Last time, we broke out the primal cuts of lamb.  Do you remember what they are?

• Shoulder
• Breast
• Rack
• Loin
• Leg

Lets jump right in, starting with the shoulder.  The shoulder tends to be an underutilized cut of lamb, partially because it takes slightly more work to prepare and a bit more patience to cook.  Don’t plan on just taking it out to the grill 20 minutes before the guests arrive.

A couple of cuts that you may see in your local butcher shop are:

• Boneless Shoulder – Square cut shoulder with bones removed (can be rolled, stuffed, or cubed for stews) Recipe
• Blade Chop – Cut from blade portion of the shoulder containing part of blade bone (good for braising, panfrying, or grilling) Recipe
• Arm Chop – Cut from arm portion of shoulder contains part of the arm bone (prepared similarly to Blade Chops Recipe
• Stew Meat - Cut from boneless shoulder into cubes (perfect for stews and kebobs) Recipe

If you are lucky your butcher might also carry:

photo from www.pigpigscorner.com

• Square Cut Shoulder - Full front quarter include the arm, blade and rib bones (usually roasted) Recipe
• Lamb Neck – Slices from the neck including bone (usually braised) Recipe