Editing Lamb and mutton (section)

== Butchery and cookery ==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="160">
File:Plato de lechazo, Valladolid.jpg|''[[Lechazo]] asado'' (roast lamb) is a [[Cuisine of the province of Valladolid|typical dish from the province of Valladolid]] and other [[Castile (historical region)|Castilian]] provinces in [[Spain]].
File:Chuletillas-El-Mazuco.jpg|''Chuletillas'' of milk-fed lamb in [[Asturias]]
File:Lamb shank.jpg|Lamb shanks of a young lamb
File:Mutton rogan josh.jpg|Mutton ''[[rogan josh]]'' from [[India]]
File:Barbecued lamb sticks.jpg|Lamb [[chuanr]] ([[Xinjiang cuisine|Uyghur]] [[grilling|grilled]] lamb kebabs)
File:Aroab lamb pot.jpg|Lamb shanks cooked on an open fire in [[Aroab]], [[Namibia]]
File:Lamb Chops from a Greek restaurant in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.jpg|A plate of [[Meat chop|lamb chops]] from a [[Greek restaurant]] in [[Fort Lauderdale, Florida]]
</gallery>
The meat of a lamb is taken from the animal between one month and one year old, with a carcass weight of between {{convert|5.5|and|30|kg|lb|abbr=on}}. This meat generally is more tender than that from older sheep and appears more often on tables in some [[Western countries]]. Hogget and mutton have a stronger flavour than lamb because they contain a higher concentration of species-characteristic fatty acids and are preferred by some.<ref>Fearnley-Whittingstall, Hugh. "[http://www.muttonrenaissance.org.uk/whatIsMutton.php What Is Mutton – Understanding the History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170723081313/http://www.muttonrenaissance.org.uk/whatIsMutton.php |date=23 July 2017 }}." ''Mutton Renaissance.''</ref> Mutton and hogget also tend to be tougher than lamb (because of connective [[tissue maturation]]) and are therefore better suited to [[casserole]]-style cooking, as in [[Lancashire hotpot]], for example.

Lamb is often sorted into three kinds of meat: [[wikt:forequarter|forequarter]], [[loin]], and [[wikt:hindquarter|hindquarter]]. The forequarter includes the neck, shoulder, front legs, and the ribs up to the shoulder blade. The hindquarter includes the rear legs and hip. The loin includes the ribs between the two.

[[meat chop|Lamb chops]] are cut from the rib, loin, and shoulder areas. The rib chops include a rib bone; the loin chops include only a [[vertebra|chine]] bone. Shoulder chops are usually considered inferior to loin chops; both kinds of chops are usually [[grilling|grilled]]. Breast of lamb (baby chops) can be cooked in an oven.

Leg of lamb is a whole leg; [[saddle]] of lamb is the two loins with the hip. Leg and saddle are usually [[roasting|roasted]], though the leg is sometimes [[boiling|boiled]].

Forequarter meat of sheep, as of other mammals, includes more connective tissue than some other [[Primal cuts|cuts]], and, if not from a young lamb, is best cooked slowly using either a moist method, such as [[braising]] or [[stewing]], or by slow roasting or [[barbecue|American barbecuing]]. It is, in some countries, sold already chopped or diced.

Lamb shank definitions vary, but generally include:
* a cut from the arm of shoulder, containing leg bone and part of round shoulder bone, and covered by a thin layer of fat and fell (a thin, paper-like covering).
* a cut from the upper part of the leg.{{Cn|date=January 2025}}

Mutton barbeque is a tradition in Western Kentucky. The area was strong in the wool trade, which gave them plenty of older sheep that needed to be put to use.<ref name=KentuckyBBQ>{{cite web|url=https://www.thespruce.com/owensboro-mutton-barbecue-331595|title=Owensboro Kentucky Mutton Barbecue}}</ref>

Thin strips of fatty mutton can be cut into a substitute for bacon called [[Macon (food)|macon]].

Lamb [[tongue]] is popular in [[Middle Eastern cuisine]] both as a [[cold cut]] and in preparations like stews.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.discoverlebanon.com/en/recipes/lamb_tongue.php|title=Lebanese Recipes, Lamb Tongue Salad, oregano, pepper, salt ginger|work=discoverlebanon.com}}</ref>{{Better source|date=January 2025}}