Butcher Lamb...to castrate or not?

[goatboy1973]

bc, just so I completely understand...is it the fat that gives it the "strong" taste? Lamby?

It is the fat,in my opinion, that gives the strong taste.

 

[geniebell]

With our slaughter bucklings, our customers prefer intact (not castrated) male kids between 60- 100 lbs and usually get the highest price at this weight. Our Spanish goats are on the lighter end of moderately boned, and heavily muscled from the shoulders right through to their hindquarters.

Thank you goatboy. I am really looking forward to trying lamb...I have only eaten store-bought, and not impressed...was raised on beef and pork, so the lamb is so STRONG to me...but hoping the hair sheep are milder, as people have said...and it sounds like leaving in tact is the way to go!
We have thought about getting a couple of goats...kind of scared to tackle that because everyone says they are such escape artists. Our fences were built for large livestock...split-rail...for the sheep we put no climb on the inside of the pen with lambs, and field fencing on the inside of all of the other corrals. Afraid the goats will find a way to climb over? Jump over?

 

[Bossroo]

It is the fat,in my opinion, that gives the strong taste.

NOPE ! It is the male hormone testosterone , fat marbling between the muscle fibers is what makes the meat more tender .

 

[OneFineAcre]

NOPE ! It is the male hormone testosterone , fat marbling between the muscle fibers is what makes the meat more tender .

Yes, but fat absorbs and stores free testosterone.

 

[purplequeenvt]

We butchered a 6 year old ewe last summer and she is so delicious! Tons of fat, but the meat is amazing. Years ago we ate a 9 year old ram and I remember him being quite strong. He would probably have been best as just ground meat instead of chops.

I've heard that wool type - fine, course, etc... - has a big influence on meat flavor. The finer the wool, the more lanolin, the stronger taste. I don't have any personal experience with that theory though.

It boils down to personal taste. Some people can't stand "strong" lamb flavor while others love mutton (sheep over 1 year of age). I prefer mutton. How the meat is cooked is really important. Lamb is usually over-cooked. I like to grill my lamb chops and leave them nice and pink in the middle.

 

[bcnewe2]

I don't know genibel. It's just so fatty it isn't enjoyable to cook or eat. I little fat is good. A lot just makes for wasted weight.

 

[bonbean01]

Only reason we band our ram lambs is because we don't have enough pasture to separate them and we don't want random breedings. Had a 2 year old bad ram that went to the freezer...did not taste different to me from wether lambs...he was a dorper/katahdin cross and not strong at all.

 

[goatboy1973]

Yes, but fat absorbs and stores free testosterone.

Bossroo, testosterone is a oil based hormone and is readily absorbed into fat where it is stored. So, "Nope" you are only partially correct. I just assumed that everyone knew that fat stores testosterone. Not everyone has an Animal Science degree. Thx One Fine Acre for helping to clear the muddy water. The fat does make the meat more tender but it is a double edged sword in that the thing that makes it tender also gives it a funky taste. The key is to get the lamb at an earlier age and the tenderness lies in how you cook it (low and slow) cause you can take a tough cut of meat and by the technique used to cook it can make it tender and the opposite is true also.

 

[geniebell]

Thank you everyone for all of your replies. This thread has been a wealth of information!