Came across this on the Meat & Wool NZ web site, and thought many would not be aware of the research done on the comparison of tenderness/taste of the different sex of lambs. The processing companies have made some decisions in that area but was it backed by the science??? Worth a read. A summary: The flavour of aroma of meat from ram lambs( and crypts) has been compared with that of ewe & wether lambs many times, but there is little concensus on the differences. Probably because they are small or non existent!! There is some evidence in the US (not in NZ) that heavy older ram lambs may have a more intense flavour. This could bring a marketing opportunity for this different product. Ram lamb meat carries less fat than ewe lambs and has a slightly higher ph.- This may affect quality. Several studies ( but not all) showed ram meat to be less tender than ewe lamb meat. The writers of this article believe that there are enough unanswered questions in this area to suggest more research should be done .
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