Comments on: Digging In: Why Don’t Americans Eat Mutton?

By: Sualdam MacSamildanach

Sualdam MacSamildanach — Fri, 12 Apr 2024 20:05:34 +0000

In reply to Steve M. 'Mutton' in Pakistani/Indian dishes is often goat. The word is used for both sheep and goat meat in those countries.

By: Darlene

Darlene — Sat, 14 Oct 2023 23:55:52 +0000

My husband and I prefer mutton over lamb. We raised sheep for many years and he always butchered our own. I believe that therein lies the preference. The flavor depends as much on how the “mutton” was handled through the butchering process as it does on the breed of the sheep. As a teenager helping cook for haying crews for my uncle, we often had mutton roasts and I particularly recall one old hired hand who “absolutely would not eat mutton”. Well, my cousin and I cooked a roast and he could not get enough of it, him thinking, of course, that it was beef. We did not tell!
I have often rendered the fat from our mutton and saved to use in small amounts, especially for frying or poaching an egg. The first time I did that, I recognized immediately the flavor of the eggs my grandma used to cook for us–that was truly an “aha” moment.
We’ll choose well-cared for mutton over lamb any day!!!

By: Johann

Johann — Sat, 14 Oct 2023 02:28:11 +0000

Bar-B-Q goat if fantastic also. Central Texas ranches raise sheep & goats. Great eating!

By: Johann

Johann — Sat, 14 Oct 2023 02:23:47 +0000

Mutton barbque can be found always in Central Texas.

By: be t

be t — Thu, 28 Sep 2023 11:33:13 +0000

Mutton is just a bad name. It needs a rebranding and association with health, grass feeding, or something natural/organic.

By: Joe

Joe — Wed, 27 Sep 2023 03:33:23 +0000

In reply to Cynthia Welsh. > And in western Kentucky, a tradition of barbecued mutton still holds, although no one is quite sure why.

By: Pompano Mexico

Pompano Mexico — Tue, 26 Sep 2023 21:55:04 +0000

In reply to Cameron Hughes. And as I mentioned above, the intermediate between lamb and mutton, in Scotland, is "hogget". Delicious, once you break the habit of reaching for the dental floss every time you hear the word. "Mutton" is similar and no better in terms of nomenclature.

By: Cameron Hughes

Cameron Hughes — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 21:24:54 +0000

heheh, surprised no one has mentioned this…the LARGEST hurdle to selling more mutton is the name “mutton”. Talk about a product desperately in need of new branding, this is it. It sounds like the nasty meat sailors and prisoners were forced to endure…
Having said that, a finishing feed to smooth out what I imagine would be the iron-like notes from the meat (I assume it has the same iron-notes as grass-fed beef) would be a good step to try and get to a consumer-friendly taste profile.
But, most important step is to figure way to re-brand or get the USDA to allow for a new name like Aged Lamb/Mature Lamb/Experienced Lamb/Year+ Old Lamb.

By: Nick Kehrlein

Nick Kehrlein — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 20:22:21 +0000

Having raised sheep, a big issue with American palates is that for some reason they are allergic to flavor and older wool sheep definitely have more funk in the flavor department however hair sheep are much more mild in flavor due to the lack of lanolin so a hair mutton is going to be the same level of funky flavor as a wool lamb i.e. not as much. The flavor really depends on the cut as well, mutton chops are amazingly good to my taste and are superior to lamb chops. Mutton leg has a stronger flavor and is more suited to braising vs roasting for toughness reasons in addition to flavor. At the end of the day though mutton is delicious, particularly when grass fed on healthy pasture. It’s really too bad that white Americans are so bland and don’t embrace it, there truly is no cuisine so bland and disappointing as rural white America.

By: Irene H Arm

Irene H Arm — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 17:02:42 +0000

Very good article!
Perhaps if mutton were to be promoted for it’s health benefits, people might consider changing their meat choice? We mutton lovers can only hope!