About Lamb Dishes

Cuts of lamb - Lambs are usually slaughtered before they are a year old. Milk-fed lamb is slaughtered before it is weaned, producing very tender, pure white, but somewhat bland-tasting meat. Always choose the leanest pieces of lamb, avoiding those with fat that looks crumbly or discolored.

Leg - the back leg of the animal; a succulent piece that can be roasted on the bone or boned and rolled. It can also be butterfly cut and grilled. The leg may be divided into the shank half and the sirloin half; the sirloin half can be further cut into chops, or the upper part may be cut into a separate piece for roasting, on or off the bone.

Loin - A single-loin roast may come on the bone or boned and rolled. Two unseparated loins make a saddle roast. The loin may also be divided into chops with a small T-shaped bone.

Ribs - Rack of lamb (or rib roast) and rib chops come from this section. Two identical racks of lamb joined at both ends with stuffing inside make the elegant crown roast of lamb. Rib chops tend to be a bit less juicy than those cut from the loin.

Shoulder - provides juicy roasts that can be boned, stuffed and tied; blade and arm chops are good for braising. Ground lamb usually comes from this section.

Breast - thin, fatty cuts which benefit from slow cooking.

Shank - the foreleg; flavorful, but requires long, slow cooking to make it tender.

Neck - very bony, fatty cut used mainly for broths and stews.

Authentic Lamb Dishes

Hunan Lamb
Mongolian Hot Pot
Mongolian Lamb with Scallions
Mongolian Style Roast Lamb
Xijiang Lamb and Chile Grill (Kao Yang Ruo Chan)

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