Where can I find mutton? The reason I'm looking for mature ovine meat is because I really, really, like burgoo. That's a traditional Kentucky stew (rather similar to Brunswick stew), and with the Derby this weekend, it's a way for me to pretend that I'm back in My Old Kentucky Home. [Full text of P.J.'s question after the jump.]For all the popularity that offal, goat, and other formerly déclassé meats have gained in Western culinary circles over the past decade, mutton ― or meat from sheep older than one year ― seems to stand little chance of coming back in fashion, due mostly to its gaminess. Most of the butchers I called asking for mutton responded like Bob from Guerra Meats: "Good luck!" he said, laughing. "You're going to have to paint your walls afterward, because the smell is so strong. Mutton is the reason most people are afraid of lamb."
The reason I'm looking for mature ovine meat is because I really, really, like burgoo. That's a traditional Kentucky stew (rather similar to Brunswick stew), and with the Derby this weekend, it's a way for me to pretend that I'm back in My Old Kentucky Home. (I am not a Kentuckian; I grew up in Michigan, but my fiancée's people are from Louisville and Oldham County, which is just upriver.)
Traditionally, burgoo was made with anything you had available, or could shoot: venison, pigeon ― my fiancée's mom jokes about using squirrel. But from the stories I've heard, I'm sure that squirrel was on her family's menu during the Depression.
There is a fairly popular barbecue festival that's held every year in Owensboro, Kent.; they go through about 1,500 gallons of burgoo in one weekend, which works out to a lot of mutton. The classic Owensboro recipes use mutton to get that gamey taste you'd find from squirrel and other wild meats. I've looked in some of the larger meat markets in the Mission for mutton, with no luck. So for Saturday's batch, I'm going to go with beef, pork, and lamb.
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