Lamb chops or ewe steak? They say that the lamb chops is the “king of steak!”. What we have learned all these years though, is that it all depends. And the more you know about steaks, the more benefited you go out, either if you go the butcher or the grill.
We’ll make you an example to understand what I mean. For years, I was obsessed with pork chops and beef steaks. Then some friend convinced me to go on a grill in Kalyvia, and try ewe steak.
Grilled ewe.
I had not tried roasted ewe in a steak before. First, I was surprised that the ewe steak is as coarse as beef steak. About flavor? More than delightful. I started to hang out in this grill and each time the ewe steak was plain delight. But once, in the same restaurant I ate ewe steak and the meat was awful and stiff like rubber. It couldn’t be eaten.
“Dude,” I say to the restaurateur, “You screwed us over.” Finally, he revealed the secret: The ewe is soft, only from the side of the heart. The sheep do not ever lie down on the side of the heart and therefore the meat there is more tender.
My butcher also confirmed it. The side which the ewe sleeps on doesn’t have any fat and so is stiffer. Have it in your mind, when you go out in the grills, to eat ewe steak, but even when you go to the butcher to shop sheep steak, or lamb
THE BUTCHERS SECRETS ABOUT CUTLETS, LAMB CHOPS, GOAT CHOPS
· Like all the steaks, the most tender part of ewe steak is around the bone.
The chops from ewe are tenderer than the chops from male sheep (ram). And of course, the lamb chops are tenderer than the meat from sheep. And the smaller the lamb is, the more tender.
The chops from ewe are tenderer than the chops from male sheep (ram). And of course, the lamb chops are tenderer than the meat from sheep. And the smaller the lamb is, the more tender.
· The lamb (up 3.5 months) has a bright red-pink color and its flavor is more subtle than a, 1-year lamb, which has a more intense red color.
· The difference between the ewe and the ram is that while they are all older than 1 year, the first weigh over 20 pounds, while heavy lambs (male or female) weigh over 15 pounds and has not yet procreated.
· The age of sheep is evidenced by the color of its fat. The older the heavy lamb, the darker the fat.
· The Greek meat from sheep or lamb doesn’t have any hormones, because the animals are fed outside on grass. But, the blue seal “home” is not obligatory, so you should trust your butcher to know what kind of lamb chops you will eat.
· The prices, for instance, go up as follows: same price for goat and sheep, more expensive is the lamb, and most expensive of all, the goat.
· The cutlets from the lamb come from its back. The cutlet from the leg of lamb has more fat and is suitable more for grill pan and oven.
· The sheep steaks come from the rib, the loin (rib) and the shoulders. The loin chops are considered superior to those of the shoulders.
· Compared with the pork chops, the lamb chops have less fat between muscle fibers and more on the outside, which can be removed. This means that the roast lamb, if you remove the fat has almost as cholesterol as the chicken! Yes, but what does the professional roaster thinks about it? Do we remove the fat or not before roasting the lamb chops? …
THE SECRETS TO YOUR OWN BARBECUE GRILL
The professional roaster I asked, told us:
· The sheep, which is usually 5 years old has 3 fingers of fat. You need to shave it of the fat before you roast it.
· You can make the best grilled ribs when you have prepared a very strong cinder.
· The idea is for them to form a crust to hold their juice.
· The lamb chops only need 15 minutes roasting.
· You turn it 2-3 times (with tongs, not fork), being careful not to burn it.
· The goat ribs have less fat. However, some people find them more delicious than lamb chops. Roasted in the same way.
· If you cannot find charcoal grills, second solution is the grill and last resort is the pan with the ruts, as long as both have been roasted well enough.