February 2003

A Happy New Year to all and Happy Chinese New Year for those celebrating. Unless you've been living in a cave without New Year's post card delivery service, by now everyone should be well aware that we have begun the year of the sheep. Fittingly this newsletter will focus on lamb in all its wonderfully tasty forms.

There are many of you who may remember my diatribe on the delights of pork regardless of my strong dislike of pigs. I hate sheep much worse than pigs. I grew up a cowboy and as is explicitly stated in that label, cowboys raise cows - this is a part of my entire family's genetic make-up. No sheep and no tending to flocks, it is as simple as that. If you know nothing of wool or rams or ewes the following two pieces of information will save you from a brawl should you ever walk into a cowboy bar and the topic of sheep comes up. Number one: they're not called sheep, the correct term is "range maggot". And number two: for reasons unexplained, the sheep in Wyoming are nervous (maybe forget the second one if the bar happens to be in Wyoming).

I would not say that my family is dysfunctional; it would be more accurate to think that we function kind of like a Microsoft product. It may come as a surprise that back on the ranch we actually had a small flock of sheep, about a half a dozen or so - the coyotes always thinned out the stragglers. The sheep were the result of my brother's wife's influence and while nobody was happy with the situation, they were hard to get rid of without a full system crash. At about the time that I was finishing up high school my twin nephews were 4 or 5 years old. The boys were full of dust and spit and out riding horseback everyday with my brothers and me which made them privy to conversations not always suitable to their tender ears. I can't place the occasion but it was a great family meal attended by ancient grandmothers, aunts and others of the cheek pinching variety causing everyone around to be on their best behavior. Somehow the topic of sheep came up and after a few coughs and sighs all around sat back in silence. It was at this point that the twins, in unison, recited what they had learned so well, "we sure as HELL don't need anymore GODDAMNED sheep". Ctrl Alt Delete, that took care of the sheep...

I'm very happy I don't have to raise sheep, but thank you sheep farmers because I love lamb. If you don't like lamb then you've never had good lamb and if you've never had good lamb then you are really missing out. There is good lamb everywhere but the best comes from New Zealand (if you have a problem with this take it up with the Kiwis not me). I've got the best and the second best and this is what I can offer:

New Zealand lamb shortloins. This is the "eye" of a lamb chop or lamb rack. No bones and no fat. One of the best pieces of meat you can buy. Each pack has three or four loins and weighs about 500 grams. I take these and roll them in spices and flour then sear it in olive oil. This (and lamb racks) should be eaten rare. Regular price is 2,800 per kilo, this month 2,600.

New Zealand lamb rack - frenched. An 8 point rack. "Frenched" means that the rib bones have been exposed and most of the fat removed. I like to cook this whole and then cut into chops. If you must make lamb chops first, please don't overcook them. One rack is 440 - 490 grams. Regular 2,500 per kilo, this month 2,300.

New Zealand boneless lamb leg - shank off and netted. The perfect piece for roasting. I only have a limited stock, each piece is about 1.4 kg. 1,300 per kilo.

New Zealand boneless lamb leg - full. The whole lamb leg with the bone taken out. If you are creative in the kitchen and want to make a stuffed lamb leg, this is the cut for you. About 2 kg each, 1,300 per kilo.

Australian bone-in lamb leg. I've yet to meet anyone in Japan with an oven large enough for a full leg so I cut these in half. Whether you get the top half or the bottom half depends entirely upon the person who ordered before you. If you want both you should order two. A full leg is about 3 kg so the halves are 1.5. The price is 1,200 per kilo.

Australian boneless mutton leg. If you love the smell this is for you. These are about 2.5 kg and the price is 800 yen per kg.

Minced New Zealand lamb leg. I take a full lamb leg, clean off most of the fat and grind it up. The result is very lean ground lamb that tastes great. This comes in 1 kilo packs and the price is 1,500 per kilo.

I've got a few other things in my freezer that I'd like to clean out:

French Duck Breast, the highest quality available. 1 pc. is about 300 grams. This is 3,300 per kilo.

Kangaroo Tenderloin. Left over from Australia Day. VERY surprising to me, this actually tastes good! One package is about 3 - 4 kilos. Only 3 packs left. 2,100 per kilo.

Nurenberger breakfast sausages. Herb spiced pork sausages. One package is 250 grams and has about 8 sausages. 300 Yen per pack.

Remember Valentine's Day is coming soon. In Japan the guys don't have to buy anything (until White Day in March). So ladies, skip the chocolate and buy your man some meat.

That's all for now.

-jason