One of the things we try to communicate when we make connections with people about our lamb is that cooking lamb isn't hard.
I belong to some sheep pages on social media and every now and then someone will stray from the usual conversations of feed, parasites, protocols, etc and talk about cooking lamb.
"How do I cook...?"
The inevitable unwavering answer: rosemary and garlic.
... which is all well and good. Nothing wrong with rosemary and garlic to compliment lamb. It is a traditional and dependable way to season lamb.
However.
We eat our lamb often. We don't really eat beef - there is an abundance of wild game, chicken, pork & turkey (all raised here) in my freezer also and I would be (more) bored of my cooking if I stuck with ye ol' "R & G."
So what else can lamb be flavored with? (I'm so glad you asked!)
BBQ - smoky muted flavours, a little bit sweet 'n spicy.
North African - warm earthy spices like cumin, cinnamon, red & black pepper
Indian - bold, complex and vibrant curries (which encompasses a wide spectrum of flavours in and of itself)
Mediterranean (Italian, Greek) - bright flavours of fresh oregano, basil, and lemon.
Our lamb is mild, so it doesn't need a lot added to it, but it is fun to experiment and push the limits of versatility. I'm always happy to share tips, ideas and recipes; our variety boxes usually include a marinade or rub to help you along.
This past week, I had my parents visiting and so I decided to put some shoulder steaks in the oven. I sprinkled them (half-frozen as they were) with a subtle maple-ish rub (here), drizzled them with 1/3 cup maple syrup (from our own trees that we tap every spring!), and about 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar. I sealed the pan with foil, cranked the oven to 400 [went outside and immediately forgot to turn it down after 20-30min]. Anyway, I did eventually reduce the temp to 300, and not only were the steaks falling off the bone and fork-tender, they tasted aaah-mazing.
Maybe that gives you some inspiration to think a bit outside the box and try to incorporate something new to your menu (isn't that always the hard part?)! If it is lamb you are cooking, let us be your source!
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