Alpaca its just a Peruvian tall sheep . Maybe

[moikel]

Alpaca the new wonder meat? They are farming them 30 minutes from my fishing shack. See them from car window on the drive up & back,didnt occur to me to eat one until now.On a couple of menu,s in town. After 3 seasons the fleece quality declines a bit so  so there s now a very small meat trade. Curiousity got the better of me after it was on the menu at the very hip Hungry Duck restaurant in Berry.Bride gave me the "eat that some other time big guy look"

 so I dont know what it tastes like. 

Getting a boned leg shortly. Not cheap. Any suggestions.Very lean apparently.Thinking a sort of a wet rub deal with some Peruvian chilli ,cumin,coriander,cilantro,parsley,garlic ,lime,cbp,onion .Smoke it over a pan of veal? stock,maybe some malbec red wine very South American .

I will post photos as soon as its delivered.

 

[chef jimmyj]

I have never eaten an Alpaca, and Big Brown Doe Eyes would not have stopped me...

...If you can get your hands on Latin Foods, you need to make the perfect Peruvian Summer Salad...Papas A La Huancaina...Potato Salad with a Spicy Cheese Sauce...Really awesome! The hard part is finding the Aji Amarillo Chiles or  Paste...A spicy Yellow Chile Paste from a chile native to Peru...I had a Peruvian Student who's father own's 2 Peruvian Restaurants in the area I was living in at the time. She took me to meet dad and he gave me the recipe and taught me to make it...That one I can't find but all is not lost, from what I remember this one is Identical...Enjoy...JJ

http://www.food.com/recipe/papas-a-la-huancaina-114120

 

[moikel]

I know where to get that  chilli Jimmy J but its way across town. Alpacas have been a small acre hobby farm deal here for some years but it was all about the fibre until very lately. Im just curious now especially now I  worked out that the supplier is farm on the road to my weekender.He has pretty good website & is getting some traction in a pretty tough market.He is prepared to drop me some when hes delivering to a Peruvian influenced  restaurant near my work. 

They are cute little guys but so was the piglet in the movie  Babe didnt put me off pork.

 

[chef jimmyj]

Well I think you will be closer to trying it than me...At $100-200US per Kilo, plus shipping...My wife would be Smoking ME first...I'll be waiting for a taste Vicariously...JJ

 

[moikel]

Well I think you will be closer to trying it than me...At $100-200US per Kilo, plus shipping...My wife would be Smoking ME first...I'll be waiting for a taste Vicariously...JJ

What the ...? I was giving this farmer grief over $28 a kg bone out. In all my time on this forum this is the first time meat ,any meat has been cheaper than the USA. I have to buy a restaurant cut so its likely to be 2-3 kg,he doesn't normally sell to public but he knows a kindred spirit ,helpful that Im down the road.Although where he is is upmarket weekend horse hobby farm set.Bankers,lawyers,plastic surgeons & Im oyster farmers,fisherman,dairy farmers & surfers. Each to their own.
 

 

[mballi3011]

Now I to have never eaten any Alpaca but I am in to try anything twice. You might have messed it up the first time. Now I have seen alot of commericials years ago about raising them here in Fla but I don't know anyone that has them. Maybe being an OLD surfer might help me to eat them too.

 

[moikel]

They got all trendy here for a while,but for some people they were just lawnmowers or something pretty to look at in the field. They are way easier to manage than,sheep,cattle or goats. Took people a while to get around to eating them.

 

[venture]

Can't wait for the report on this?

I thought they were just for sweaters?

Hope you get a young one.

Good luck and good smoking.

 

[moikel]

 I thought it was all about the fleece & hobby farmers selling stock to each other.The guy I  am dealing with has leased a butcher shop 10 min from my weekender.They break down the bodies there vacumm pack it then organize deliveries to the few restaurants that are supporting it. He has plugged into the 100k food movement,buy food from around you in season not shipped from where ever at $ & fuel emission.

The way they cut it looks interesting, apparently the neck is popular in winter for osso bucco!! Shanks are big movers & of course they do sausages. Theres a whole bunch of prime cuts,sirloin,rack etc. I went for a denver leg,they have Alpacas in Denver?? Im pretty keen to try it,should  arrive weds my time.

 

[moikel]

The website is primealpaca.com.au. Apparently some heavy hitter chef from LA Ricardo Zarante ,Mo Chica & Picca restaurants was one of the 350 food industry people who ate it here in Sydney last year for our Crave food festival.

 

[moikel]

Alpaca  delivery tomorrow. Taking a shoulder,on farmers advice. Apparently this farmer has 400 & another 700 grown on contract out west.Thats no hobby farm!! 

Got a bit to work out here.Might go to the Peruvian style restaurant & see how the chef does it. Then go forward from there. 

 

[moikel]

OK here it is dont want to unwrap it at work,Alpaca guy changed it back to a leg &threw a bunch of sausages. Mind you I did give him some bottarga & a big jar of my salted sardines under oil.

Preety lean first impression. This must weigh 7pounds.

 

[chef jimmyj]

Now we see what happens...JJ

 

[moikel]

Now we see what happens...JJ

Man what have gone & got myself in for. I seems you dont grill it,slow braise style of thing. It looks like the biggest leg of lamb that ever walked the earth. Lambasaurus

 Bone in but its got to 7 pound easy. It looks a bit venison like .Im going to have to bone it.Cut it into manageable bits.Nice colour . Maybe make some stock out of the bone & trimmings,put that in a tray under it with some Malbec red wine,wrap in caul fat

 Whole deal including sausages $50 +sardines & bottarga.

 

[chef jimmyj]

That's awesome...Now just ship a 2-3cm thick Steak over to the States and you will make your money back!...JJ

 

[venture]

That looks questionable?

Send it to me?

I will figure out what to do with it.  I will even report back.  Maybe? 

Good luck and good smoking.

 

[moikel]

That looks questionable?

Send it to me?

I will figure out what to do with it.  I will even report back.  Maybe? 

Good luck and good smoking.

Dont know about looking questionable but it certainly got me asking myself a few. Im going to try the sausages tonight & see what Im dealing with taste wise. Maybe I  should be treating it like its a bit of beef. Rump roast or something. I got an invite to the Alpaca farm better not take the bride or Ill never get to cook it. I had to rename my sucking pig dish ,annoying teenager pig to get her to eat it. If she see an Alpaca live Im going to be the guy that shot Bambi ..again.

 

[moikel]

Seems like I estimated the weight same way I estimate my own ..under.Pulled this old guy round the dial so its 5kg+.Thought it was heavy walking to bus stop!! Even boned  out its got to be 5kg.

 

[moikel]

OK broke it up  in a way that made sense sort of.Saved the bone & a few bits for stock pot. I ended up with 5.2 kg of leg,2 kg thin sausages.The farmer must really like sardines!! I think I will roll & tie it up the a smaller piece middle of photo.Stuff it with something,try to keep it South American,wrap it in caul fat then smoke it over mesquite.

 

[moikel]

Sausages were good,taste somewhere between veal & lamb.If that makes sense. It looks pretty lean doesnt have a thick fat cap,doesnt taste like venison but looks a bit like it. He must have been a decent size Alpaca to yield 5.2 kg bone out in one leg. I  will tackle it saturday.If anybody has any relevant experience or a Peruvian neighbour,or went to Peru on holiday feel free to chime in. 

I could just  pot roast it but thats not what the forum is about. Farmer was firm on the  "Don't grill it" or fast cook it deal. I broke up the femur that went into stock pot.Stock has more of a lamb taste but milder & without that greasiness  lamb sometimes has.Stock pot option not that popular with canine garbage detail. .