Where is all the lamb?

[luckyjim]

As an ex chef who has lived here for 14 years I really want to know what happens to all those wonderful cuts of lamb that I used in the UK. Skinny, bony chops, legs and shoulders, that is all that I have ever seen or bought in the shops. Where does the fillet go? Why is it very difficult to get a butcher to get you minced lamb? Why are there no leg of lamb steaks? I could go on. Surely the Spanish butchers do not throw all other cuts away. Any one got any answers please?

[Nimrod]

I've wondered about this as well.
What's the point of those stupid high priced "chops" that are all skinny bone and no meat.
You can buy pork or chicken ,it's displayed predominately,but the decent cuts of lamb are hard to find.

[luckyjim]

I have been thinking of all the other bits. What about neck fillet, double chops(Barnsley) rack of lamb., etc. I hope this provokes some answers.

[Beachcomber]

This may be totally irrelevant because you do not give your location but there is an excellent butchery in SuperSol in Alhaurín de la Torre where we regularly buy lamb in the form of legs, steaks and mince. I don't know about the other bits.

[luckyjim]

I am in Velez. The point of my posting is why is it not available as a normal item in a butchers shop? I have been to Supersol in Torre Del Mar. Occasionally, they offer pork with crackling. My question is why are these cuts of lamb avaiable as normal in a butchers shop. What do they do with it?

[El Cid]

I am in Velez. The point of my posting is why is it not available as a normal item in a butchers shop?

Probably because the Spanish only want those cuts - if there was a demand for it, it would be on sale.

It's the same with fresh haddock - it is almost impossible to buy in Spain, but the Spanish fishing fleet catches tonnes of it.

Sid

[Devils Advocate]

I guess you just don't see fields of sheep grazing in Andalucía as you do in some other parts of the world, and as Sid says the demand probably isn't there for them to export it over.

Bit like goat really, I'd have to put a few miles in here in Lancashire to get myself a Chivo but they are standard fayre when we're over there.

I'm like the OP and love lamb, I do miss it when we're on a long stay.

So here's my only tips I can offer.
In Velez, the big cash and carry, is it Loypar? They stock beautiful full legs of lamb and packs of proper thick loin chops, ok frozen but on a virtual par to what I buy from the farm butchers here quality wise.
I have not visited the shop since the big fire but assume they still carry them.
They also did full oxtails and ribs of beef.

My other tip for the lamb lovers is the Halal butchers in Torre, the one at the petrol station/Taxi rank end of town.
I was in there last week and bought half a dozen Lamb breasts and a leg for the Spanish to try.

They had full lamb necks on offer too.
We use Carniceria Santa Maria too in Velez as it's owned by relatives of our friends. With a bit of explaining they will do you any cuts you like.

The Spanish just have a different way of preparing things. With the pig kills I have to fight with them to leave the skin on things when butchering for the freezer.........belly pork for instance. The just slice it into strips.

They've got the point now they've tried a sheet of it roasted skin on, with cinder toffee like crackling.
It's all about swapping ideas

[Beachcomber]

All of the local goatmen are now shepherds. There are two or three different flocks locally and they all now have sheep instead of goats.

[peteroldracer]

I reckon it is simply because there is so little grassland and meadow in Andalucia, so farming cattle and sheep is not going to produce the meaty animals like you get in the UK or say New Zealand. The scrawny lambs we have seen are only ever going to give you skimpy cuts of meat.
We buy frozen New Zealand lamb chops in Mercadona - they at least taste of something!

[katy]

They kill them too young in Spain. You are probably correct in saying it depends on the land they feed from. I used to buy all mine from Gibraltar, cheaper too. Not an option if you live the wrong side of Malaga though

[BENIDORM]

We don't have a problem obtaining lamb here, my wife's favourite meat, however my personal belief is that little lambs should be frolicking on a field and not being served as a Sunday Roast...
Just my personal view....
Regards,
Gordon

[peteroldracer]

You might as well say that corn shoukd be waving in a field, not plucked, ground and turned into flour Gordon.
Lambs are only alive because we eat their meat and if we stopped there would soon be no little frolickers!

[BENIDORM]

Corn and Lambs the same ?.....Not in My Book...

And if I may remind you that Wool is obtained from Sheep....You don't have to kill it to obtain the Wool...
I'm not vegetarian, but I will not eat a baby animal and can't understand why anyone would want to kill a tiny bird for one mouthful of food ...either...
A pig is the only animal that I am aware of that wouldn't be around if we didn't eat it...

Regards,
Gordon..

[mujer]

Thanks for the info on the halal butchers in Torre selling other cuts and for raising this issue, something I've always wondered about too.

For the first time ever we had sweet, fat, juicy and delicious lamb chops (sorry Gordon) from Supersol in Torre del Mar, instead of the skin and bone with a skimpy bit of meat we've had for years.
The next time I'm in the shop I'll ask them if they were from a different source.

[El Cid]

We buy our lamb from the butchers in Iceland in Fuengirola. They have high quality lamb and will cut it as you wish.

We bought 4 racks of lamb and four really good chump chops there last week.

Sid

[BENIDORM]

Well I'm glad to hear that you are all really enjoying your lamb...I was going to say that I hope that you all suffer from indigestion after eating your sacrifice, but of course I'm too much of a gentleman to mention such things...

A few weeks ago we actually went to a 'Lamb -Fest', staged in our honour....
And of course our Spanish friends know of my strong views about eating baby animals, so they actually provided me of a photograph of the elderly lamb before it was sacrificed....
That of course made it worse..!!!!
Anyway they served me a small piece of the unfortunate animal, which I looked at for several minutes without tasting and I then passed it on to a passing cat who didn't appear to share my views about eating baby animals....
They did however then bring me a plateful of delicious pork which I know came from an animal that had enjoyed a long and fruitful life....
Regards,
Gordon..

[Devils Advocate]

How old do think the pig is before it's killed? I bet most are not 1 year old.

In six to nine months a piglet will turn into a 80kg beast that to all intents and purposes looks a lot older.

Our friend has one he's going to prepare for Christmas, purchased in March it's simply massive now.

Lamb is just the generic name for the meat, ie it is sheep when in the field and lamb when on the plate, I bet most lamb is no younger than the pork on your plate.

Any ex farmers here? When does lamb become mutton? without resorting to google I bet it's 3 years max.

Interesting thing too, the local Spanish only grow sweetcorn to feed the animals. They never eat it.

[El Cid]

You're right.

Both lambs and pigs are normally killed just under 6 months old.

But then Benidorn had probably known his pork chop for a few years while it led a happy and fruitful life.

Sid

[Miro]

We'll all be eating bugs soon as our main source of protein anyway, when the supply of meat & fish can't keep up with the exploding global population. Now personally, I prefer my locusts young & fresh.....

[BENIDORM]

DA quipped....''How old do think the pig is before it's killed? I bet most are not 1 year old.

In six to nine months a piglet will turn into a 80kg beast that to all intents and purposes looks a lot older.''

Well of course I am well versed and knowledgeable in Swine Husbandry...

In fact...many years ago I was a judge for the Annual event of 'Miss Malton Bacon Farmers Factory Beauty Queen Competition'.....not a lot of people know that...
I don't really know why I mentioned that....

Anyway in pig years a year is probably a good long life, but at least they have had a life.

Sid, In my area the pigs are usually at least 9 months old before they arrive on a plate...
And Yes I did know the pig who provided my pork chops...we exchanged pleasantries on a daily basis.
Miro...Locusts are best eaten with a dash of lemon...

Regards,
Gordon ..part time veggie....