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Tender Grassfed Barbecue: Traditional, Primal and Paleo by Stanley A. Fishman
By Stanley A. Fishman
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By Stanley A. Fishman

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DISCLOSURE AND DISCLAIMER

I am an attorney and an author, not a doctor. This website is intended to provide information about grassfed meat, what it is, its benefits, and how to cook it. I will also describe my own experiences from time to time. The information on this website is being provided for educational purposes. Any statements about the possible health benefits provided by any foods or diet have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

I do receive some compensation each time a copy of my book is purchased. I receive a very small amount of compensation each time somebody purchases a book from Amazon through the links on this site, as I am a member of the Amazon affiliate program.

—Stanley A. Fishman, author of Tender Grassfed Meat

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Grassfed Brisket Pot Roast with Traditional Flavors

By Stanley A. Fishman, author of Tender Grassfed Meat

Ingredients for a traditional grass fed brisket pot roast.

Ingredients for a traditional grass fed brisket pot roast.

Many people have asked me for a recipe for grassfed brisket pot roast. While Tender Grassfed Meat has a number of pot roast recipes, it does not have a recipe for brisket. I received so many requests that I decided to create one.

Brisket is one of the most beefy, flavorful cuts. It can also be one of the toughest. Grassfed brisket has a reputation for being particularly tough. But a grassfed brisket, treated with the magic of traditional pot roasting, can be so tender, with a rich texture that is a pleasure to chew, and a deep beefy flavor that almost no other cut of meat can match.

Pot roasts from brisket are a tradition in French, Italian, Belgian, German, Czech, Austrian, Jewish, Russian, Polish, and American cuisines—and in many others. Just about all of these traditions use onions to flavor the meat, and most of them also use carrots. Many other ingredients are used, and these can vary greatly.

Grassfed briskets usually have most or all the fat trimmed off. An untrimmed brisket will have a great deal of fat, actually too much for a pot roast, and the fat should be trimmed to no more than one quarter inch in thickness. Brisket has so much deep beefy flavor that this recipe will be great even if the brisket is completely trimmed of fat (but a light covering of fat is best).

The amount of time it takes to cook a grassfed brisket to be wonderfully tender can vary, but it usually takes a long time. The best way to tell if it is done is to stick a fork in it. If the fork goes in easily, with little resistance, it is ready. If not, it needs more cooking. Just about every cookbook will tell you never to pierce cooking meat, or you will “lose valuable juices.” This “rule” does not apply to grassfed meat. I stick forks and instant read thermometers into grassfed meat all the time, and the meat still comes out tender and delicious.

A cast iron casserole, or an enameled cast iron casserole, is the traditional pot for cooking this dish, and works beautifully. But any sturdy casserole that can be used for browning on the stove (with an ovenproof cover) will do, if you do not have the traditional casserole.

This recipe combines a number of traditional flavors for brisket pot roast. The use of powdered onion and garlic along with fresh onion and garlic creates a rare depth of flavor. Beef suet gives a wonderful flavor to the meat, but so does butter. Your choice. Either way, the gravy will be wonderful.

This is a great recipe for a cold day, which is why brisket pot roasts were popular winter fare all over Europe.

Traditional Grassfed Pot Roast

1 grassfed brisket pot roast, about 3 pounds

1 teaspoon freshly ground organic black pepper

1 teaspoon organic onion powder

1 teaspoon organic granulated garlic powder

1 teaspoon coarse unrefined sea salt (such as Celtic Sea Salt®), crushed,

4 tablespoons melted beef suet, (or 4 tablespoons pastured butter)

2 medium organic onions, peeled and sliced

1 large organic carrot, peeled and cut into small circles

1 cup homemade broth, preferably beef

4 sprigs organic flat leaf parsley, coarsely chopped

2 cloves organic garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped

2 teaspoons arrowroot, mixed with one tablespoon of water

  1. Take the meat out of the refrigerator at least 1 hour before cooking, so it will be at room temperature.
  2. Combine the pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt, and mix well. Rub this mixture all over both sides of the meat. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
  3. Heat 2 tablespoons of the suet (or butter) over medium heat, in the bottom of the casserole. When the fat is hot and slightly smoking, add the roast to the pan. Brown for about 5 minutes, then turn the meat over and brown the other side, also for 5 minutes.
  4. Remove the meat from the pan. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of suet (or butter). Add the onion and carrot and cook for 5 minutes, stirring from time to time. Remove the vegetables from the pan.
  5. Return the meat to the pan. Pour the vegetables over the meat, and use a spoon to push them so they surround the meat. Add the broth, parsley, and garlic, and bring the mixture to a slow simmer.
  6. Cover the pot and place in the oven. Cook until a fork goes easily into the meat, which could be anywhere from 2½ to 3½ hours.
  7. Remove the meat to a plate. Bring the gravy to a simmer over the stove. Stir the arrowroot and water together until they combine, then add the arrowroot mixture to the simmering gravy. Simmer briskly until the gravy thickens, stirring well. Once the gravy thickens, place it in a pitcher and serve the tender meat.

Serve and taste why brisket pot roasts have been cherished for so many years.

This post is part of Real Food Wednesday, Fight Back Friday and Monday Mania blog carnivals.

Delicious, Festive, and Healthy—Christmas Liverloaf

By Stanley A. Fishman, author of Tender Grassfed Meat

Festive Christmas grass-fed liver meatloaf with red peppers and green organic cilantro.

Festive Christmas grassfed liverloaf with red piquillo peppers and green organic cilantro.

We think of gifts around the time of Christmas. One of the best gifts that can be given is the gift of good nutrition, and this dish is loaded with nutrients from grassfed liver, grassfed heart, and grassfed kidney. In honor of the traditional Christmas colors, it is flecked with red and green. These colors come from the nutrient-dense combination of cilantro, tomatoes, and piquillo peppers. Not only do they make a colorful meatloaf, they add valuable nutritional combinations of their own. And they add a wonderful flavor to the meatloaf.

Innards such as liver, heart, and kidney are known to be full of all kinds of nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and others, in a form that is easily digested and used. Traditional peoples ate them to improve the health of their livers, hearts, and kidneys. Yet modern people have been reluctant to eat these nutrient-rich foods because of their taste and texture. This meatloaf makes all of these meats absolutely delicious, as well as nutritious.

This recipe is based on U.S. Wellness Meats liverwurst, which is the easiest way I have found to get these wonderful organ meats into my family’s diet. U.S. Wellness Meats liverwurst is 25% grassfed beef liver, 25% grassfed beef heart, 25% grassfed beef kidney, and 25% grassfed beef. It is the only product I know which has all these vital organ meats in such an easy-to-use form. I use this great sausage as a base for many meatloafs, meatballs, and hamburgers, and it always comes out delicious.

The combination of cilantro and tomatoes is very traditional in Latin America, and is believed to have many benefits, including helping the body to remove toxic metals such as mercury and aluminum from the brain and other organs.

Piquillo peppers have incredible flavor, but are not hot. These small peppers are peeled, smoked over wood fires, preserved in olive oil, and placed in jars. They are available in many markets, and can be ordered over the Internet. You can substitute an organic red bell pepper, and it will still be delicious.

This meatloaf shows that innards can be easy to make, and delicious, as well as decorative!

Ingredients:

1 pound U.S. Wellness Meats liverwurst sausage

½ cup fresh organic cilantro, very finely chopped

½ cup organic tomato puree

3 organic piquillo peppers, (or 1 organic red bell pepper), very finely chopped

2 pastured eggs, lightly beaten with a fork

½ cup plain organic bread crumbs of your choice, preferably from sourdough or sprouted bread

  1. In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients until they are well combined. Place the mixture in a loaf pan, preferably glass. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 40 minutes.

Admire the Christmas colors, then serve and eat them!

A New Pot Roast Recipe for the Holidays

By Stanley A. Fishman, author of Tender Grassfed Meat

Grassfed pot roast made with Belgian Framboise Lambic Beer and Dijon Mustard

Traditional Belgian ingredients make this pot roast special.

I have had the honor and pleasure to do a guest post for my friend Raine Saunders of Agriculture Society, which is one of the very best real food blogs around. There are many excellent articles on every aspect of real food and real health. Raine is a superb writer, and the blog posts are clear and comprehensive. I highly recommend this blog.

I contributed a new and unusual pot roast recipe, based on traditional Belgian ingredients. Pot roast is a wonderful food for the winter, and this one is absolutely delicious. The use of raspberry lambic beer is unique, but trust me, the combination of ingredients in this recipe is both exotic and comforting, and the taste is outstanding. There is a subtle raspberry flavor that is set off perfectly with the traditional Dijon mustard to create one of the tastiest gravies ever.

The name of the recipe is Traditional Pot Roast with Belgian flavors and you can find it here:

Easy, Exotic Grassfed Pot Roast for the Holidays

Frugal, Delicious Hungarian Hash

By Stanley A. Fishman, author of Tender Grassfed Meat

Ingredients for Hungarian Hash Recipe: leftover grass-fed meat, bacon, organic potatoes, pastured eggs, organic onions, and Hungarian paprika.

Ingredients: grassfed meat, bacon, potatoes, eggs, onions, and paprika.

What to do with leftovers is often an issue. The very word “leftovers” is unattractive. However, leftovers can be the foundation of some absolutely wonderful and frugal dishes. Meat was so valuable and scarce in traditional Europe that it could never be wasted. The Europeans developed many traditional dishes based on leftover meat, usually adding many ingredients to stretch the meat. This recipe is based on this European tradition, and is very tasty and nourishing.

The word “hash” comes from the word “hache,” which means “to chop” in French. There are many variations, from Sweden, Denmark, Germany, England, and other countries. All of the recipes include meat, potatoes, onions, eggs, and plenty of fat. I have tried many of these versions with grassfed meat leftovers, and they were all good. But my very favorite is this one, which I based on the traditional Hungarian flavor combination of bacon, onions, and paprika. I continue the European tradition of cooking potatoes with plenty of fat. This dish is so good that there is nothing “leftover” about it. In fact, when my family eats this dish, nothing is left over.

Serves 4

1 to 2 cups of leftover grassfed meat (beef, bison, or lamb, or any mixture of the three), cut into small cubes, approximately ½ inch

1 large or 2 medium organic onions, sliced

4 medium organic potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes.

6 slices natural uncured fat bacon

1 teaspoon paprika, organic or imported from Europe, preferably Hungary

4 eggs, preferably pastured

  1. Place the slices of bacon next to each other in a cold 12 inch frying pan, preferably cast iron. Put the pan on the stove, turn the heat to medium, and cook the bacon, turning as necessary, until most of the fat has been rendered from the bacon. The bacon should be fairly crisp at this point. Remove the bacon from the pan and reserve, leaving the rendered fat in the pan.
  2. Add the sliced onions, and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 4 minutes. Add the paprika and stir it into the onions. Continue cooking for another 4 minutes.
  3. Add the potatoes, and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring and turning the potato cubes.
  4. Turn the heat to low, cover the pan, and cook for another 5 minutes.
  5. Add the meat, and stir until the meat is browned, 3 to 4 minutes.
  6. Crumble the reserved bacon and stir into the dish.
  7. Carefully break the eggs over the hash, and cook just until the yolks set.

Serve and enjoy this very nutritious meal.

This post is part of Real Food Wednesday at Kelly the Kitchen Kop.

This post is part of Pennywise Platter at the Nourishing Gourmet.

Organ Sausages Make Innards Delicious

By Stanley A. Fishman, author of Tender Grassfed Meat

Stanley Fishman's Liverloaf from US Wellness Braunschweiger

Liverloaf made with US Wellness Meats Grassfed Braunschweiger

How would you like to eat a totally natural food that would give your body most of the nutrients it needs, in a form that your body can easily digest and use? What if I told you that this food contained the entire B complex family of vitamins, in the right proportions? What if I told you that this food was rich in true vitamin A, in a form that is ideal for your body? What if I told you that this food contained natural vitamin D, again in a form that your body can easily use? What if I told you that this food contained many other vital nutrients? What if I told you that your body had evolved over time to process, use, and digest this food? What if I told you that this food is so full of nutrition that it was sacred in many traditional cultures? Would you want to eat this food?

Well, everything I have said about this food is true. Interested? The food is liver from grassfed and grass finished animals.

One of the great ironies of nutrition is that some of the most nutrient dense foods are the most feared and despised. Organ meats have lost their popularity in the west, despite their wonderful nutritive qualities. Saturated animal fat has also been demonized, but that is another subject.

How nutritious is organ meat? A study was done at the University of Chicago, in the 1930s. The study had a single subject, an arctic explorer who had lived with the far northern Inuit, and ate their diet. The explorer agreed to eat only animal and fish foods during the study, which went on for months. No grains, no vegetables, no plant foods. The study found that the explorer thrived, as long as he was able to eat liberally of the fat and the organs of the fish and animals he consumed. All the fish were wild and all the animals were grassfed, as no other versions were available at that time. The organ meats provided the explorer with all the vitamins and minerals he needed. At one point in the studies, the researchers restricted the explorer to lean meat only. He very quickly became sick and lethargic, but recovered completely when the fat and organ meats were restored to his diet.

Why are liver and other organ meats so despised? There are a number of reasons. I personally find organ meat from factory animals to be particularly unappealing. The organs of grassfed and grass finished animals are far more appealing to my senses.

All organ meats contain a good portion of saturated animal fat, a nutritional powerhouse that has been demonized in western culture.

Even the best grassfed organ meats require the removal of membranes, veins, tubes, and other parts before preparation, which is a lot of rather slimy work.

The solution for me is grassfed organ sausage. US Wellness Meats makes several varieties of organ sausages. I do not know of any other grassfed organ sausages. These sausages use only quality natural ingredients. They are made out of meat, organs, and a few seasonings—with no filler material.

I have two favorites. US Wellness Liverwurst is 30% beef and fat, 30% liver, 20% heart, and 20% kidney. It is an easy to eat treasure of grassfed organ meat. The sausage comes fully cooked, so you can eat it right out of the package, though I usually make it the main ingredient in an absolutely delicious meatloaf.

I should note that many traditional peoples and some old time doctors believed that one of the best ways to keep a strong heart was to eat the hearts of healthy animals. It was also believed that the liver would be strengthened by eating liver, and the kidneys would be helped by eating kidneys. While I cannot speak as to whether this is true, I can tell you that I feel better all over after eating this sausage.

My other favorite is US Wellness Raw Braunschweiger. This is 60% beef and fat, and 40% liver. This sausage is raw, and must be cooked before eating. Here is a link to a recipe I developed specifically for Raw Braunschweiger, a delicious meatloaf that uses the old European tradition of using butter and onions to complement the liver.

Liverloaf Recipe at US Wellness Meats

Frugal and Delicious: Traditional Ways to Stretch Grassfed Meat

By Stanley A. Fishman, author of Tender Grassfed Meat

Ingredients for Frugal Traditional Grassfed Burger: US Wellness Meat; pastured eggs; and natural bread

Ingredients for Traditional Burger Mix: ground grassfed beef from U.S. Wellness Meats; pastured eggs; and chemical-free sourdough spelt bread.

Many people who eat grassfed meat have trouble affording the higher cost. Grassfed meat is more expensive than factory meat, in a per pound cost. However, there are many ways to reduce the cost of grassfed meat, such as buying a whole, half, or quarter animal, joining a CSA, searching the websites of trusted providers for specials, making a good deal with a local farmer, and other similar methods. But there is another way to make grassfed meat feed more people and provide more meals, which was developed over the centuries in Europe and elsewhere. Add wholesome and less expensive ingredients that literally enable you to stretch the meat, while adding a delicious taste and texture. Done right, these dishes can actually taste better than a dish made up only of meat.

The ordinary European had a hard time getting meat, so they made the most of it. Meat scraps were made into stews combined with many different vegetables. Chopped or cubed meat was often added to grains such as wheat, rye, oatmeal, rice, kasha, and barley. Sausages often contained a large number of non-meat ingredients such as grains, fat, sometimes blood, and sometimes all three. Onions, chopped, or sliced, or pureed, were added to almost every meat dish other than roasts or steaks, and often to those dishes as well. Herbs, fresh and dried, were added for flavor, as were spices such as pepper, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and others. Spices were usually added in very small amounts, because spices were expensive. The use of small amounts meant that the spices did not overwhelm the meat, but blended with the other ingredients to create a wonderful taste.

Ground meat is usually the lowest priced form of grassfed meat available, especially in bulk. Traditional European cuisines had many recipes for ground meat, almost always stretched by the addition of other ingredients, both for economy and taste. The added ingredients often included eggs, onions, milk, cream, stale bread or bread crumbs, small amounts of various spices, and always some of the fat of the animal. Ground meat was cooked in the form of meatballs, meatloaves, as part of the filling for pies, in sausages, as part of a filling for all kinds of pastries, and in dumplings. These methods and flavors work very well with modern grassfed beef. Adding traditional ingredients to ground meat can result in a hamburger, for example, that is much tastier than an all meat burger.

I want to make a distinction between the traditional use of stretching meat with other ingredients, and the modern factory food method of making more money by adding ingredients such as soy protein, water, and all kinds of other filler materials to ground meat before the meat is sold. The traditional practice of adding other ingredients to ground meat occurred only when the meat was actually cooked, not when it was bought. Any ground meat I buy is 100% grassfed and grass finished, with no ingredients except meat and meat fat.

The following is my version of a typical European meat mixture for hamburgers. There are hundreds of different versions. This one contains many of the typical ingredients used to stretch ground meat in Europe and is delicious. It is intended for grassfed hamburgers. The mixture can be grilled, sautéed in a frying pan, or cooked under a broiler. It should be cooked thoroughly, with medium rather than high heat. Stale bread does not appeal to me, so I have substituted fresh bread crumbs.

Traditional Burger Mix

1 pound grassfed ground beef

2 slices chemical free sprouted or sourdough bread of your choice

1 small organic onion, very finely chopped

2 pastured or free range organic eggs

1 teaspoon coarse unrefined sea salt, crushed

1/2 teaspoon organic freshly ground pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground organic cloves

  1. Chop the bread into cubes, and crumb in a blender.
  2. Break the eggs into a small bowl, and beat lightly with a fork until well combined.
  3. Add the crumbs, eggs, and all other ingredients to a large bowl, and mix until well combined. Traditionally, this would be done with your clean hands, but it is a sticky experience, and it can be hard to wash the mixture off your hands. A large spoon is a very practical alternative.
  4. Form into hamburgers and cook, or refrigerate until just before cooking. This delicious mixture should be used within 24 hours of being made.

This post is part of Real Food Wednesday Blog Carnival at Kelly the Kitchen Kop.

Read more frugal real food blogs at Pennywise Platter Thursday at the Nourishing Gourmet.

Mushroom Cream Sauce Makes Luxurious Leftovers

By Stanley A. Fishman, author of Tender Grassfed Meat

Little Mushroom
Creative Commons License photo credit: Tazmany

Grassfed meat is so filling and satisfying that we often have leftovers. I have just discovered a new favorite way to enjoy leftovers. In fact, this is so delicious that you may find yourself eating less just so you can have more leftovers to reheat.

The secret to luxurious leftovers is this traditional recipe for mushroom cream sauce. Forget about the stuff that comes out of a can, this is the real deal, made from scratch in this simple, but absolutely delicious recipe. This sauce is perfect for leftover beef, lamb, and bison. It is also excellent with any kind of ham, and could be used to reheat any meat. This is the tastiest way I know to reheat previously cooked meat. Just make sure the meat is sliced very thin. This sauce is so good that we make sure that every bit of it is served and enjoyed.

Traditional Mushroom Cream Sauce for Leftovers

2 tablespoons pastured butter

1/4 pound fresh mushrooms of your choice, sliced, (I prefer crimini, but any good fresh mushroom will do)

2 more tablespoons pastured butter

2 tablespoons organic sprouted flour, either spelt or wheat, (you could substitute your favorite unbleached healthy flour)

1 cup whole organic full fat unhomogenized milk, (you could substitute your favorite full fat unhomogenized healthy cows milk)

1/3 cup full fat organic cream, (you could substitute your favorite full fat healthy cream)

1/4 teaspoon coarse unrefined sea salt, crushed

Thinly sliced leftover meat of your choice

  1. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a medium-size, heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. When the butter is hot and bubbly, turn the heat to medium high, add the mushrooms and stir until the mushrooms are nicely browned, but not scorched. Remove the mushrooms from the pan and reserve.
  2. Turn the heat down to medium. Add 2 more tablespoons of butter to the pan. When the butter is hot and bubbly, add the flour. Stir the flour and butter with a wire whisk, until well combined. Slowly pour in the milk, a little at a time, whisking well to incorporate the milk as you add it. When all the milk has been added, add the cream and whisk well. Continue to cook, stirring, until the mixture starts to thicken. Add the salt, and the reserved mushrooms. Stir well.
  3. Add the thinly sliced meat, and cover with the sauce. Turn the heat down to low, and simmer for a minute or two, until the meat has been reheated.

Serve with the sauce and enjoy.

This post is part of Real Food Wednesday Blog Carnival at Kelly the Kitchen Kop.

Also check out Fight Back Friday at Food Renegade.

Tender Grassfed Pistachio Parsley Lamb Recipe

By Stanley A. Fishman, author of Tender Grassfed Meat

The grass smells good
Creative Commons License photo credit: Tambako the Jaguar

A very elegant and traditional French way to prepare lamb is to roast it encased in a delicious coating, which always includes parsley. Parsley has a special affinity for lamb, and the combination is both traditional and wonderful.  This version also highlights pistachio nuts, which give a very nice flavor to the lamb. Roasting the lamb in the coating keeps it juicy, enhances tenderness, and infuses the meat with the flavor of the coating.

This recipe was created by Ivy Larson, one of the authors of the bestselling book, The Gold Coast Diet. Ivy and I have become Internet pen pals, and I have really enjoyed discussing nutritional issues with her. Ivy also emphasizes the use of whole foods and the avoidance of the artificial foods that plague our culture.  Ivy, however, favors a Flexitarian approach, which emphasizes the use of a wide variety of whole foods, especially plants, along with a small amount of meat. My approach is different, as I follow the dietary recommendations of the Weston A. Price Foundation, and eat a great deal of grassfed meat and fat. Ivy does emphasize the use of grassfed meat, as opposed to factory meat. When she does cook meat, she really has a flair for it, as shown by this delicious recipe.

I recommend that anyone who is interested in a Flexitarian or “less meaty” approach to whole food nutrition check out Ivy’s website, Hot and Healthy Living.

Here is the link to Ivy’s delicious recipe, “Tender Grassfed Easter Lamb with Pistachio Parsley Crust.”

The Best Roast Duck

By Stanley A. Fishman, author of Tender Grassfed Meat

Peking Duck with Polish Flavors - recipe by Stanley Fishman

Properly roasted duck is a joy to eat. Duck has a great deal of fat, which has been prized in Europe and Asia for thousands of years. The crisp flavorful skin of a great roast duck is maybe the tastiest fat of all.  Yet most recipes for roast duck are mediocre, and do not do justice to the skin, which is the most delicious part.

There are three big issues when cooking a great duck.

  1. The skin must be dried, so it comes out crisp, not soft.
  2. The subcutaneous fat must be rendered during the cooking process, without drying out the meat.
  3. The duck‘s flavor must be enhanced by just the right amount of seasoning, rather than be overwhelmed.

My quest for the ultimate roast duck led me to many places. I tried and modified recipes from all over the world. My quest ended in Poland, and China, and Vietnam.

The flavors are from Poland. The drying technique is from Vietnam. The roasting technique is from China. The taste is from heaven.

The following recipe is the best I know for roast duck. It does a great job of rendering the interior fat, which I save and use in cooking. Even better, it has perfect crisp skin, tender juicy meat, and an absolutely wonderful flavor.

Here is the link to the recipe, which appears on Moms for Safe Food, a great website that not only educates about the dangers of artificial foods, but often contains wonderful recipes.

Peking Duck with Polish Flavors

Eating in Season: Roast Spring Lamb on the Bone

By Stanley A. Fishman, author of Tender Grassfed Meat

Roast Spring Grassfed Lamb with Asperagus and Potatoes--Recipe by Stanley A. Fishman

Roast Spring Lamb with Asperagus and Potatoes

Food is always better in season. Our ancestors knew this. Before food was industrialized, we would wait for that particular time of year that each fruit and vegetable would reach its peak of flavor and nutrition, when it would arrive at the markets with great anticipation. The first plump, juicy cherries, the first sweet corn of the year, the first fragrant peaches—were awaited eagerly and consumed with joy. People welcomed the first spring lamb of the year. This lamb, nourished by the rich green grass of spring, often flavored by the young flowers and herbs also loved by sheep, had a tenderness and flavor that was exquisite, beyond compare.

Lamb is available all year round now, and is not very popular in the United States. Most lamb raised in the US has been bred to gargantuan sizes, finished on grain rather than grass, and tastes nothing like the lamb humanity has enjoyed for most of history. No wonder people don’t like it. I don’t like it. But you can still find the real spring lamb, lamb finished on the sweet green grass of spring, lamb that is mild and sweet and tender, infused with the flavor of herbs, lamb that is absolutely delicious.

This lamb is at its absolute best when cooked on the bone, with the flavor of the meat being enhanced by the marrow, and the internal cooking aided by the heat conducted by the bone. It is even better when naturally basted with a cap of its own natural fat.

You can only find the real traditional lamb from grassfed farmers, who raise lamb the traditional way. This recipe was made with a bone in leg of lamb from Northstar Bison, whose lamb is exquisite (as is their bison).

No people honored lamb more than the Greeks, a tradition going back thousands of years. I have used Greek flavors with this wonderful grassfed lamb. Once you taste this lamb, you will understand why spring lamb was so valued.

Roast Spring Lamb on the Bone

1 (4-5½ pound) bone in leg of lamb, (if you cannot find a whole leg of lamb this small, you could use a half leg of lamb of equivalent weight)

4 cloves organic garlic, quartered

1 medium sized organic lemon, well washed

2 teaspoons fresh organic thyme leaves

1 teaspoon dried organic or imported oregano, preferably Greek or Italian

1 teaspoon freshly ground organic black pepper

1 teaspoon coarse unrefined sea salt, preferably French, crushed

4 tablespoons unfiltered organic extra virgin olive oil

  1. The night before you plan to cook the roast, cut 16 slits, about an inch deep, all over the top and sides of the lamb. Push a garlic quarter into each slit, as deep as it will go.
  2. Roll the lemon on a flat, hard surface, pressing down with your hand. This will help release the juice. Cut the lemon in quarters, and squeeze the juice into a glass bowl. Remove any seeds from the bowl. Reserve the lemon quarters.
  3. Add the thyme, oregano, pepper, salt, and olive oil to the lemon juice, and mix well to make a marinade. Place the lamb in a glass bowl, and coat well with the marinade. Crush the lemon quarters a bit in your hand (warning, your hand will smell like lemon), and press the yellow side of the lemon quarters into the meat. Cover, and refrigerate overnight.
  4. Remove the lamb from the refrigerator an hour before you plan to start cooking it, so it can come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
  5. Place the lamb in a roasting pan, fat side up, and pour any marinade left in the bowl over the lamb. Cook for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, baste with the pan drippings, and return to the oven. Cook for another 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, baste with the pan drippings, and return to the oven. Turn the heat down to 300 degrees. Cook for another 30 to 50 minutes, depending on how you like your lamb.

Serve and enjoy! Remember that lamb tastes best when it is hot, not warm.

This recipe is part of Real Food Wednesday Blog Carnival at Kelly the Kitchen Cop.

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