It's no secret that Americans are constantly purchasing and eating beef, chicken and pork. However, a lot of people in this country aren't eating lamb meat regularly. In fact, Americans currently eat on average only about a pound of lamb per year.
New Zealand lamb are smaller than American, strictly grass-fed, and tend to have a more pronounced, lamb-like “gamey or grassy” flavor. Australian lamb is grass fed and finished, but some farmers are moving to a practice of grain finishing on feedlots, so the flavor is similar to American lamb.
American lamb is usually larger and has the highest quality and consistency. It is raised eating grass and finished with high quality grain. The "grain" makes a world of a difference. It also makes raising lamb a lot more expensive (American lamb can be twice as expensive as imported lamb).
Lamb that is raised on a diet of grass have a more intense pastoral flavor than those raised on a diet of grain. Lamb from Australia and New Zealand is pasture fed on mixed grasses and American raised lamb is first fed a diet of grass but finishes on grain.
Australian lamb is among the finest meats in the world, renowned across the globe for its delicate texture and buttery flavour.
New Zealand has long produced lamb for its wool industry. This breed is of small stature and many believe is of the least quality compared to American and Australian lamb. Consequently it is also the least expensive lamb. Many customers use this product because of its attractive cost and consistent sizing.
Australian lamb is known for its tenderness and mild flavor. The lamb is raised on open pastures and is allowed to graze on a variety of grasses and plants, which contributes to its unique taste. Australian lamb is also typically smaller than other types of lamb, making it easier to cook and serve.
High prices are being driven by strong international demand from China and North America, combined with low flock numbers. A trade lamb currently costs nine per cent of the average weekly wage — its highest point since the early 1980s.
Western Australia (WA) produces some of the finest lamb, mutton and wool in the world and exports to over 100 countries.
Margra Lamb is bred specifically for chefs by the Gilmore family, third generation livestock breeders from Oberon, NSW. Together they have bred a quality of lamb seen only previously in Wagyu, with a micro-marbled finish and low fat melting point of 28-35°C.
The Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines are some of the best in the world, considering factors like pain relief, mental health, and the cow's environment. Such protocol is applied to all red-meat producers in the nation, states Good Meat.
New Zealand lamb has traditionally been cheaper than British lamb because of lower farming costs, higher meat yields and a favourable exchange rate.
According to the OECD, the consumption of sheep's meat—including both lamb and mutton—is most popular in Kazakhstan, Australia, and Turkey. Amongst EU nations, Greece is the top consumer of lamb per capita, consuming around 27.11lbs per person per year.
Prime lamb producers are predominately located in the Riverina, the wheat-sheep zone of NSW, the Victorian and NSW Murray region and the high rainfall areas in south-west Victoria and eastern South Australia. Sheep are primarily located in south-west WA, south western part of Victoria and the southern part of NSW.
Lambs raised on a diet of grass tend to have a more intense flavor than those raised on a diet of grain. The grassy, gamy flavors, known as “pastoral flavors,” that occur in pasture-finished lamb come from an increased amount of compounds called indoles, primarily one called skatole, found in the fat tissues.
Answer and Explanation: Sheep are not native to Australia. There were brought to the continent by the first European settlers in 1788. With the warmer temperatures around the Sydney Cove area, sheep did not need to keep their wool over the winter.
Like New Zealand lamb, Australian lamb tends to come from smaller animals that have been entirely grass-fed on open pasture. It is leaner and has a deeper flavor than American lamb. Icelandic lamb is rarely found in U.S. markets, but if you are lucky, you may spot some.
The majority of lamb carcasses quality grade Choice and Prime. Prime is the highest quality grade, followed by Choice. Each quality grade is further subdivided into thirds: Prime+, Prime, Prime-, Choice+, Choice, and Choice-, from highest to lowest in quality, respectively.
The best Lamb cut award goes to Lamb Loin Chops, hands down the best balance of flavor, tenderness, and value for money. These tasty mini T-bone shaped morsels have a wonderful buttery fat cap and extremely tender meat. Loin Chops are easily and quickly cooked in the pan and are reasonably priced.
This premium quality meat offers the best flavour and tenderness, which is why it is so popular not only in Wales but abroad as well. Welsh farmers believe in using the best of everything; from the finest Welsh grass, the lambs taken care of by the sharpest sheepdogs and of course wonderful husbandry.
Lamb. Compared to Europe, sheep can be more expensive to raise in America. Sheep are generally associated with ranching and wool production, but the most popular meats in America are cheap to raise on large feedlots and are bred purely for slaughter.
Australian government supervised Islamic slaughter programs are in place to ensure stringent procedures are met in meat processing establishments. For Australian red meat to be identified as Halal, the animals must be slaughtered by a trained Muslim slaughterman in accordance with the requirements of the Islamic law.