My wife picked up some Australian lamb shoulder chops the other day and
we grilled them on the gas BBQ tonight. She had marinated them in lemon
juice with olive oil and garlic. Served with boiled potatoes, green
beans, Greek salad and pita.

On Sun, 13 Jul 2014 20:33:52 -0400, Dave Smith
> wrote:

> My wife picked up some Australian lamb shoulder chops the other day and
> we grilled them on the gas BBQ tonight. She had marinated them in lemon
> juice with olive oil and garlic. Served with boiled potatoes, green
> beans, Greek salad and pita.

I like everything about that meal except it's "Australian" lamb.
There's something about that stuff I can't stand. NZ is okay,
American is better.

--
All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.

On 13/07/2014 10:34 PM, sf wrote:
> On Sun, 13 Jul 2014 20:33:52 -0400, Dave Smith
> > wrote:
>
>> My wife picked up some Australian lamb shoulder chops the other day and
>> we grilled them on the gas BBQ tonight. She had marinated them in lemon
>> juice with olive oil and garlic. Served with boiled potatoes, green
>> beans, Greek salad and pita.
>
> I like everything about that meal except it's "Australian" lamb.
> There's something about that stuff I can't stand. NZ is okay,
> American is better.
>
Canadian is better still!
Graham

On 2014-07-14 12:34 AM, sf wrote:
> On Sun, 13 Jul 2014 20:33:52 -0400, Dave Smith
> > wrote:
>
>> My wife picked up some Australian lamb shoulder chops the other day and
>> we grilled them on the gas BBQ tonight. She had marinated them in lemon
>> juice with olive oil and garlic. Served with boiled potatoes, green
>> beans, Greek salad and pita.
>
> I like everything about that meal except it's "Australian" lamb.
> There's something about that stuff I can't stand. NZ is okay,
> American is better.
>
I think it is the first time I have ever had Australian lamb.... that I
know of. It was fine. I don't think I have had American lamb but
Canadian lamb is excellent. I had not had shoulder chops in years. We
usually get loin chops. I opted for the tenderness and the easy eating
of the loin chops. These were much more affordable and they turned out
very nicely. I can see a repeat in the future.

On 2014-07-14 9:08 AM, graham wrote:
> On 13/07/2014 10:34 PM, sf wrote:
>> On Sun, 13 Jul 2014 20:33:52 -0400, Dave Smith
>> > wrote:
>>
>>> My wife picked up some Australian lamb shoulder chops the other day and
>>> we grilled them on the gas BBQ tonight. She had marinated them in lemon
>>> juice with olive oil and garlic. Served with boiled potatoes, green
>>> beans, Greek salad and pita.
>>
>> I like everything about that meal except it's "Australian" lamb.
>> There's something about that stuff I can't stand. NZ is okay,
>> American is better.
>>
> Canadian is better still!


I have not had American lamb so I have nothing to compare it to. I have
never had bad Canadian lamb, but I will confess to buying a lot of NZ
lamb because it is quite a bit cheaper, and quite good.

On 7/14/2014 12:34 AM, sf wrote:
> On Sun, 13 Jul 2014 20:33:52 -0400, Dave Smith
> > wrote:
>
>> My wife picked up some Australian lamb shoulder chops the other day and
>> we grilled them on the gas BBQ tonight. She had marinated them in lemon
>> juice with olive oil and garlic. Served with boiled potatoes, green
>> beans, Greek salad and pita.
>
> I like everything about that meal except it's "Australian" lamb.
> There's something about that stuff I can't stand. NZ is okay,
> American is better.
>
The lamb chops I buy are Australian. I don't notice any difference. I
don't think I've ever seen NZ lamb at Publix. I guess it depends on the
retailer and their suppliers.

Jill

On Mon, 14 Jul 2014 09:11:58 -0400, Dave Smith
> wrote:

> On 2014-07-14 12:34 AM, sf wrote:
> > On Sun, 13 Jul 2014 20:33:52 -0400, Dave Smith
> > > wrote:
> >
> >> My wife picked up some Australian lamb shoulder chops the other day and
> >> we grilled them on the gas BBQ tonight. She had marinated them in lemon
> >> juice with olive oil and garlic. Served with boiled potatoes, green
> >> beans, Greek salad and pita.
> >
> > I like everything about that meal except it's "Australian" lamb.
> > There's something about that stuff I can't stand. NZ is okay,
> > American is better.
> >
> I think it is the first time I have ever had Australian lamb.... that I
> know of. It was fine. I don't think I have had American lamb but
> Canadian lamb is excellent. I had not had shoulder chops in years. We
> usually get loin chops. I opted for the tenderness and the easy eating
> of the loin chops. These were much more affordable and they turned out
> very nicely. I can see a repeat in the future.

Are you sure they were Australian? Maybe they're being fed
differently now. I'll try them again and see if they taste the same
or not. If they still taste the same, then I'll have a good idea what
Canadian lamb tastes like. Can't say I've ever seen it for sale
though. Frankly, as far as tenderness goes - the entire lamb is
tender and shoulder chops can be pan cooked without braising.

--
All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.

On Mon, 14 Jul 2014 10:06:46 -0400, jmcquown >
wrote:

> On 7/14/2014 12:34 AM, sf wrote:
> > On Sun, 13 Jul 2014 20:33:52 -0400, Dave Smith
> > > wrote:
> >
> >> My wife picked up some Australian lamb shoulder chops the other day and
> >> we grilled them on the gas BBQ tonight. She had marinated them in lemon
> >> juice with olive oil and garlic. Served with boiled potatoes, green
> >> beans, Greek salad and pita.
> >
> > I like everything about that meal except it's "Australian" lamb.
> > There's something about that stuff I can't stand. NZ is okay,
> > American is better.
> >
> The lamb chops I buy are Australian. I don't notice any difference. I
> don't think I've ever seen NZ lamb at Publix. I guess it depends on the
> retailer and their suppliers.
>

Maybe I can taste regional differences in lamb the way other people
notice the soap flavor in cilantro, but I can tell Australian from New
Zealand from American lamb easily. Can't say I've ever eaten Canadian
lamb or seen it for sale (even in restaurants), but I imagine it would
be indistinguishable from USA lamb.

--
All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.

On 2014-07-14 11:54 AM, sf wrote:
> On Mon, 14 Jul 2014 09:11:58 -0400, Dave Smith
> > wrote:
>
>> On 2014-07-14 12:34 AM, sf wrote:
>>> On Sun, 13 Jul 2014 20:33:52 -0400, Dave Smith
>>> > wrote:
>>>
>>>> My wife picked up some Australian lamb shoulder chops the other day and
>>>> we grilled them on the gas BBQ tonight. She had marinated them in lemon
>>>> juice with olive oil and garlic. Served with boiled potatoes, green
>>>> beans, Greek salad and pita.
>>>
>>> I like everything about that meal except it's "Australian" lamb.
>>> There's something about that stuff I can't stand. NZ is okay,
>>> American is better.
>>>
>> I think it is the first time I have ever had Australian lamb.... that I
>> know of. It was fine. I don't think I have had American lamb but
>> Canadian lamb is excellent. I had not had shoulder chops in years. We
>> usually get loin chops. I opted for the tenderness and the easy eating
>> of the loin chops. These were much more affordable and they turned out
>> very nicely. I can see a repeat in the future.
>
> Are you sure they were Australian?

I can't say that I am 110% sure, but the label on the packages did
indicate that it was Australian lamb.

> Maybe they're being fed
> differently now. I'll try them again and see if they taste the same
> or not. If they still taste the same, then I'll have a good idea what
> Canadian lamb tastes like.

I didn't say that it tastes like Canadian lamb. It was more like NZ.
Canadian lamb IMO is better tasting and more tender than NZ... bear in
mind that it is fresher.

> Can't say I've ever seen it for sale
> though. Frankly, as far as tenderness goes - the entire lamb is
> tender and shoulder chops can be pan cooked without braising.

I was disappointed with a lamb dinner in Paris that turned out to have
been braised, and served in a sort of scalloped potato thing. I don't
know what it is about scalloped potatoes that I don't like.

On Mon, 14 Jul 2014 12:02:37 -0400, Dave Smith
> wrote:

> I didn't say that it tastes like Canadian lamb. It was more like NZ.
> Canadian lamb IMO is better tasting and more tender than NZ... bear in
> mind that it is fresher.

Okay. Australian and NZ do taste similar, but Australian is a lot
stronger than NZ.

--
All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.

On 2014-07-14 12:24 PM, sf wrote:
> On Mon, 14 Jul 2014 12:02:37 -0400, Dave Smith
> > wrote:
>
>> I didn't say that it tastes like Canadian lamb. It was more like NZ.
>> Canadian lamb IMO is better tasting and more tender than NZ... bear in
>> mind that it is fresher.
>
> Okay. Australian and NZ do taste similar, but Australian is a lot
> stronger than NZ.

I can't say these were stronger tasting than NZ. They were shoulder
chops, not loin.

On 14/07/2014 7:13 AM, Dave Smith wrote:
> On 2014-07-14 9:08 AM, graham wrote:
>> On 13/07/2014 10:34 PM, sf wrote:
>>> On Sun, 13 Jul 2014 20:33:52 -0400, Dave Smith
>>> > wrote:
>>>
>>>> My wife picked up some Australian lamb shoulder chops the other day and
>>>> we grilled them on the gas BBQ tonight. She had marinated them in lemon
>>>> juice with olive oil and garlic. Served with boiled potatoes, green
>>>> beans, Greek salad and pita.
>>>
>>> I like everything about that meal except it's "Australian" lamb.
>>> There's something about that stuff I can't stand. NZ is okay,
>>> American is better.
>>>
>> Canadian is better still!
>
>
> I have not had American lamb so I have nothing to compare it to. I have
> never had bad Canadian lamb, but I will confess to buying a lot of NZ
> lamb because it is quite a bit cheaper, and quite good.
>
When it comes to lamb, there always seems to be more than a little
nationalism when opinions as to the best are discussed. When I lived
with my parents, we always had English lamb. Every year, the local
butcher would let us have a quarter of the first spring lamb and the
experience sticks in my memory. However, lots of Brits will swear by
Welsh lamb and the French are equally parochial with either Provençal or
Pré-salé. When I lived in Australia, we would buy a side of lamb from
time to time and I thought it excellent. If the flavour was stronger
than English, I didn't notice it as I like the taste. In fact, Prince
Chuck prefers the flavour of hogget (a sheep of 1-2 years of age).
Graham

On 7/14/2014 3:15 PM, graham wrote:

> When it comes to lamb, there always seems to be more than a little
> nationalism when opinions as to the best are discussed. When I lived
> with my parents, we always had English lamb. Every year, the local
> butcher would let us have a quarter of the first spring lamb and the
> experience sticks in my memory. However, lots of Brits will swear by
> Welsh lamb and the French are equally parochial with either Provençal or
> Pré-salé. When I lived in Australia, we would buy a side of lamb from
> time to time and I thought it excellent. If the flavour was stronger
> than English, I didn't notice it as I like the taste. In fact, Prince
> Chuck prefers the flavour of hogget (a sheep of 1-2 years of age).
>
I really like the taste of Caithness lamb!

On Mon, 14 Jul 2014 12:38:57 -0400, Dave Smith
> wrote:

> On 2014-07-14 12:24 PM, sf wrote:
> > On Mon, 14 Jul 2014 12:02:37 -0400, Dave Smith
> > > wrote:
> >
> >> I didn't say that it tastes like Canadian lamb. It was more like NZ.
> >> Canadian lamb IMO is better tasting and more tender than NZ... bear in
> >> mind that it is fresher.
> >
> > Okay. Australian and NZ do taste similar, but Australian is a lot
> > stronger than NZ.
>
> I can't say these were stronger tasting than NZ. They were shoulder
> chops, not loin.
>
For me, it doesn't matter what part of the animal the meat is from - I
can tell the difference in flavor.

--
All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.