[Jacob-list] FW: Top 3 best tasting lamb breeds

[Melanie Boxall]

"Some of the 85 tasters objected to meat with gamy flavor, while others rated gaminess as "better."

There's your problem, right there. Taste testing will always be a problem when things like that are at play. 

We only raise Jacobs for meat (the reason I'm usually quiet on the list) and while I may be a little biased, I believe it to be the finest lamb of all. My reasoning is that a 3-year-old entire ram can be eaten as lamb. 


Melanie
"Not all who wander are lost."
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Sue Roenke 
  To: jacob-list at jacobsheep.com 
  Sent: Friday, September 24, 2010 12:23 PM
  Subject: [Jacob-list] FW: Top 3 best tasting lamb breeds


  I am not sure which list this discussion was on, but I emailed Sheep! magazine to see if I could find the little box stating Jacob was 3rd best and here is the long response I got...LOL  Guess we need to cook it better?  :-)


  Sue (Marie's mom)




  From: Sheep Magazine Editor [mailto:sheepmagazine at citynet.net] 
  Sent: Thursday, September 23, 2010 1:01 AM
  To: Sue Roenke
  Subject: Re: Top 3 best tasting lamb breeds



  Hi Sue,



  I'm sorry it took me so long to get this for you.



  The story was cited in the Jan/Feb 2010 issue, on page 21.



  The ALBC lamb-tasting event took place Monday, Sept. 15, 2008.  My sister and my niece were participants.



  It was sadly very non-scientific, with untrained tasters, a bunch of "breeds" of potentially high variability, very small samples, some way overcooked; some bloody (too rare).



  It is true that the very rare Santa Cruz came in first; Tunis came in second and Jacob came in third.  But if going on points alone, the Navaho Churro would have come in second.  Because of the oddly subjective way of rating, Churros came in dead last.  Some of the 85 tasters objected to meat with gamy flavor, while others rated gaminess as "better."



  Toughness and tenderness were unfortunately probably the most focused-on criteria, which is way out of sync with what polls say the public's repeat-purchasing criteria are.



  One of the "breeds" was "Australian supermarket."



  At least the test was "blind," using only numbers to identify the samples.



  For the record, my sister scored the Australian Supermarket and Katahdin as tied for highest scoring, based on Flavor, Texture & Appearance.



  Second for her was the Jacob.



  Third for her was a 4-way tie between Tunis, Gulf Coast, St. Croix, and Leicester Longwold.



  She rated Santa Cruz fourth (or next to last).



  Last, she said it was a tie between Hog Island and Navaho Churro.



  Highest possible score was 6 in any category.  Highest she gave was a 5.



  It may be a "given" though, since her husband is a very successful chef, having owned and run for many years a 500 seat restaurant and managed kitchens in many excellent restaurants in France, Italy & Spain, and also in Florida, Wash. D.C. and Alaska.



  She's probably not as "wet behind the ears" as many of the other attendees.  She's been eating top gourmet lamb dishes for the past 25 years or so.



  As with many others the others rated appearance on things like "too white" (likely overcooked, or they didn't know lamb is much lighter-looking than mutton).



  I suspect Jacob would have been at least tied for first place if it had been cooked better, or if they'd used identical meat cuts for the comparisons.

    ----- Original Message ----- 

    From: Elaine Belanger 

    To: Sheep Magazine Editor 

    Sent: Monday, August 09, 2010 3:29 PM

    Subject: Fwd: Top 3 best tasting



    Hi Nathan, here is a fun question for you! Top 3 best tasting sheep. LOL 

    I did not reply to Sue and leave it to you. 

    Thanks, Elaine



    Elaine Belanger

    sheep! magazine

    145 Industrial Dr

    Medford, WI 54451

    800-551-5691

    sheepmag at tds.net







    Begin forwarded message:





    From: "Juniper Manor" <jmanor at betterhousingtc.org>

    Date: August 9, 2010 1:13:56 PM CDT

    To: <sheepmag at tds.net>

    Subject: Top 3 best tasting



    I think a couple years ago, you had a little box in one of your magazines with the top 3 best tasting sheep – third being Jacob.  Can you help me find a link to that?  Thanks!

    Sue

    Sue Roenke

    Site Manager

    Juniper Manor

    24 Elm Street

    Trumansburg, NY 14886

    607-387-5922 Fax 607-387-9055

    Better Housing for Better Communities and Better Lives.





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