The Silence of the Lamb

After having such a rip roaring good time at a pig butchering demonstration (click here), I craved more blood, meat and sinew. Instead of pig, Jeffrey Ruhalter of Jeffrey’s Meat Market, butchered a grass fed Colorado lamb. Already hacked into four large sections when we arrived, this formerly 50 pound lamb was given the impromptu name of Fred. (The goat lying nearby was also christened Fred, so it seems Fred was the name du jour.)

Jeffrey announced in his usual grandiose manner, “We’ll start at the nose and end at the toes.” Except this lamb’s head was already removed. So we technically started at the neck, which due to frequent movement, is firm and sinewy. Perfect for braising.

The man - Jeffrey Ruhalter

Interestingly enough, Jeff explains that sinew breaking down is how we get the common place terminology - “fall off the bone.”

Saturday’s demonstration was more A.D.D. than the pig demonstration, but having the attention span of a fruit fly, I went right along with the abruptly changing flow.

Myself and Robecca (my lamb compadre) were treated to an astounding five tastings in the demonstration. Five tastings which reflected the ambling afternoon we spent with Jeff.

Tastings included:

1. Pasteles

2. Dry aged beef
3. Colorado rack of lamb
4. Nova salmon lox
5. Lamb loin with Jeffrey’s secret seasoning

Since Jeff is such a fixture in the neighborhood, it sometimes happens that locals come in and bestow gifts upon their mighty butcher. This is how we came upon our first tasting of the day: homemade pasteles. A tiny, possibly Puerto Rican woman sold two pasteles to a deliriously drooling Jeffrey for what appeared to be a mere $2.

Homemade pasteles

Pasteles, are a Latin or Caribbean dish similar to a tamale that is made from plantains, green banana, yuca, taro, potato, pumpkin, and spices. It can also have meat inside the filling. Cooked by boiling the pasteles in parchment paper, the actual preparation of is so very labor intensive, it is typically only made for Christmas and Easter. We sampled the still steaming pastales by dipping the plantain mixture into hot sauce, which gave it a much needed kick.

Returning to our aforementioned lamb, Jeff carved out lamb shank, lamb breast, lamb loin, lamb chops, and some lamb fat, which is a main ingredient in lanolin. If you ever get the urge to rub yourself with some lamb fat, remember its very beneficial for the skin!

One key topic Jeffrey focused on was the different textures present in different cuts of lamb. Since most people are only familiar with eating the lamb chop, they are unaware of the buttery and often deeply flavored other sections of meat.

Best lamb chops ever!

A second topic Jeff devoted a big portion of time to is that Master of Evolution himself - Charles Darwin. Specifically, Jeffrey spoke about the genetic similarities between goat, lamb, and pig and he literally showed us the same cuts of meat from all the animals on the table. It was astounding to see the almost identical similarities once you get under the skin. Its just that 1% genetic variation that makes a pig a pig, and a goat a goat.

Jeff enthusiasm for his work oozed right out of him just as it did in the pig demonstration. He even stopped at one point to simply say “I love this shit.” As if we didn’t know that already? The man is born to be the showman butcher that he is, taking his craft to a higher level with his generosity and love for his local community.

The lamb that Jeff cooked for us, was in a word - heaven. Packed with bold flavor and the right amount of fat for even more taste, I simply had never encountered such a damn fine lamb chop. Considering its only the third time I’ve ever had lamb (outside of shawarma), I find myself ruined and destined to live out the rest of my days buying the best cuts of meat from Jeffrey’s Meat Market.

P.S. The lamb had no head, but the goat did and here it is!