The flavor of Lamb?

fftwarren · May 28, 2010

Ok I would like to try cooking some lamb at some point, but I don't want to waste my money. Is the meat really good or is it something that you must have a taste for?

Heres where my concern comes in, last year I went and ate at Texas de Brazil and they had lamb which I had never tried. So I tried it and immediately spit it right back out into my napkin in the middle of that nice restaurant. Now I will eat just about anything and suck it up if it isn't that great, but that stuff was disgusting. Now I wasn't very impressed with the flavor of their food overall. So was this just a one time bad experience at a place that didn't cook it good or does it have a taste that one must come accustomed to?

Whats you guys and gals opinion on lamb meat?

rbranstner · May 28, 2010

I for one love lamb and don't see how people can't like it. My in laws make it quite often and I do as well and love it each way we have prepared it. I even brought some home for my parent last 4th of July and make kabobs for them since they have never had lamb and they were a little unsure at first but once they tried it they really liked it as well. With that being said I have also had some awful lamb that my neighbor made once. My neighbor usually makes an open pit and invites all his friends over once a summer and they use to rave how good the lamb was. Well he brought me a piece two years ago and I couldn't even eat it. They didn't cut any of the tallow off the meat and it just tasted horrible. I couldn't even stand the smell. Lamb is like venison it doesn't have marbleized fat in the meat it has tallow on the outside and I can't stand the smell or taste of that. When we make our venison all of that is removed and it tastes great. Same thing happened to my dad as a kid. His uncles would bring over a venison roast that they shot and they wouldn't remove any of the tallow and he couldn't stand the smell or the taste of venison until he got older and had some that was prepared right. So the moral of all this rambling is yes Lamb is good if you prepare it right. That probably goes for just about anything I guess. Gook luck if you decide to make some. I smoked a boneless roast with some herbs and it was AWESOME. Just don't over cook it. You want it to be done Medium to Medium Rare.

smokin' dick · May 28, 2010

Personally, I love Lamb. Some say it can have a slight gamy taste, but heck, it's not pork! You probably had a bad tasting experience at the restaurant. Weird spices or herbs. Lamb, imho, is best with salt, pepper and some garlic. Try making a small roast at home and I bet you will LOVE it!

meateater · May 28, 2010

Sometimes it takes twice before I like it, usually because it was cooked bad the first time. I personally love lamb. Was it burnt, greasy? Leg of lamb is probably the best cut and if cooked with fresh rosemary and such it's very good.

rbranstner · May 28, 2010

I agree with these guys the best spices to use are salt, pepper, garlic/onion powder, rosemary and some fennel.

fftwarren · May 28, 2010

it wasnt burnt it was medium rare which im not a big fan of but everything else i had was mr also and i was able to eat it but the lamb was horrible and back out it came

the iceman · May 28, 2010

Lamb is good stuff. I'll take it whenever I can get it.

What you might try to do just to see if you like it, without spending all kinds of bucks for a lamb roast, is to get some lamb chops. Wrap these chops with a strip of bacon, season them with CPB, sea salt & garlic powder, then stick them in the oven under the broiler.

If you like them you can go ahead & try smoking a lamb roast. If you don't like it at least you haven't spent $25 to $30 on something you can't eat.

disbe81 · May 28, 2010

I would recommend trying it once more lightly smoking it with some classic ingredients. Get a leg of lamb, run it with EVOO, and put some fresh garlic, rosemary and thyme on it. If you dont like it after that, you dont have the taste for it. I personally hate lamb.... i want to like it, but i have tried it too many times and each time want to spit it out. You either have a taste for it or you dont but you do owe it to yourself to cook some and try it on your own terms, not a restaurant that may have failed at it. Keep us posted on the outcome!

mballi3011 · May 28, 2010

Now I have had lamb many many times and I like it alot. Now sometimes you have to give some foods 2 trys I do and if it's not good the second time then it's not for me. Now some restaurants try to make it into something that's it's not. I have grilled lamb chops both kinds of them and we eat them that way maybe once every couple of weeks. Now I have smoked some to, both the bone in and boneless legs of lamb and they are good that way too. Now I have even made some sausages with it too. I would spend the money and give it your best shot at preparing it. With that said I would buy the 5-6 bone rack of lamb chops and then season them with some salt,pepper, garlic and some rosemary (fresh is the best) sprigs then grill it till it's slightly firm to the touch and then LET IT REST for 10-15 minutes. Then slice each rib and serve it with some good garlic an rosemary potatoes (grilled also) and see how you like it. Hell if you are near Northeast Fla give me a PM and I'll fix it for you and you won't be out any money.

fftwarren · May 28, 2010

well I guess I'll give it a try cooking it myself. thanks for the offer mballi

caveman · May 28, 2010

Just to chime in with my 2 cents on this. Lamb is different taste from beef, chicken & fish. Of course, I have stated the obvious. Depending on how it is cooked though, might make the difference between loving it & hating it. Some like it rare, others medium. I eat all of my meat well, except for lamb. I like lamb medium. Smoking Dick, RB & Mballi are correct about those seasonings. Start off with something smaller to see if you like it but don't let anyone else make it for you. Do it yourself & you will be sure that it is done correctly. Hopefully you will change your mind about lamb & become a believer. Good luck.

scubadoo97 · Jun 3, 2010

Different parts of the lamb will have varying degrees of "lambyness". You get more gamey taste from the fat. I recently cut a boneless leg into cubes for shish kabobs on the grill. Marinated in yogurt, Middle Eastern and Indian spices. They were great and had a very light lamb taste. Tasted more like spiced beef. My wife who isn't a lamb fan liked it a lot. She really doesn't like lamb shanks but to me they are heavenly.

chainsaw · Jun 3, 2010

Lot of good advice-I love lamb chops, especially loin but the shoulder chops are fine too. 2 key ingedients, rosemary and garlic.

Leg of lamb here in OK runs about 35-40 bucks, so I settle for some chops now & then. Cook them in a toaster over medium-it tastes good whether medium or well to me.

larry maddock · Jun 4, 2010

small shoulder roast---

2 1/2 --3 1/2 lb...........

i get them at aldi or kroger or schnucks---stl area

simple rub..............1.salt+1/2pepper+1/2garlic powder+1/2onion powder+1/4papricka..........

i use mesquite chips---+ hickory sawdust.....

i smoke in ROSE---that royal oak smoker electric to 145f.....

let sit at least a hour....

man o man-----i really enjoy it........

venture · Jun 5, 2010

I will agree with others here. Personally I love the stuff. Garlic, rosemary, onions, tomatoes and red wine all marry up well. The Greeks use a lot of lemon juice, but I prefer the red wines like the Armenians use. As Julia Child said, I love to cook with wine and sometimes I even put it in the food I am cooking.

Be sure you are getting good lamb. Younger is better. Older lamb will be darker red, but all lamb tends to be a little on the dark side. If you get older lamb or mutton, it can be nasty. Experiment with cooking methods. Lamb does have a somewhat distinctive flavor and some may not like it. To me it provides more appetite satisfaction than either beef or pork. Good luck!

PS Try some ground lamb in almost any recipe calling for ground beef and taste the difference! Watch your wallet, tho, it can be pricey.

fourthwind · Jun 6, 2010

In many places abroad, what they call lamb is typically what we call mutton.. It's down right nasty.. Give good lamb a chance. We buy lamb racks at Costco, and cut them into chops. season with salt, pepper, and thyme. I add some EVOO, Butter, and fresh chopped garlic to a pan. Simmer the garlic on low (making sure not to brown the garlic) After about 5 minutes we add the chops to the pan and poach the chops on low for just a few minutes a side until med rare. Man are they good. I have not smoked a leg yet, but it's on the to do list. Especially with all the fresh mint I got growing in the garden. Can't imagine that it wouldn't be fantastic!

herkysprings · Jun 10, 2010

Try going to a decent greek place and ordering lamb there. They usually do a good job with lamb and you can get a try at some that should be tasty.

jerseyhunter · Jul 24, 2010

I loved lamb as a kid, and after I got married the only place I could eat it was at a local pub as my 1st wife couldn't stand the smell of it even cooking. Glad I dumped her ass. My current wife and I both enjoy it now. You should get a couple lamb chops from the market , in the morning rub in olive oil and sprinkle with garlic powder and pepper. Dinner time grill them up as you would a steak and then see if you don't like it. Cost should be no more than 15 bucks for the 2 of you. After that try leg roasts, braised shanks, stew, and homemade gyros etc. There's always a chunk of lamb in some form in my freezer. Ps. I buy the leg and and butcher it myself and save the bones to flavor my venison stew or make Scotch broth.

eman · Jul 24, 2010

Warren,

Treat it just like you would venison.

make sure and remove any fat and silverskin .

I like it med and w/ lots of cbp ,rosemary and garlic.

I have had lamb like you say that was nasty. but after talking to the cook .he jad done no trimming and thought it was like beef, so gamey didn;t even come close to discribing the taste

The flavor of Lamb?

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