Welcome to the EGGhead Forum - a great place to visit and packed with tips and EGGspert advice! You can also join the conversation and get more information and amazing kamado recipes by following Big Green Egg to Experience our World of Flavor™ at:
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Youtube  |  Vimeo
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.

Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch

Lamb price?

awm
awm Posts: 181
I found a local farm that sells whole grass fed lamb 40 to 50 pounds for $6.25 a pound by hanging weight, and half of a grass fed lamb for $7.25 a pound. I've never bought any lamb before, but would like to cook some. Does this sound like a decent price for what I'll be getting?

Comments

  • jlsm
    jlsm Posts: 1,012
    Hanging weight? That is high for local lamb in Philadelphia. Lamb has a very distinctive taste. You say you haven't cooked it but have you eaten any lately? I would buy a small boned leg and divide it into three pieces, each big enough for two with leftovers. I would then prepare them with different marinades and cook to medium rare. 

    If you really like it, consider buying the half, but I wouldn't. I cook lamb about twice a month in several ways (love koftas), but I usually don't stray from the leg and shoulder. I'm not sure what I would do with the rest (though I do have a recipe that calls for neck). 
    *******
    Owner of a large and a beloved mini in Philadelphia
  • awm
    awm Posts: 181
    Thanks for the advise. That sounds like a better idea to me.
  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,109
    I'd recommend buying a leg first and see if you like it.  That price seems a little high, I'd expect to pay around $4.50 give or take for hanging weight.
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
  • johnmitchell
    johnmitchell Posts: 7,409
    I am an ex South African and grew up eating Lamb. The shoulder,Legs and Shanks are good to roast. lots of rosemary,garlic,coriander,and some ginger to taste,salt and pepper. The Leg is also good de-boned and butterflied. What we would also do with the neck was make a hearty stew, long slow cook.( Vegetables and potatoes herbs and stock). Lamb Ribs were done similar to any other ribs. But I will agree it is a acquired taste.
    The main difference I have found between the Lamb I have eaten here vs South Africa is the South African Lamb has a more herbie  taste due to the vegetation the Lamb grazes on.
    I think if you had to google South African Lamb recipes you would get a lot of great ideas...
    Greensboro North Carolina
    When in doubt Accelerate....
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
    I don't really know what the price would work out to but most lamb cuts have some bone. The racks, tenderloin and shanks are generally quite expansive. Ground is typically double what beef is or close. It is a great protein but some people just can not eat it.

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 34,806
    google halil meat in your area and see what the going price is, i would expect it to be close to the price of ground. i like lamb better than beef just so long as my mother doesnt cook it
    :))
    this was taken outside a local halil shop
    image
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
    Very few of the local farms around here sell half or wholes, so I'm not familiar w. those prices. Store bought commodity ground lamb is usually around $4/lb, and organic 6$+. I've seen better cuts like racks for as high as $16/lb.

    My wife and I love the flavor of lamb. My younger daughter finds it distasteful. I suppose mutton might be pretty hard to swallow. The flavor and texture seems to be pretty variable. There are more varieties of sheep raised, and feeds vary a lot. Getting a sample from the farm would be a good idea. I

     know that the flavor of pork, and to a lesser extent, beef, depends on what the animal ate. I expect lamb is the same, and that a particular breed may have more or less fat.

    I
  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 19,780
    fishlessman said: google halil meat in your area and see what the going price is, i would expect it to be close to the price of ground. i like lamb better than beef just so long as my mother doesnt cook it
    :))
    this was taken outside a local halil shop

    Google "
    halal" if you are looking for butchers selling goat or lamb meat (sometimes chicken and beef too).

    What does "hanging weight" mean? HEB (local grocery store) sells lamb for about that price, but its not grass-fed and locally sourced. We eat a lot of goat meat, and $7-8 per lb is a good price around here. I usually buy 1-2 hind quarters at a time. 

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,109
    edited April 2014
    caliking said:
    google halil meat in your area and see what the going price is, i would expect it to be close to the price of ground. i like lamb better than beef just so long as my mother doesnt cook it
    :))
    this was taken outside a local halil shop

    Google "halal" if you are looking for butchers selling goat or lamb meat (sometimes chicken and beef too).

    What does "hanging weight" mean? HEB (local grocery store) sells lamb for about that price, but its not grass-fed and locally sourced. We eat a lot of goat meat, and $7-8 per lb is a good price around here. I usually buy 1-2 hind quarters at a time. 


    Hanging weight is the weight of the butchered carcass.

    Typically 50-58% of the animal weight before butchering.

    Pastured lamb will lose more weight than grain fed because of the hydration level.
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 34,806
    caliking said:
    google halil meat in your area and see what the going price is, i would expect it to be close to the price of ground. i like lamb better than beef just so long as my mother doesnt cook it
    :))
    this was taken outside a local halil shop

    Google "halal" if you are looking for butchers selling goat or lamb meat (sometimes chicken and beef too).

    What does "hanging weight" mean? HEB (local grocery store) sells lamb for about that price, but its not grass-fed and locally sourced. We eat a lot of goat meat, and $7-8 per lb is a good price around here. I usually buy 1-2 hind quarters at a time. 
    halal, yep.
    :)
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
    caliking said:
    google halil meat in your area and see what the going price is, i would expect it to be close to the price of ground. i like lamb better than beef just so long as my mother doesnt cook it
    :))
    this was taken outside a local halil shop

    Google "halal" if you are looking for butchers selling goat or lamb meat (sometimes chicken and beef too).

    What does "hanging weight" mean? HEB (local grocery store) sells lamb for about that price, but its not grass-fed and locally sourced. We eat a lot of goat meat, and $7-8 per lb is a good price around here. I usually buy 1-2 hind quarters at a time. 
    Net packaged is about 80% of hanging weight

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON