Lambs for the freezer, any tips?

Kovu

Decided when I was in the butchers earlier to buy & kill a couple of lambs for the freezer as I do eat a lot of it and he is cheap enough to kill & bag for me.

Firstly, what should I look for? I don't mind fatty lamb, and I wouldn't be a connoisseur with taste difference either.
Would wethers still have a taint to the meat? Would a mountainy lamb have a better depth of flavour?

I have space to keep them for a few weeks before slaughter as well. So would it be worth my while getting lighter ones and feeding them up? I would just prefer to buy a couple myself so I know what I am eating.

greysides

Something I see in the abattoir is a young ewe going through in a batch of older ones. They look very much like a lamb carcase when they're lean and should be a lot cheaper.

Another dodge might be a 'yellow' carcase, they don't sell well and might be available cheaper but the colour is only due to genetics causing an accumulation of pigment from grass.

Still if you're buying, neither of those tips might be of use to you.

Mac Taylor

Killed one ourselves last week. Suffolk cross around 42kgs. 25 euro to kill. Had the kidneys and liver for dinner to day!!!!. Prefer them around this weight...Alot less fat. Would not be gone on a wether prefer a ewe hoggett. Given a choice would go for mountain lamb..great flavour.

Willfarman

Mountain type lamb tends to be fatty. My choice is a ewe lamb. Vendeen cross. Well conformedNice tight wool .well fleshed and weighing at least 46 kgs.

jmrc

We kill a good few for the freezer each year. having a good butcher is key, and letting him/her know what you expect is also important.
we kill mainly ewe/weathers never ram lambs...! Tex or charolais crossed on mule ewes. We also found leaving them till later in the season late Sept-oct to be optimal and is possible for ultra tastyness if you can feed them some creep for a couple of weeks prior to the knife is a bonus.
Then hanging length is important, we aim for 7 days, and we insist on chilled from the butcher and not frozen. in fairness the guy we have used for the last few years is good and understands our needs now.
We kill at 40-45kg live weight.

hope this helps

piebaldskwbald

We usually kill at around 42-43kg but usually anything from 40-45kg is pretty good! We wouldn't tend to go for wethers, personally prefer hoggets. If I also had the choice I would go for a mountain lamb but given we only have texals and suffolks, I make do. We usually feed some creep as well, getting a small bit of marbling does well for a roast on a Sunday We hang them for about 5-7 days, depends when they are slaughter etc.

Hope this is of some use, good luck