Lamb is a decadent protein when you can cook it the right way. It’s full of rich flavor, thanks in part to the layers of fat on the meat. However, you can have too much of a good thing, so knowing how to handle very fatty cuts of lamb is key to serving up dishes that impress rather than overwhelm your palate. To get some expert insights, we caught up with Andrew Zimmern, known for his adventurous appetite and well-regarded cooking chops, ahead of his appearance at the South Beach Food & Wine Festival in Miami, coming up on February 20 through 23.
The first tip starts with choosing the right cut because the fat distribution differs between younger and older lambs. “The fat in younger animals is outside of the muscles so you can trim that off,” Zimmern said. “The fatty texture of the meat is from bad commercially raised older lamb that should always be avoided at all costs. Simply don’t buy that.”
Lamb, in contrast to mutton from a mature sheep, comes from the meat of a young ovine of 4 months to a year old. However, there’s a gray area between a lamb of 12 months and a yearling between the 12 and 16-month mark that commercial farms still market as lamb. Not only does young lamb meat have less fat in general than older lamb meat, but the fat collects neatly on the outside of the lean cut, making it easy to trim. Older lamb meat is fattier and the fat disperses throughout the musculature, making it more elusive to trim. Consequently, older lamb meat will have a less-than-desirable texture and, since it’s older, a gamier flavor.
Is fat ever a boon?
Fat isn’t necessarily a bad thing when it comes to cuts of meat. In fact, fat often equates to a better flavor, hence the idea of marbling in cuts of steak or fat to lean content in ground beef meatballs. So, when we asked Andrew Zimmern if excess fat was advantageous to certain types of lamb meat or cooking methods, his answer was definitive but also left room for caveats.
“Excess? No,” the chef said. “I like shallow fat caps on my legs and racks because I make sure to get it crispy and the flavor is phenomenal.” Excess fat is what chef Zimmern wants you to trim from the lean meat of young lambs. But for leg and rack of lamb, a little fat left on the caps will bring flavor and provide a protective barrier to seal in moisture as you cook them. So don’t completely rid the rack of lamb of its fat in this mustard-crusted rack of lamb recipe, which only takes around 40 minutes to make. A thin layer of fat will also help keep this recipe for roast leg of lamb extra juicy in a hot oven and help infuse the breadcrumb and herb coating with extra flavor.
Catch Andrew Zimmern at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival between February 20-23, 2025, in Miami, Florida.
