In article
>,
Theo > wrote:

> Been eating a lot of mutton lately, having finally found a local source.
> (Not so common the the US, alas.) Cooking it several ways, I've noticed
> that a lot of fat renders out very quickly on mild cooking; the rest
> stays on much longer. I'm not sure, but it seems that the fat dispersed
> throughout muscle melts quickly; the large lumps are more persistent. Is
> this correct, or is something else going on?
>
> I ask partly because I like to remove as much fat as possible from stews
> to save calories. Another reason, though, is that I don't like to lose
> flavors from vegetables, spices, etc. in stew or other preparations;
> some of these are much more soluble in fat than in water. So I've been
> cooking the meat alone until the first rendering is done, pouring off
> fat, then adding everything else. Does this make sense to more
> experienced cooks here?
>
> Thanks-
>
> Theo
>
> (Still trying to find a way to cook rib roasts that leaves them tender...)

We don't eat a lot of sheep, but mom would always pre-roast fatty cuts
of lamb prior to stewing them to render out most of the fat. The cut
that she did that with for stewing was lamb breast.

I imagine that'd work well with mutton?
--
Peace! Om

"Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive." -- Dalai Lama