. Utilization of the whole carcass was a large part of the goal. By mistake, the company's R&D team brined and smoked a loin and sent it off for our review. Amazingly, when we sliced this mistake paper thin it produced the most delicate charcuterie, equal in quality to some of the finest imported prosciutto.

Sadly, the price point needed to manufacture this product would have been sky high and not scalable for the masses. But, I’d love to play around with this concept again one of these days. Here is one of my favorite and simple recipes for roast leg of lamb, bone-in or butterflied; the end results are mouthwatering:

Dijon mustard
Fresh garlic and rosemary
Salt and pepper
Then grill or into the oven; cook to medium-rare and serve with your favorite roasted veggies and a spring, bitter green salad, with a nice pinot noir.

Don’t be afraid of this meat, it’s absolutely delicious — enjoy!

This week’s query: What your favorite cut of lamb and how do you like to cook it?

Live well.

Springtime lamb

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