lamb's breast disaster

2021-03-31

Lamb's breast is always a fatty piece. But occasionally, it is a disaster, all fat with hardly any meat at all. That is the big problem of curbside pickup: you have to take what they give you, sight unseen.

As can be seen in Pic4, this piece was all fat, with only a very thin layer of muscle. The end result was a few tablespoons of meat—not even enough for one sandwich—and loads and loads of fat.

It might have been better if I had separated meat and bones from the fat before cooking and rendered that big chunk of fat separately.

The higher the temperature (350-380 ºF), the more fat gets rendered out, but also the more the meat dries out.
Lower temperatures (250-300 ºF.) leave the meat moister but fattier.
If separated, I could render the fat at higher temps, and braise the meat and bones at lower temps.

Most recipes recommend slow-roasting at lower temperatures.
I have not tried boiling this, but stovetop braising seems to work pretty good.