mutton

red · Post: # 92718Post **red** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 8:06 am

Jack wrote:Gidday

Well mate, I live on mutton, well almost. As far as I am concerned it is the best meat you can get.

Of course, that is as long as the animal is in reasonable condition. Ask why she is being culled, in case it has some nasty disease but other than that you are on a win.

she failed to get into lamb. they think it was because she was hand reared - dunno if there is anything in this... she is healthy, but they cant carry sheep that are not going to produce.

Jack · Post: # 92737Post **Jack** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 9:50 am

Gidday

Well it will be beautiful eating then.

Hawthorn · Post: # 93272Post **Hawthorn** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 1:22 pm

Ok, I'm terrible. I'm sat here reading this thinking poor thing. I want to give her a home. She never had no babies.

*must toughen up, must toughen up*

possum · Post: # 93408Post **possum** » Thu Apr 03, 2008 7:06 am

If she is only two years old, then she shouldn't be too tough. The only sheep not worth having is one that is horrendously overweight, we had one and it was a waste of money getting her butchered as it was about 2/3 fat (we had tried to slim her down for a few months to no avail)

frozenthunderbolt · Fri Apr 04, 2008 7:31 am

possum wrote:If she is only two years old, then she shouldn't be too tough. The only sheep not worth having is one that is horrendously overweight, we had one and it was a waste of money getting her butchered as it was about 2/3 fat (we had tried to slim her down for a few months to no avail)

Render her and make soap!!!

Cheezy · Post: # 94966Post **Cheezy** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 3:11 pm

Before the bloody kiwi's (

) flooded our shores with their poxy lamb, mutton was the main staple on these fair lands.
I heard a radio 4 food programme on it, and the mutton renaissonce. We even managed to get some from our local farm shop.Very nice made a cracking curry ,and we BBQ some

THe key apparently to making sure it's tender is that the farmers used to bring down the sheep from the pastures a few weeks before slaughter and keep them in local fields with plenty of fresh grass to "finish them off" I'd never heard of this. But it apparently helps the muscles to relax and fatten them up.

Milims · Post: # 94985Post **Milims** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 4:58 pm

My mouth is watering just reaing about it! It's probably best cooked long and slow - in a slow cooker if you have one. Ooohhh - Lancashire hot pot and Scotch broth! Drool!

red · Post: # 95039Post **red** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 9:18 pm

i thnk the rayburn and mutton were made for each other..

ina · Post: # 95062Post **ina** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 10:21 pm

red wrote:i thnk the rayburn and mutton were made for each other..

Did anybody ask the sheep's opinion on that?

lsm1066 · Post: # 95098Post **lsm1066** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 6:32 am

Cheezy wrote:THe key apparently to making sure it's tender is that the farmers used to bring down the sheep from the pastures a few weeks before slaughter and keep them in local fields with plenty of fresh grass to "finish them off" I'd never heard of this. But it apparently helps the muscles to relax and fatten them up.

Maybe their legs get tired and knotty from the trip down. Like venison will be tough if the deer was on the run when it was killed.

Well it might be. No need to look at me like that

mybarnconversion · Fri Apr 11, 2008 9:16 am

I guess the key is time (& or thyme

) ...

Well hung and cooked low and slow ...

Jack · Post: # 95311Post **Jack** » Fri Apr 11, 2008 10:48 am

Gidday

Golly gosh. One is notted and another is well hung.

"Shut up Jack"

Anyway, it does make a mutton better eating if they are finnished on good pasture but it does take several weeks and not just one or two.

And Ism1066, you may have been speaking in jest but you are dead right, if an animal is stressed in any way wether from running or just being herded into an abattoir it will not only be tough but also it will not taste as good. That is why home killed meat is far superior as they are in familliar suroundings and no stress.

red · Post: # 106350Post **red** » Thu May 29, 2008 10:44 pm

mutton is back from the slaughterhouse 'minus its personality'

bit fatty but the meat looks good and the chops and joints are nice and big

so far only eaten liver though.. so not truly tried and tested. as she was only 2 I dont think the meat will be tough. Really do hope it works out as I would prefer to keep any lambs we raise a bit longer than the 6 months norm..
but then this will only work out if they are castrated males.. or I end up with more pregnant.. maybe.. anyway.. at the mo we only have one lamb and he is a castrated ram lamb, but we are raising our sheep almost entirely on grass.. so depends how the grass lasts out... vs the freezer space.....

Cheezy · Post: # 106417Post **Cheezy** » Fri May 30, 2008 10:40 am

red wrote:mutton is back from the slaughterhouse 'minus its personality'

bit fatty but the meat looks good and the chops and joints are nice and big

so far only eaten liver though.. so not truly tried and tested. as she was only 2 I dont think the meat will be tough. Really do hope it works out as I would prefer to keep any lambs we raise a bit longer than the 6 months norm..
but then this will only work out if they are castrated males.. or I end up with more pregnant.. maybe.. anyway.. at the mo we only have one lamb and he is a castrated ram lamb, but we are raising our sheep almost entirely on grass.. so depends how the grass lasts out... vs the freezer space.....

Can any one confirm the name given to sheep's meat due to age
Lamb (upto 12months old?)
Hogget (12 to 24 months?)
Mutton over 24 months?

Is this right?

Post: # 106423Post **MKG** » Fri May 30, 2008 10:50 am

That's the way I've always known it.