Why Haven’t We Been Eating More Lamb?
Smoke it, braise it, or both to highlight its seasonal flavor
When shopping for lamb, most U.S. consumers look to Colorado, or even New Zealand and Australia; I’d argue that the most beautiful lamb you can get in the United States hails from western Pennsylvania.
It’s something that big chefs have known for decades: John and Sukey Jamison sent two lambs to the legendary Jean-Louis Palladin in 1988, and the Washington, D.C., chef quickly became a champion of their product. In the years following, everyone from Julia Child to Dan Barber of Blue Hill at Stone Barns has sung the praise of the pastoral Jamison Farm. At Elysian Fields, a former investment banker named Keith Martin started raising lamb the following year, developing a patented system for raising livestock. The rancher has partnered with Thomas Keller, chef-owner of The French Laundry and Per Se; (pre-pandemic) you’d find Elysian Fields Pure Bred Lamb in Michelin-starred and James Beard Award-winning restaurants all over the country.
Forget the trope about lamb being a gamey meat; that hasn’t been the case for years. What is true is that lamb is richly flavored, which I contend is a very good thing.
