Lamb : Colorado, NZ, Aussie

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CoqaVin

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Which do you find to be the best? I am not big on lamb so I do not really know. I just want to hear what peoples opinions are since I know a lot of people are rather fond of it.
 
Freerange and possibly organuc Aussie lamb, of course.
Because it is local.
 
schanop have you ever had NZ if so what differs in the taste?
 
The Costco lamb is the best to me, it come from Australia. The rack of lamb, once properly frenched is amazing!! I have found US lamb to have little flavor.
 
Two Run Farms, Jackson, MS. Why? Because it's close. Why ship dead meat across the globe? Worried about oil reserves and pollution, think about how much fuel it takes to fly a lamb from Australia to the US, then to truck it to Costco. Somebody near you raises lamb, give it a try. And if it is more expensive than Cosco think hard about what lamb should cost.
 
Two Run Farms, Jackson, MS. Why? Because it's close. Why ship dead meat across the globe? Worried about oil reserves and pollution, think about how much fuel it takes to fly a lamb from Australia to the US, then to truck it to Costco. Somebody near you raises lamb, give it a try. And if it is more expensive than Cosco think hard about what lamb should cost.

I've tried the local stuff, not as good, at least where I live. The cost of moving food is a very small percentage of the cost and carbon footprint can be larger than buying local. The Freakanomic's guys did a very eye opening podcast on this, here is a write up on it:http://freakonomics.com/2011/11/14/the-inefficiency-of-local-food/

I know it sounds counter intuitive! But when it comes to beer which does not freeze well:D I buy local!!
 
Colorado for plated entrees. Australian for carving stations. NZ for butler passed hors d'oeuvres.
 
It's more the idea of how long it sits in cryovac that really grosses me out. Worse than meat is Chinese garlic. Just how long has it been peeled and refrigerated? It is also a ballot or bullet economic argument. As a business practice I would rather deal with someone that I see face to face, know their families, etc. I can't do this with all products, cured onions, out of season lemons, things like that, but I try buy as much from farmers and fishermen from our area.
 
The Colorado I get tastes the best and is the largest. The Australian is cheaper than the Colorado and is pretty decent. The NZ is the smallest and makes for single chop servings.
 
As a general category, New Zealand.

But my very best lamb has been buying direct from the grower in Oregon, and making arrangements with the butcher myself.
 
hmmm oregon I have noticed a lot in this thread...I wonder what shipping across the US would be like?
 
Not much choice here. Its either imported from NZ or sourced from a local Dutch farm directly.
 
i've killed a lot of animals.

"offing" a lamb was damn near impossible for me :D. that thing was so cute and trusting. it was so embarrassing taking the thing back to my rancher bud..he still gives me crap about it.

i was young..now, i'd probably do it.

but for the most part, i pick it up at Costco. haha.
 
Anderson Ranch in Brownsville Oregon does some amazing lamb. They are online at www.oregonlamb.com and offer any cut you want of delicious grass fed lamb.
 
This is what I am hearing John, but what do you think shipping would be like all the way across the US
?
 
I buy Australian lamb it's free range, grass fed and has better flavor than the US lamb I've had. Same with beef I like the fillet and rib eyes from the same company. It's cheaper too go figure. I cannot afford locally raised meats the city people have seen to that.
 
For the most part Costco ... is always available, cost is lower and has a more pronounced lamb flavor / I do check the cryo-vac dates though FWIW ... Lamb from the US has been disappointing, for the most part, due to lack of flavor and $$ - although I did love the lamb from Pure Bread Lamb which I had several times when I was hell bent on cooking through the Laundry cookbook many years ago / not cheap though ...

The NZ lamb I've had (in NZ) was excellent but haven't sourced it in the US ...

Will look at all of the ref(s) here as going local (although not sure if the Left Coast of the US is truly that much more local ...) is a great idea.

BMB
 
Is there a difference in the flavor between them? Everyone I know loves lamb but I've not quite developed a fondness for it. The only time I really appreciated it was when I'd get the spicy lamb skewer kabob from the fish and chips place when I lived in England lol. If there's a difference in taste, it might be worth it to try.
 
Erilyn, I am not too fond of lamb either, I know other people are and love it, I have read ranging opinions, that the Colorado is less lamby or gamey I guess than the NZ or Aus kind?
 
Some eye openers in this thread!

I've got sheep running around in the field next to my garden (Vale of Glamorgan in Wales - farming country), but to get one of those on my plate costs more than buying New Zealand imported stuff, even going straight to the farmer (my neighbour). I understand the economics, but that still strikes me as weird.

My favourite is salt marsh from down the road in The Gower near Swansea, but the price of that has taken a big hike since it got 'trendy' a couple of years back. The last lot I bought was Welsh lamb from Costco, and I have to say it was very good.
 
Going off on a tangent here. Why is it so difficult to get lamb shoulder? Plenty of leg, racks, shanks and loin chops available, but shoulder is difficult to find. I usually have to purchase thinly cut shoulder steaks when available.
 
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