Sheepmeat Totally Explained

   The terms lamb, hoggett or mutton are culinary names for the meat of a domestic sheep. The meat of a sheep a year old or younger is generally known as lamb, whereas the meat of an older sheep is either hoggett or mutton depending on its age and characteristics. All of these are known generically as sheepmeats.
   The meat of a lamb is taken from the animal between one month and one year old, with a carcass weight of between 5.5 and 30 kilograms. This meat generally is more tender than that from older sheep and appears more often on tables in some Western countries, most often on Easter (as a commemoration of the Last Supper). Hoggett and mutton can taste more flavorful than lamb because they contain a higher concentration of species-characteristic fatty acids; some prefer the stronger flavour of older animals (External Link). Hoggett and mutton also tend to be tougher than lamb (because of connective tissue maturation) and are therefore better suited to casserole-style cooking.
   Meat from sheep features prominently in cuisines of the Mediterranean, North Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and certain parts of China because other red meats are eschewed for religious or economic reasons. Barbecued mutton is also a speciality in some areas of the United States.

Nomenclature

Milk-fed lamb is meat from an unweaned lamb, typically 4 to 6 weeks old and weighing 5.5 to 8 kg; this is almost unavailable in countries such as the USA and the UK, where it's considered uneconomic. The flavour and texture of milk-fed lamb when grilled (such as the tiny lamb chops known as chuletillas in Spain) or roasted (lechazo asado or cordero lechal asado) is generally thought to be finer than that of older lamb. The areas in northern Spain where this can be found include Asturias, Burgos, Cantabria, Castile-Leon, and La Rioja.
   The term sucker lambs, used in some parts, includes young milk-fed lambs as well as slightly older lambs up to about 7 months of age which are also still dependent on their mothers for milk. Carcasses from these lambs usually weigh between 14 and 30kg. Older weaned lambs which have not yet matured to become mutton are known as old-season lambs.
   In many eastern countries including India and Pakistan, the term mutton refers to goat's meat (which should be, strictly speaking, called chevon) and usually not to sheep's meat. Often, the so-called mutton curries of the Indian cuisine use goat meat when cooked at home, although in Indian restaurants sheep meat is often used.
   According to Jewish Kosher law, sheep may be eaten, but, as with cows, they must be killed while conscious, and the sciatic nerve as well as certain types of fat on the back half of the animal may not be eaten. Similar rules apply for the Islamic dietary code, known as Halal or Haram.

Butchery and cookery

Lamb is often sorted into three kinds of meat: forequarter, loin, and hindquarter. The forequarter includes the neck, shoulder, front legs, and the ribs up to the shoulder blade. The hindquarter includes the rear legs and hip. The loin includes the ribs between the two. Lamb chops are cut from the rib, loin, and shoulder areas. The rib chops include a rib bone; the loin chops include only a chine bone. Shoulder chops are usually considered inferior to loin chops; both kinds of chop are usually grilled. Breast of lamb (baby chops) can be cooked in an oven.
Leg of lamb is a whole leg; saddle of lamb is the two loins with the hip. Leg and saddle are usually roasted, though the leg is sometimes boiled. Roasted leg and saddle may be served anywhere from rare to well-done.
Forequarter meat of sheep, as of other mammals, includes more connective tissue than some other cuts, and if not from a young lamb is best cooked slowly using either a moist method such as braising or stewing or by slow roasting or American barbecuing. It is, in some countries, sold pre-chopped or diced.

Classifications

Because of dramatically differing economic values of each type of animal (lamb being the most expensive), classification systems have developed to ensure consumers receive the product they've purchased. The strict definitions for lamb, hogget and mutton vary considerably between countries. In New Zealand for example, they're defined as follows:

Lamb — A young sheep under 12 months of age which doesn't have any permanent incisor teeth in wear.
Hoggett — A young male sheep or maiden ewe having no more than two permanent incisors in wear.
Mutton — Female (ewe) or castrated male (wether) sheep having more than two permanent incisors in wear.

In Australia the definitions are extended to include ewes and rams, as well as being stricter on the definition for lamb which is:

Lamb — 0 permanent incisors. Female or castrate entire male ovine 0-12 months (note the Australian definition requires 0 permanent incisors, whereas the New Zealand definition allows 0 incisors in wear.)

Definition

Lamb is a young sheep that's < 1 year old. Baby lamb is between 6 and 8 weeks old. Spring lamb is usually 3 to 5 months old. Although the younger the Lamb the smaller the Lamb, the meat will however be more tender. Baby lamb and spring lamb are both milk fed. Yearling Lamb is between 12 and 24 months old. Sheep Mutton is over 2 years old, and has a less tender flesh. The general philosophy is the darker the colour, the older the animal. Baby lamb will be pale pink, while regular lamb is pinkish-red.

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