Aussie v. Kiwi v. 'Merica Lamb

legendaryhog · 07-15-2013, 02:34 PM

Seriously, no offense to any Aussies or Kiwis out there, and I actually am looking for your input as well as my fellow countrymen.

What would you say the difference is between lamb from Australia v. New Zealand v. America? Some of our older generation in the US have told me only buy American lamb because the lamb from overseas is more "mutton" tasting. Growing up, the rare times we would have lamb (it was expensive and at that time we did not have much money) it always had to be American.

This has got to be bs, right? Now I eat lamb more frequently, it awesome on the smoker, but I usually get it from a local farmer. However, I have seen Aussie and Kiwi lamb at the store. Is this worth trying? Is there a difference?

deguerre · 07-15-2013, 02:40 PM

Yes, there is a difference. Until recently, the only available product at the local grocer was either NZ or Oz sourced. Now, I can get US raised. To me, the US cuts I've been getting seem to be a bit larger, as if from a slightly older animal, and not QUITE as tender. Close, and memory is having to serve me on this, but there does seem to be a difference. Not necessarily better, but there.

Murray in N.Z. · 07-16-2013, 09:23 AM

Dude....

This just begs for an honest non biased answer...

Kiwi lambs is best because its nice young and tender, transport distances to the works are low and its an industry that we are world leaders in.

Aussie lamb is a bit tougher due primarily to stress. The distance between farm and slaughterhouses are phenominal, its a blinking huge country..... but the real spoiler is all the "attention" the poor lambs get from every male that they come in contact with throughout their lives... Aussies are not called sheep shaggers for nothing and the poor old stressed out abused lambs show it!!!!

Muzza in Perth W.A. for a while.

dadsr4 · 07-16-2013, 09:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Murray in N.Z.

Dude....

This just begs for an honest non biased answer...

Kiwi lambs is best because its nice young and tender, transport distances to the works are low and its an industry that we are world leaders in.

Aussie lamb is a bit tougher due primarily to stress. The distance between farm and slaughterhouses are phenominal, its a blinking huge country..... but the real spoiler is all the "attention" the poor lambs get from every male that they come in contact with throughout their lives... Aussies are not called sheep shaggers for nothing and the poor old stressed out abused lambs show it!!!!

Muzza in Perth W.A. for a while.

So the Aussie's are exporting "entertainment centers"?

Notorious P.I.G. · 07-16-2013, 09:30 AM

What do you call a sheep tied to a street sign in NZ?

A recreation centre.

Back on to the OP I've only ever had Aussie lamb as we only import NZ lamb for dog food its by far an inferrer product.

deguerre · 07-16-2013, 09:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dadsr4

So the Aussie's are exporting "entertainment centers"?

Lambskins are free. Latex will cost you extra...

dadsr4 · 07-16-2013, 09:42 AM

Getting back to topic, American lamb is, I believe, finished on grain.

buccaneer · 07-16-2013, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by legendaryhog

Seriously, no offense to any Aussies or Kiwis out there, and I actually am looking for your input as well as my fellow countrymen.

What would you say the difference is between lamb from Australia v. New Zealand v. America? Some of our older generation in the US have told me only buy American lamb because the lamb from overseas is more "mutton" tasting. Growing up, the rare times we would have lamb (it was expensive and at that time we did not have much money) it always had to be American.

This has got to be bs, right? Now I eat lamb more frequently, it awesome on the smoker, but I usually get it from a local farmer. However, I have seen Aussie and Kiwi lamb at the store. Is this worth trying? Is there a difference?

There will be a difference.
US kill at an older age, and are grain fed to finish which mellows the natural flavour.
The Aussie/ Nz lamb will taste of....well...lamb, not mutton.
The US lamb is called hogget here, too old to be classed as lamb.
I believe the board making the decision to age and grain feed is doing a disservice to their Mericun customers, if you don't like lamb then buy another protein, but I'm pretty sure Mericuns will love it just fine.

deguerre · 07-16-2013, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by buccaneer

There will be a difference.
US kill at an older age, and are grain fed to finish which mellows the natural flavour.
The Aussie/ Nz lamb will taste of....well...lamb, not mutton.
The US lamb is called hogget here, too old to be classed as lamb.
I believe the board making the decision to age and grain feed is doing a disservice to their Mericun customers, if you don't like lamb then buy another protein, but I'm pretty sure Mericuns will love it just fine.

OK, that confirms my thoughts. The leg I cooked last week most definitely had a more, "beefy", taste that was really apparent upon reheating. Thought I was perhaps imagining something.

Titch · 07-16-2013, 04:06 PM

I was in Malaysia a few years ago and the only Lamb I could find was from New Zealand.
I could not tell any difference.
We had a lot of drought a few years ago, I believe lots was sold here then, never heard a complaint.
never tried Merican sheep, I hear they carry/packin

Heisenberger · 07-16-2013, 04:10 PM

I've had lamb in US, NZ, and OZ. The Kiwi lamb was by far the best I've had. The lamb I bought from a Kiwi supermarket was better than many restaurants I've had in the U.S. Very tender and less gamey than the U.S. lambs. Aussie lamb was good too but not as tender/flavorful. American lamb is much more gamey than either, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

deguerre · 07-16-2013, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AussieTitch

never tried Merican sheep, I hear they carry/packin

Dunno, those Kiwi's made some genetic "improvments" though...

Titch · 07-16-2013, 04:19 PM

LMAO

thirdeye · 07-16-2013, 04:42 PM

I'm partial to domestic lamb, and in addition to lamb, the Co-Op I purchase from does offer slightly larger cuts from yearlings.

The best advice is to try a side-by-side cook using the best quality from each source you can find. The lamb I buy is graded "Choice and Higher" and is raised right here in the Rocky Mountain states.

boogiesnap · 07-16-2013, 05:01 PM

the best lamb i've had was from iceland.

07-15-2013, 02:34 PM	#1
legendaryhog is One Chatty Farker Join Date: 03-08-13 Location: LawrenceFarkingKansas	Aussie v. Kiwi v. 'Merica Lamb Seriously, no offense to any Aussies or Kiwis out there, and I actually am looking for your input as well as my fellow countrymen. What would you say the difference is between lamb from Australia v. New Zealand v. America? Some of our older generation in the US have told me only buy American lamb because the lamb from overseas is more "mutton" tasting. Growing up, the rare times we would have lamb (it was expensive and at that time we did not have much money) it always had to be American. This has got to be bs, right? Now I eat lamb more frequently, it awesome on the smoker, but I usually get it from a local farmer. However, I have seen Aussie and Kiwi lamb at the store. Is this worth trying? Is there a difference? __________________ -jeremiah LG BGE-Brinkman Cimmaron-Custom Pull-behind (old grade school boiler)-Weber Kettle-DCS 30" some say he's dead...some say he never will be.

07-15-2013, 02:40 PM	#2
deguerre somebody shut me the fark up. Join Date: 07-15-09 Location: Memphis, TN...Formerly of Decatur, AL	Yes, there is a difference. Until recently, the only available product at the local grocer was either NZ or Oz sourced. Now, I can get US raised. To me, the US cuts I've been getting seem to be a bit larger, as if from a slightly older animal, and not QUITE as tender. Close, and memory is having to serve me on this, but there does seem to be a difference. Not necessarily better, but there. __________________ Guerry [FONT=Book Antiqua]Pit Beeatch for Team Munchkin[/FONT] [FONT=Book Antiqua][B]Avatar by Northwest BBQ [/B][/FONT]"...In nature, there are predators. I believe the common denominator of the universe is not harmony, but chaos, hostility and murder..." Werner Herzog

07-16-2013, 09:42 AM	#7
dadsr4 somebody shut me the fark up. Join Date: 02-08-10 Location: Howell, MI	Getting back to topic, American lamb is, I believe, finished on grain. __________________ Two Weber daisy wheel kettles A: 1979 P: 1993, and an unused ECB

07-16-2013, 04:06 PM	#10
Titch somebody shut me the fark up. Join Date: 11-17-12 Location: South East Victoria Australia Name/Nickname : Titch :-)	I was in Malaysia a few years ago and the only Lamb I could find was from New Zealand. I could not tell any difference. We had a lot of drought a few years ago, I believe lots was sold here then, never heard a complaint. never tried Merican sheep, I hear they carry/packin __________________ Some people are like a Slinky-not really good for anything, but still , you can't help smiling when you shove them down the stairs.:becky:

07-16-2013, 04:19 PM	#13
Titch somebody shut me the fark up. Join Date: 11-17-12 Location: South East Victoria Australia Name/Nickname : Titch :-)	LMAO __________________ Some people are like a Slinky-not really good for anything, but still , you can't help smiling when you shove them down the stairs.:becky:

07-16-2013, 09:23 AM	#3
Murray in N.Z. On the road to being a farker Join Date: 04-13-11 Location: Auckland New Zealand	Dude.... This just begs for an honest non biased answer... Kiwi lambs is best because its nice young and tender, transport distances to the works are low and its an industry that we are world leaders in. Aussie lamb is a bit tougher due primarily to stress. The distance between farm and slaughterhouses are phenominal, its a blinking huge country..... but the real spoiler is all the "attention" the poor lambs get from every male that they come in contact with throughout their lives... Aussies are not called sheep shaggers for nothing and the poor old stressed out abused lambs show it!!!! Muzza in Perth W.A. for a while.

07-16-2013, 09:30 AM	#5
Notorious P.I.G. Got Wood. Join Date: 10-24-12 Location: Perth Western Australia	What do you call a sheep tied to a street sign in NZ? A recreation centre. Back on to the OP I've only ever had Aussie lamb as we only import NZ lamb for dog food its by far an inferrer product.

07-16-2013, 04:10 PM	#11
Heisenberger Knows what a fatty is. Join Date: 09-07-12 Location: Los Angeles, CA	I've had lamb in US, NZ, and OZ. The Kiwi lamb was by far the best I've had. The lamb I bought from a Kiwi supermarket was better than many restaurants I've had in the U.S. Very tender and less gamey than the U.S. lambs. Aussie lamb was good too but not as tender/flavorful. American lamb is much more gamey than either, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

07-16-2013, 04:42 PM	#14
thirdeye somebody shut me the fark up. Join Date: 01-14-06 Location: At home on the range in Wyoming	I'm partial to domestic lamb, and in addition to lamb, the Co-Op I purchase from does offer slightly larger cuts from yearlings. The best advice is to try a side-by-side cook using the best quality from each source you can find. The lamb I buy is graded "Choice and Higher" and is raised right here in the Rocky Mountain states. __________________ ~thirdeye~ I Play With Fire and Smoke *Barbecuist ~ Charcuterist ~ KCBS Master Judge & CTC* Big Green Eggs, Big Drum Smokers, Big Chiefs, Weber Smokey Joe "Custom Tall Boy" Oil Patch Horizontal, SnS Deluxe Kettle Visit my Cookin' Site by clicking HERE Barbecue is not rocket surgery “The problem with quotes on the Internet is that it's hard to verify their authenticity” ~ Abraham Lincoln

07-16-2013, 05:01 PM	#15
boogiesnap Babbling Farker Join Date: 04-22-10 Location: NEW ENGLAND	the best lamb i've had was from iceland. __________________ [SIZE="3"][B][COLOR="Blue"][I][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][/FONT]"YAWN"[/I][/COLOR][/B][/SIZE]-[COLOR="Red"][SIZE="2"]In memory of a friend.[/SIZE][/COLOR] avatar by grillman. patent pending. :mad2::becky: