Grass-Fed Lamb Information

The Basics

For years we've had a supply issue when sourcing grass-fed lamb here in the USA. That's why we now offer 100% grass-fed lamb from New Zealand. Ranchers in the southern hemisphere have a long history of raising grass-fed stock and they are good at it.

All Slanker Grass-Fed and Omega-3 Meats are Beyond Organic. The meats are natural, no sugar, no added hormones, not fed antibiotics, non-GMO, gluten free, high Omega-3, free range, cage free, and humanely raised. What actually makes our meats the healthiest meats in the world and sets them apart from all others is that they are zero glycemic, nutrient dense and diverse, with Omega-6 to Omega-3 fatty acids balances of less than 2:1. These last three points impact health and disease way more than all of the other labels combined. It's why we say "Beyond Organic" because it's the actual chemistry of our meats that makes them so healthy. Read our eBook, The Real Diet of Man for a fuller understanding of food chemistry and the chemicals that cause chronic disease.

Grass-Fed Lamb vs Grain-Fed Lamb

All meats, whether grain-fed or grass-fed, are zero glycemic.  This factor, often misunderstood by many, is critically important.  Too many of our traditional foods are high glycemic.  The primary differences between grain-fed and grass-fed livestock are nutrient loads and essential fat balances.  Grain-fed lambs, just like grain-fed people, are anemic.  Grain, the seed of an annual grass plant, cannot provide the nutrient spectrum of a green leaf.  Therefore, grass-fed lambs will have much higher levels of vitamins and many other nutrients than their grain-fed counterparts.  Of course, the really big plus is the balance, not quantities, of Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acids.  All grass-fed Lambs have healthy balances of these essential fats while grain-fed Lambs never do.

Grass-fed Lamb can have considerable fat on some cuts.  Grass-fed Lamb meat has a stronger “lamb” flavor than grain-fed lamb and the cuts are usually smaller.

Grass-Fed Lambs Are Humanely Raised

All lambs are raised humanely because lamb raisers love their lambs more than PETA folks love animals or people.  Hormone implants are banned as are subtherapeutic antibiotics.  Grain or unnatural feeds are not allowed.  Like producers here in the USA, New Zealand shepherds run health programs that follow industry standards.  Animal health is of paramount importance as is what the lambs eat.

Grass-Fed Lamb: Meat Packs

Most of our lamb cuts are vacuum packed, frozen, and freezer ready for long-term storage. It's always possible that some packs may arrive with a small tear or hole in the wrapping. If the wrapping stays tight around the product the potential for freezer burn is limited to what’s exposed directly under the hole. To prevent that, a small hole in a tight vacuum pack can be simply taped shut. But if the wrap is loose and the meat slides around inside the pack, it's best to rewrap the meat in a vacuum sealed bag for longer term storage. If the meat will be consumed within a few weeks, just wrap with cling wrap. There are no safety issues involved with small rips in the frozen meat packs.

There are good suggestions in our General Store for handy Ziploc Vacuum Seal Bags. They are very useful for storing all kinds of leftovers.

When defrosting meat packs always make sure to place them in a pan or deep dish to collect the juices. Our meat packs do not have soaker pads in them. Therefore when they are defrosting some meat juice may leak from the packaging.

Grass-Fed Lamb Cooking and Prices

Please check out our Cooking page for detailed information about preparing grass-fed meat cuts. Cooking grass-fed steaks is a challenge because they have less intramuscular fat, the animals are older than feedlot sheep, and they exercise more. That's why the steaks are usually tougher than grain-fed steaks and cooking lamb much beyond medium rare usually results in a tougher, dryer steak. Rare cannot be judged by the color of the cooked meat. Rare is a temperature. For steaks and roasts rare is 120 degrees internal temperature. We cannot control the way steaks are cooked nor can we guarantee a tender steak.

It's Not Color, But Temperature that Counts

The price of our lamb products will change with the market price of lambs.  In addition, prices may be adjusted in response to seasonal changes (for instance swings in demand between roasts and chops) in order to keep inventories flat.  Consequently, all prices are subject to change -- usually without prior notice.

For more information about grass-fed meats please go to Grass-Fed Meat Explained.