Dutch Oven Mutton

2lumpy

Long Time Member
Messages
7,960
There’s a lot of ways to cook mutton. I like all of them, but......

There is a old timer gentleman near here that cooks mutton that is completely dry when he puts it on the table. It takes him all day to prepare it and when it’s ready to eat, you can not see a drop of oil anywhere on it. It look dry, it is dry, and almost has a porous appearance. Very, very tender. Its a half inch thick, and much of it is still attached to the bone. It is nearly as dry as jerky but does not have a heavy, dense, chewy texture, like jerky.

The gentleman serves it in a Dutch Oven but there is no moisture or oil residue on the bottom. It is like it has been removed and the Dutch Oven has been wiped completely dry and the mutton put back in for serving.

Years ago I was fortune to have been invited to partake.... once or twice a year, for many years. I should have taken pictures, as evidence. Times have changed and I am no longer on the Christmas Card list. Who could have guessed.

It’s been a difficult eight or nine years, considerable sadness and despondency, to be sure.

The only person I know what the gentleman has taught to cook it is his son. Neither will share the recipe, as far as I know. For good reason, their mutton is a local living legend. It is, by far, the best I’ve ever eaten.

If anyone has a dry mutton recipe, that sounds something like what I’ve tried to describe, I certainly would appreciate aquiring a copy, of the process.

There are countless mutton recipes on Google...... finding one is about as simple as aquiring a recipe for hard boiling an egg, finding what I’m looking for..... not so much. I’ve search countless times.

If you have a recipe for this elusive culinary delight, and are willing share it, subject to a non-disclosed agreement, of course, I would so very grateful. In return for your kindness and trust, I would be willing to forward you an endangered and nearly as elusive, factory sealed, box of Federal Standard Velocity .22 long rifle shells, 300 plus count. Truly, hardy a fair trade, for such a treasure but being the poor, humble, servant that I am, it is the best I can do at this time. Should good fortune ever come my way, at some later date, I would surely forward a 100 Large Rifle Primers.

As perplexing as it seem, this recipe can’t be a one trick pony, controlled by a single family in fly over country. If life else where in the universe, someone besides two gentlemen in South Central Utah has got to know how to cook dry mutton.

Fairly frantic for help.
 
There’s a lot of ways to cook mutton. I like all of them, but......

There is a old timer gentleman near here that cooks mutton that is completely dry when he puts it on the table. It takes him all day to prepare it and when it’s ready to eat, you can not see a drop of oil anywhere on it. It look dry, it is dry, and almost has a porous appearance. Very, very tender. Its a half inch thick, and much of it is still attached to the bone. It is nearly as dry as jerky but does not have a heavy, dense, chewy texture, like jerky.

The gentleman serves it in a Dutch Oven but there is no moisture or oil residue on the bottom. It is like it has been removed and the Dutch Oven has been wiped completely dry and the mutton put back in for serving.

Years ago I was fortune to have been invited to partake.... once or twice a year, for many years. I should have taken pictures, as evidence. Times have changed and I am no longer on the Christmas Card list. Who could have guessed.

It’s been a difficult eight or nine years, considerable sadness and despondency, to be sure.

The only person I know what the gentleman has taught to cook it is his son. Neither will share the recipe, as far as I know. For good reason, their mutton is a local living legend. It is, by far, the best I’ve ever eaten.

If anyone has a dry mutton recipe, that sounds something like what I’ve tried to describe, I certainly would appreciate aquiring a copy, of the process.

There are countless mutton recipes on Google...... finding one is about as simple as aquiring a recipe for hard boiling an egg, finding what I’m looking for..... not so much. I’ve search countless times.

If you have a recipe for this elusive culinary delight, and are willing share it, subject to a non-disclosed agreement, of course, I would so very grateful. In return for your kindness and trust, I would be willing to forward you an endangered and nearly as elusive, factory sealed, box of Federal Standard Velocity .22 long rifle shells, 300 plus count. Truly, hardy a fair trade, for such a treasure but being the poor, humble, servant that I am, it is the best I can do at this time. Should good fortune ever come my way, at some later date, I would surely forward a 100 Large Rifle Primers.

As perplexing as it seem, this recipe can’t be a one trick pony, controlled by a single family in fly over country. If life else where in the universe, someone besides two gentlemen in South Central Utah has got to know how to cook dry mutton.

Fairly frantic for help.
Lumpy it's great to hear from you again. There is one guy Blank I call him Chef Blank on the website that posts almost every day with another culinary treasure.

Maybe he would have something like what you are looking for.

Anyway to good to hear from you again.

MM
 
Oh ya 53, I crawl out from under the bed every now an again. Usually when I’m need’n something from some body. MMers cover a broad spectrum of critical knowledge.

I’ve been following Blank’s posts for quite a while. The man’s clearly a freak of nature. I can say one thing about ole Blank, he can dress up a paper plate like nobody else..... and, he loves jalapeños. I’m hoping he or some other closet culinary specialist will come to my rescue. Somebody out there somewhere has got to know something!!!
 
A long time departed friend used to deep fry seasoned mutton in a Dutch oven until it was nearly crisp. (Kinda like you described) He would serve it from a clean one. Just an idea
 
Just noticed this one. Thanks for the comments on dishes I like to show. .... Afraid I'd be at a loss for how to fix a dry mutton, especially in a dutch oven; one of my least favorite meats. I like lamb OK, but as it ages it seems the grease and fat takes on a unique taste and flavor that I don't care for. I always have to skim the grease off the top while its cooking, or it ruins it for me! Maybe that's what they have been doing, simply rendering it down at low heat until all the fat has been removed??

I bet it would be good if fried in ghee (clarified butter) or a fragrant olive oil. Perhaps that is why so many recipes are all for a nice spicy biryani, or Indian curry sauce.
 
Lumpy
Use something to raise your meat a inch or two off of the bottom of the Dutch oven and it also needs to allow the grease and other juices to drip away from the meat I use one of them Dutch oven lid holders that you put your lid on when your cooking.
Just season your mutton and remember you always cook mutton hot.
 
Thanks for the suggestions folks, All make sense. I’ll start experimenting with them, maybe we’re gonna have to reinvent the wheel here.

eel i’d offer hold your beer but I’m not sure I could stand to clean up the mess. I know you’d help if ya could.
 
2Lumpy the only person I get texted from that I have ever heard of cooking mutton is your neighbor Larry ! He has invited me to partake but I have never taken him up on the offer. ?
 
I’ll have to look over his shoulder. It’s possible he could know the secret.

50 years ago everybody in town was an expert, still as far as I know, only two gentlemen cooked it dry. Now days not many cook it at all, let along make it dry. It’s slowly become a meal from our past. There aren’t may Blank types around anymore. Surprising how many folks rarely cook a full meal at home anymore. Fast food or a precooked frozen Swanson and call it good.

Tell you what BigJ, I’m going to take some of the suggestion offered here and see what I can do. If......... it’s edible, I’ll bring you up a taste.
 
I’ll have to look over his shoulder. It’s possible he could know the secret.

50 years ago everybody in town was an expert, still as far as I know, only two gentlemen cooked it dry. Now days not many cook it at all, let along make it dry. It’s slowly become a meal from our past. There aren’t may Blank types around anymore. Surprising how many folks rarely cook a full meal at home anymore. Fast food or a precooked frozen Swanson and call it good.

Tell you what BigJ, I’m going to take some of the suggestion offered here and see what I can do. If......... it’s edible, I’ll bring you up a taste.
Well maybe we need you to prepare some for our barbecue we are going to have on the mountain!
 
Lumpy
Look at cooking mutton the opposite of beef.
The idea with beef is to cook it slow use its juices from the fat to flavor it. That is why they cook Pime Rib slow and you ether baste it with its own juices or you in crust the Prime Rib to keep it's juices within.
Everyone raves about the flavor of a Rib Eye steak that is because of all the marbling (fat) that equals juices and flavor.
Mutton fat is what gives mutton that strong tallow flavor.
Trim the fat from your meet, cook it hot and fast and keep the meat from cooking I'm its own juices (fat).
Shortly after my wife and I was married she decided to cook me some mutton chops she new I really liked them, she cooked them on her new Teflon frying pan. Them mutton chops was about the worst thing I have ever eaten.
She asked my mom what did she do wrong, my mom said cook them on cast iron, cook them hot, cook them fast and keep them out of the grease. My wife got a cast iron frying pan and has cooked me many years of great mutton chops.
Lamb Tallow (grease) can be pretty good and alot of pepole use it to cook with many items that require cooking with grease.
Mutton Tallow not so, it is too strong of a flavor.
 
I can’t argue with one thing you folks have share, except homer. Sick puppy, that one. Course from his perspective, I do agree.

notdon is right about the difference between mutton tallow and lamb fat. But if mutton is eaten hot, straight out of a Dutch Oven filled with nasty old tallow, it can taste pretty dang good too, however.....mutton or lamb, with all the fat rendered out, seasoned carefully is freaking amazing. I’ve just got to figure out how to do it.

I think it’s interesting how perceptions influence our pallet. Folks talk about how bad antelope are. I’ve never killed a bad one. I think antelope, prepared right and eaten hot, is one of the best wild American game there is. I’ve had numerous hunters tell me how nasty it is. I’ve convinced a few to set down at my table and eat some I’ve prepared. They all asked for more.

I’ve had people tell me how good carp is, when catch and cooked properly. I’ve never eaten any and I don’t plan to. Same with other critters.

As a kid, I ate a fair amount of horse meat, it was great. I’m not sure everybody would agree.

I think elk, as a rule tastes nasty. At one time in my life, i ate a lot of it. I haven’t bought an elk tag in 15 years. I think I have 5 or 6 cow elk poInts in Utah. The only way I’ll ever even apply for another cow elk is if I’m starving too death or one of my grandkids or someone else’s grandkids want to hunt one.

So..... I understand the folks that don’t like mutton. We like what we like and so does everybody else. Thankfully the government hasn’t cultural shamed us out of our taste buds yet, God knows they are trying.

Thanks again folks. Anybody with anymore good meat/fat rendering techiques is certainly welcome to share them. Those that already have are much appreciated. Keeping the meat up out of the oil, as it renders out of the meat had got to be important. I think the key it will be, the right amount of heat, the right amount of time, and the right cooking pot. What ever the ole boys that are doing it, the way I’m trying do it, are taking all day to get it done. What ever it is, it’s delicious and it not your everyday mutton dry.

BigJ, I’ll cook mutton for a mountain baroque anytime you can get the boys together. It may not be this recipe but it will be hot and it will be tasty, one way or another.
 
Lamb can be great, I’ve never had passable mutton.
I buy 6-8 lbs. of shoulder lambchops in Phoenix at Basha's whenever they put them on sale.

But like you, I have no desire to eat mutton ever again.

barf.gif
 
I asked my wife just now. In our 53 years of marriage neither she nor I can remember ever eating mutton, so I can't judge.

All I know about mutton is what I hear from the hunting community. If someone shoots an old ram sheep, all I see are high fives and smiles, so I assume the older the sheep the better.
 
40 years ago my bride and I were invited to a Dutch oven mutton fry. She was pregnant at the time and spent a lot of time puking behind the cabin because of the smell. I really liked it, but needless to say mutton is not allowed in our house. She won’t even try lamb chops any more. I’ve got a big package of lamb chops in the freezer but it will have to wait till I can make a guys trip to the cabin
 
I post a lot of my cooking on Facebook. These are a couple of my recent meals featuring lamb chops.

With hot wings & baked tater

barnyardB2.JPG


Fresh ear of corn & fries

lambchopb2.JPG


Fries, steamed green beans & my homemade peppercorn sauce, which I produce a quart at a time & freeze in small portions to use on all meats.

lambsteak.jpg
 
See what a little social media will do for the red meat industry.

Somebody should be counting the clicks and payment the bill.

ODW, you sent homer right to the butcher shop this morning. You did good. I’ll take that chop, eel can have the rooster. See how thought some of us are.
 
No worries ODW, THEY say it all of it tastes bad. So we as well eat cheap bad as pricy bad.

Somebody must figure it’s not all that nasty. It’s dang near the price of non-resident mule deer.

C2CD4AB7-3DEB-4DF6-9BC8-A91FFFBD6D63.jpeg

It’s 10% off too!
 
No worries ODW, THEY say it all of it tastes bad. So we as well eat cheap bad as pricy bad.

Somebody must figure it’s not all that nasty. It’s dang near the price of non-resident mule deer.

View attachment 37691
It’s 10% off too!
YEOW.

Way back in the 1980s, I played AAA slo-pitch softball with a team sponsored by the local pop music radio station at the time. Their most poular DJ managed the team & played left field. Somehow he wrangled a game between us and the Eagles rock group in LA over a weekend. We rented a large motorhome for the trip over there on a Fri. from Phx but actually slept in a hotel courtesy of the Eagles. We played the game early Sat. evening and then went to dinner at a fancy-smancy restaurant, again courtesy of the Eagles. Thus, I ordered the most expensive entree on the menu -- a full-blown rack of lamb with all the trimmin's. I can't exactly remember, but I think it was about $50 back then.

I recall this trip quit well because my oldest son, who was in his early 20s at the time and also played ball with us, got drunk for the first time in his life. He was playing "quarters" with one of the Eagles and lost quite a few times, thus forced to down a tequila shot each time. Fast forward about a 1/2 hr. when I saw him make his way very shakedly to the men's room. I followed & was quickly greeted with the sounds of him heaving his guts out in one of the stalls.

A couple years later, something similar happened the night before his wedding in Durangio, CO when he went out with the boys. He was a disaster the next day at the church. The preacher told hm to just walk off the altar if he felt sick. Fortunately he made it all the way through without incident. BUT..that was the last time he ever drank an alcoholic beverage.
 
FYI The Cowboy Kitchen in Wellington Ut has Lamb Stew for their Thursday lunch special. Honestly, it’s to die for.
 
YEOW.

Way back in the 1980s, I played AAA slo-pitch softball with a team sponsored by the local pop music radio station at the time. Their most poular DJ managed the team & played left field. Somehow he wrangled a game between us and the Eagles rock group in LA over a weekend. We rented a large motorhome for the trip over there on a Fri. from Phx but actually slept in a hotel courtesy of the Eagles. We played the game early Sat. evening and then went to dinner at a fancy-smancy restaurant, again courtesy of the Eagles. Thus, I ordered the most expensive entree on the menu -- a full-blown rack of lamb with all the trimmin's. I can't exactly remember, but I think it was about $50 back then.

I recall this trip quit well because my oldest son, who was in his early 20s at the time and also played ball with us, got drunk for the first time in his life. He was playing "quarters" with one of the Eagles and lost quite a few times, thus forced to down a tequila shot each time. Fast forward about a 1/2 hr. when I saw him make his way very shakedly to the men's room. I followed & was quickly greeted with the sounds of him heaving his guts out in one of the stalls.

A couple years later, something similar happened the night before his wedding in Durangio, CO when he went out with the boys. He was a disaster the next day at the church. The preacher told hm to just walk off the altar if he felt sick. Fortunately he made it all the way through without incident. BUT..that was the last time he ever drank an alcoholic beverage.
Always enjoy your stories.
 
You guys & this thread did it to me! :mad:

Yesterday my wife ventured to Costco for some supplies. When she shops for groceries, I always have her call me before she checks out in case there is something I remembered for her to buy.

So yesterday, because of this discussion, when she called I told her to check out the racks of lamb, and if they were less than $15 lb. to buy one. She came home with one that weighed a bit over 2 lbs. for $24. It will get cut in half with one half on the menu for tonight & the other for the freezer.

Stay tuned for the photos manana.
 
here in yampa, co the restaurant (the Antlers) has lamb pot pie and lamb burgers that are my favorites on the menu. never loved lamb much, that greasy meat is worse in my opinion than the "gamey" taste most nonhunters refer to when they say they don't like deer meat... Never had mutton - though in reading about some bbq spots across the country, have seen some that specialize in mutton bbq. I would try it!
 
2Lumpy
If you don't find the secret way of cooking your mutton you might want to go to Lamb Days in
Ft Grean. I believe Lamb days us the weekend before the 24th of July they do a hot Lamb sandwich that is about as good as it gets. You probably could find some old timers that could give you recipes of how to cook mutton and Lamb more ways than you will probably ever try.
My mom would cook a Lamb roast and pull the meat apart, about like pulled pork and then lightly toast homemade white bread spread Miracle Whip on the toast and put on a heavy layer of hot shredded Lamb meat. It was pretty dam good.
 
YEOW.

Way back in the 1980s, I played AAA slo-pitch softball with a team sponsored by the local pop music radio station at the time. Their most poular DJ managed the team & played left field. Somehow he wrangled a game between us and the Eagles rock group in LA over a weekend. We rented a large motorhome for the trip over there on a Fri. from Phx but actually slept in a hotel courtesy of the Eagles. We played the game early Sat. evening and then went to dinner at a fancy-smancy restaurant, again courtesy of the Eagles. Thus, I ordered the most expensive entree on the menu -- a full-blown rack of lamb with all the trimmin's. I can't exactly remember, but I think it was about $50 back then.

I recall this trip quit well because my oldest son, who was in his early 20s at the time and also played ball with us, got drunk for the first time in his life. He was playing "quarters" with one of the Eagles and lost quite a few times, thus forced to down a tequila shot each time. Fast forward about a 1/2 hr. when I saw him make his way very shakedly to the men's room. I followed & was quickly greeted with the sounds of him heaving his guts out in one of the stalls.

A couple years later, something similar happened the night before his wedding in Durangio, CO when he went out with the boys. He was a disaster the next day at the church. The preacher told hm to just walk off the altar if he felt sick. Fortunately he made it all the way through without incident. BUT..that was the last time he ever drank an alcoholic beverage.
So, after your son got sick the first time after the game, he decided to 'take it to the limit one more time'? :D
 
So...., who won the softball game? Or does your son remember?
He probably does since it transpired pre-stupor. We won, but it was a close game. I think the final was 5-4.

But in my earlier post, my memory was a bit cloudy as far as the time frame. It happened in the early 1990s, not the '80s.

The radio station was KOY in Phoenix, and the DJ was Dan Armstrong. He was fairly young when he died in 2010. I don't know this as fact, but the motive for the invite was likely a repayment to Dan for playing lots of Eagles' tunes on his show.

We also had Chris Evans, a member of the Phoenix Roadrunners hockey team, as our pitcher. He was the top defenseman in the league but wound up dying at age 30 or so of a brain tumor. It was sad because he was a class act.
 
So, after your son got sick the first time after the game, he decided to 'take it to the limit one more time'? :D
I mentioned this to my wife. She said it's likely more than half the members here don't have a clue about what you meant with 'take it to the limit one more time.' She's probably right, too. :ROFLMAO:
 
Ok, I told you it was coming...last night's repast....

A raw clam appetizer...

rack4.JPG


A mixed salad...

rack.JPG


The rack, fried tators & steamed asparagus...

rack1.JPG


Yumm...cooked just right....

rack2.JPG
 
Last edited:
Not one thing wrong that ODW. In fact, there’s a whole lot perfect about it.

I think BigJ might be reconsiding who he invites to cook for the BobCat at Fish Lake!!!

Thanks for sharing!
 
2Lumpy
If you don't find the secret way of cooking your mutton you might want to go to Lamb Days in
Ft Grean. I believe Lamb days us the weekend before the 24th of July they do a hot Lamb sandwich that is about as good as it gets. You probably could find some old timers that could give you recipes of how to cook mutton and Lamb more ways than you will probably ever try.
My mom would cook a Lamb roast and pull the meat apart, about like pulled pork and then lightly toast homemade white bread spread Miracle Whip on the toast and put on a heavy layer of hot shredded Lamb meat. It was pretty dam good.
I will try to check with the folks in Fountian Green and the father in the Cedar City, if they hold them this summer. Thanks for the heads up.
 

Click-a-Pic ... Details & Bigger Photos
Back
Top Bottom