Lamb: Love it or Leave it?
My husband has requested a butterflied BBQ leg of lamb for July 4th--sounds easy, no? Apparently the people of North Carolina don't like lamb very much. Searched all day to find one. Is this just a southern thing?
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22 Comments:
I'm southern and leg of lamb was always a holiday meal in our family. Preparing it on the grill for your husband this 4th of July should make him very happy! Do your research on how to get the best result. One tip I can offer is to always let the meat come to room temperature before putting it on a grill.
dianeb at 2:39PM on 07/02/08
Try calling around to butchers in your area to find one. Finding a whole leg of lamb is a little rare in my grocery stores (northern AZ), but I do see them and I know the butcher usually has good stuff in and is more than happy to order anything he doesn't have.
LOVE lamb. sogood.
joyyy at 2:46PM on 07/02/08
We've been doing this for years as well--my mother actually clipped the original recipe from the NYTimes about 40 years ago. I was just floored when both of our local chain markets told me they didn't carry lamb because there was no call for it. A friend of mine in Raleigh tells me she has had the same problem.
smallblondemom at 2:46PM on 07/02/08
Lamb is the most awesomely awesome red meat evah......they also have lamb patties in some markets and my fave, lamb steaks.....
BITTER at 3:05PM on 07/02/08
Please try Sam's Club or one of those type stores in your area. I buy my lamb there. There is such a high turnover in Sam's meat/fish/chicken that you can always be assured of fresh, quality products. No, I don't work there!
dianeb at 3:06PM on 07/02/08
Costco usually has lamb from Australia or New Zealand. I'm in PA.
It is absolutely delicious. Hope you can find it!
PerkyMac at 3:09PM on 07/02/08
Lamb is the most awesomely awesome red meat evah
+1
bobbob at 4:05PM on 07/02/08
That's what we made for Fathers Day...rubbed with garlic, stuffed rosemary, lots of black pepper...wonderful. The gnocchi we had with roasted cherry tomatoes, sauteed spinach, garlic and feta was perfect with it, too. (In Ohio I can always find it at Dorothy Lane, usually at Krogers)
Cary at 4:18PM on 07/02/08
We almost never saw it in Missouri until 20 years ago or so, and even now, it's only found in certain grocery stores, either in high-end neighborhoods or ethnic ones. I vote for it with both hands. Julia Child has a great, easy marinade for it that I just dump in a processor or blender:
2 large cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1 Tbs. soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp. oregano (She also says you can use rosemary or thyme; lots of people use rosemary w/lamb, but I'm anti-rosemary on most counts.)
2 Tbs. lemon juice
1/4 c. olive oil or peanut oil
and whizz it until it's smooth and sort of mayonnaise-like in texture. Rub it on your lamb, anywhere from the night before to an hour before you cook it. Divine.
lemons at 4:20PM on 07/02/08
I lurve me some lamb. Shanks, those little lollipop loin chops, shoulder chops, leg - you name it.
When I lived in Brooklyn, I was spoiled by all the Middle Eastern and Greek butchers. When I lived in southwest Colorado, you couldn't scare up a lamb if your life depended on it because all the supermarkets carried mutton for the Utes and Navajos in the area.
chiff0nade at 5:16PM on 07/02/08
You may be having trouble finding one because of the time of year. A lot of markets keep only a bare minimum of lamb products in stock, especially whole legs, except at Easter-time, or if they serve large populations of people who traditionally eat a lot of lamb.
On the other hand, most markets will order one if you ask (may be too late now). And you should be able to find one at a "real" butcher shop. Also, if there is a Middle-Eastern, Greek or other Mediterranean market in your area, they'll almost certainly have one.
Good luck!
LoCo at 5:27PM on 07/02/08
Make sure you have the time, a butterflied leg of lamb 6-8 pounds will take the better part of 4 hours on the grill. So make sure you have enough charcoal and or propane(boo!) and a meat thermometer to cook it to an even medium/ medium rare temperature.
nelson5757 at 5:36PM on 07/02/08
@nelson5757, say what? A butterflied leg takes maybe 40 minutes on the grill: sear it over a hot fire for 10 minutes a side, then move it to a cooler part of the grill to finish cooking to medium rare.
Cathy at 5:40PM on 07/02/08
I had the same problem a few months back. My local grocer didn't carry lamb shanks, but he was able to tell me which branch would have it. So, if you can't find a butcher shop, just call the manager or the meat manager of your local market and see if they can point you in the right direction.
wookie at 11:37PM on 07/02/08
Lamb - love it!
Go out and seek it. 'Nuff said.
TikiPundit at 11:50PM on 07/02/08
Lamb is lovely. Although I've got to say that I love lamb chops more than DH does. No problem there -- it's more for me.
I buy a whole lamb every year, so I don't look for it at the stores, but I do notice it when there's suddenly an abundance. And that seems to be what happens. Either there's very little or there's a a large selection.
As for the whole lamb, a good portion of it ends up becoming gyros. Yum.
dbcurrie at 2:16AM on 07/03/08
@cathy - that's been my experience too - Lamb does not take long on the grill at all.
Butterflied leg is wonderful on the grill. Because of its uneven shape, parts stay rare while other parts become more well-done for those who are squeamish about rare meat. I'm a proud member of the "rare" club.
chiff0nade at 5:10AM on 07/03/08
I am another person who buys a lamb every year. I do notice it in the stores, but it seems to be very rare that I see anything but lamb chops, but like others have said, ask the butcher. My parents special order things from their local butcher all the time.
Another option, in addition to trying to find a market that caters to Mediterranians is to check for a market that caters to Hispanics, you might find either lamb or goat there. Goat has a very similar taste to lamb. (my dad's family is from Croatia, and we grew up eating both, I've since been able to get goat from friends who raise them)
cmtigger at 5:21AM on 07/03/08
I Love lamb, one of the few red meats i can eat still. almost never buy chops though, my mom had this thing about grilled lamb chops when i was growing up, grilled untill so well done it made you cry. I usually can find lamb in the regular grocery store but often I'll go to Sams, big bulk store similar to Costco, and buy my lamb there because of the fast turn over they have.
huneybumper at 7:41AM on 07/03/08
I have never met a cut of lamb where I didn't savor every last bite! Yum!!
izatryt at 8:49AM on 07/03/08
I agree on the grill time: ours took about an hour. It came rolled and netted, we unwrapped it to season, then simply folded it in half so it was about 3" thick in general.
Cary at 9:03AM on 07/03/08
We usually do 10 minutes on a side and then finish it in the oven for 20 minutes. A new twist on this is a comment from my MIL in Wisconsin when my husband mentioned how hard it was to find lamb down here. She said, "Well, it's such an ethnic meat, there's probably no call for it there!" I did get the lamb and it is marinating now--yummmmmmm
smallblondemom at 11:10AM on 07/03/08