[Bionic]

I will be sending a couple off at the end of the month but already have a load of lamb in the freezer. I would make more use of it as mince but just wondered if the abattoir would think I am stupid asking for a whole lamb to be minced.

[Me]

Yes they would. Who is paying? If it is you do you care?

[Anke]

Could be quite fatty... depending on lamb.

[SallyintNorth]

Exactly.  It's your lamb, who cares what anyone else thinks?  I know people who get all their weaners made into sausages, because they are easier to use up and to sell.

The only thing that occurs to me is to make sure that the fatty and lean get well-mixed.  Usually it's not the best, leanest parts that get minced, so the ratio of fat and not-meat to lean meat is quite high. 

If you are wanting alternatives to all mince, but not joints, you could have some leg steaks, loads of chops, and some diced.  (Afelia!    )

[Bionic]

Exactly.  It's your lamb, who cares what anyone else thinks?  I know people who get all their weaners made into sausages, because they are easier to use up and to sell.

The only thing that occurs to me is to make sure that the fatty and lean get well-mixed.  Usually it's not the best, leanest parts that get minced, so the ratio of fat and not-meat to lean meat is quite high. 

If you are wanting alternatives to all mince, but not joints, you could have some leg steaks, loads of chops, and some diced.  (Afelia!    )

I have loads of chops in the freezer now and we will be eating some alter this week. OH tends to be happier with bits of meat he can't recognise though so mince would work well.
 
thanks everyone

[suziequeue]

We are going to be doing exactly that with our two old cull ewes this autumn. We've got enough legs and shoulders in the freezer. Mince means that I can make moussaka, bolognese sauce, sheperd's pie, lasagne, burgers……..

[Dogwalker]

 Don't know how much it costs to get the butcher to do it.
I bought an electric mincer secondhand from someone on another forum and it works really well.
I can't post a link to one on ebay for some reason.  They're about £30.  Like the firwst one that came up in the search for meat mincer.

[trish.farm]

so if you had plenty of lamb, which would be the best bits of the lamb to mince if you had the choice?

[bloomer]

i can see it being something id consider down the line, although the concept of too much lamb in the freezer is hard to get my head around!!!

[Bionic]

i can see it being something id consider down the line, although the concept of too much lamb in the freezer is hard to get my head around!!!

Bloomer, thats because you have only just gotten yours. Wait until you start breeding. you will need to do something with them then 

[SallyintNorth]

so if you had plenty of lamb, which would be the best bits of the lamb to mince if you had the choice?

Generally you want less-than-totally lean for good mince, so neck, shoulder, belly.  But those are all my favourite cuts for long slow pot roasts!  Or, in a Rayburn, just long slow roast!

[bloomer]

believe me as a family of 6 we'll manage!!!

[sokel]

A friend had this done with one of her pigs and a lamb last year
We really do have too much meat in general in our Freezers.
We have gone from one freezer indoors to 1 indoors and 2 massive chest freezers in the Garage.
We have Lamb, goat, pork and Beef in them. We are now on a mission to get some used ready for this years lambs and beef to go in 

[langfauld easycare]

  i got it done to an old blackie ewe who was running on 3 legs so couldnt be sold through the ring .came back as mince and burgers(done by puddle dub buffalo) worked well . hell of a fat came out the burgers when cooking but they were a nice change   

[Slimjim]

I regularly do this for our own consumption. Mince is so versatile in the kitchen and there's no problem with the butcher. It is particularly useful if you have a small lamb for some reason when the joints and chops etc would be tiny.