Lamb Cuts From The Butcher

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Lamb Cuts From The Butcher

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Lionheart

Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Posts: 427
Location: Cheshire

Posted: Sun Jan 22, 06 12:11 pm Post subject: Lamb Cuts From The Butcher

As we're on a roll here regarding sheep-related topics (some started by me during the course of the past week or two!), I wondered how people asked the butcher to take care of the carcass once back from slaughter - i.e what type of cuts and how many etc etc - it might be helpful for people on here doing it for the first time if they've no idea.

C.

(have also posted this on ACL and River Cottage)

Penny Outskirts

Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 23385
Location: Planet, not on the....

Posted: Sun Jan 22, 06 12:19 pm Post subject:

That would be really useful. We had half a pig this week, and when I ordered it, they were asking me all sorts of questions about how I wanted it butchered.

Not having had one before, I really wasn't sure

. It's come in lots of joints etc, but I'm sure there are bits they didn't put in, because they think people just want the bits you can normally buy in supermarkets

If I knew more about which bits were for what, I'd feel a lot more confident asking for it My Way.

gil
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18415

Posted: Sun Jan 22, 06 1:04 pm Post subject:

When I had sheep, I used to send the ones for home consumption to the local abattoir, and then next door to the butchers, with a list of what cuts I wanted back.

2 Shoulders (bone-in, or boned and rolled)
a) Lots of Chops (all the way from scrag end of neck, middle neck, best end of neck, to loin)
or
b) Have the Loin/Saddle as a whole, and the rest as neck chops
Breast
Offal (liver, kidneys : fraid I chickened out of the rest - heart, sweetbreads, tongues)
2 Legs (each whole or as two halves : fillet end and shank end)
Mince of anything else useable

Make sure you get the right number of chops back. Especially with a long animal like a pig. A friend of mine stopped using her butcher after she counted the chops and realised that he had kept quite a few back for himself.

I was paying the abatttoir �9 for killing and dressing, and the butcher 20p/lb to cut, (mince) and bag to my specification.

Hope this helps re sheep.

gil
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18415

Posted: Sun Jan 22, 06 1:33 pm Post subject:

Never done this for a pig, but here's a list of the cuts of pork (from Campbell and Conran's 'Poor Cook'), which may be useful :

The four extremities, front and back :
4 Feet / trotters
2 Legs (back)
2 Knuckles (bottom part of front legs, can be left attached to front trotters)
2 Hands (middle part of front legs)
2 Spring (top part of front legs, kind of shoulder)
(you could ask for hand and spring to be left together)
2 Blade Bone (shoulder blade area)

Working down the top of the back, you have :
Spare ribs (top end of back, behind the head, whole or chops) Foreloin / best end (chops usually)- about 9 of them
Loin (chops) - about 10 - in long, large bacon pigs, this is divided into tenderloin (chops), chump chops and hind loin (chops)
2 Leg fillets (the rump) - can subdivide into Middle cut and Leg fillet

From the underside, you get :
Belly (thick end, middle, thin end)

Other :
tail
liver, kidneys
head : including ears, tongue
heart
sweetbreads

Penny Outskirts

Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 23385
Location: Planet, not on the....

Posted: Sun Jan 22, 06 2:06 pm Post subject:
Which bit is back bacon then? I'm assuming belly is streaky. (sorry I feel really ignorant )

gil
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18415

Posted: Sun Jan 22, 06 2:11 pm Post subject:

I see what you mean - the pork list above does not take into account making bacon - it's designed for cooking from fresh/frozen.

Back bacon would be from some of the bigger loin chops (as you suggest, as opposed to streaky bacon from the belly).
Hence up here you get a bacon cut called Ayrshire Middle, which is a great long thing with streaky at one end and back at the other. Presumably runs all the way down the side of the pig.

Stacey

Joined: 18 Jul 2005
Posts: 8380
Location: Kernow

Posted: Sun Jan 22, 06 2:11 pm Post subject:

Penny wrote:

Which bit is back bacon then? I'm assuming belly is streaky. (sorry I feel really ignorant

)

If you manage to get bacon from a sheep can you let me know how please?

Penny Outskirts

Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 23385
Location: Planet, not on the....

Posted: Sun Jan 22, 06 2:18 pm Post subject:

Quote:

If you manage to get bacon from a sheep can you let me know how please?

It's my newest venture

Stacey

Joined: 18 Jul 2005
Posts: 8380
Location: Kernow

Posted: Sun Jan 22, 06 5:06 pm Post subject:
I think you're onto a moneyspinner there penny

Lionheart

Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Posts: 427
Location: Cheshire

Posted: Sun Jan 22, 06 7:26 pm Post subject:
Where's our very own Rob R when we need him....?!

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Sun Jan 22, 06 7:39 pm Post subject:

ReevesRareBreeds wrote:

Where's our very own Rob R when we need him....?!

What who where?

Lionheart

Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Posts: 427
Location: Cheshire

Posted: Sun Jan 22, 06 8:51 pm Post subject:
Oops. Sorry. Just thought you'd have some advice about getting sheep butchered and the various cuts!!

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Sun Jan 22, 06 9:15 pm Post subject:

Well, sheep are easiest of animals to butcher as the cuts are all pretty recognisable when they come back- pigs can be a little harder & cattle even more complex.

Most simply you can have two whole legs (chump & shanks left on), a whole loin &/or rack, whole shoulders, breast & neck, + offal.

For smaller cuts you generally halve the legs (leg & chump as joints) make chops of the full loin, halve shoulders. Leaving just the neck & breast either boned out (hardly worth bothering in my opinion, as both joints are best cooked long & slow after which the bones just slip out anyway.

I've yet to mince any lamb, though the next time I have a spare leg (whenever that might be

) I was thinking of mincing it.

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