Lamb is much smaller and leaner than pork and beef, so there are fewer cuts of interest to the backyard cook. And lamb is much different than mutton which comes from older animals. As with beef, the best cuts are from the back of the animal.
Rack This is a section of eight ribs with the loin meat attached, the same cut as bone-in prime rib of beef or pork crown roast. Only lamb loins are much narrower in diameter. But the meat is heavenly.
Rib Chops Cut between the ribs for lollipop like chops. I think the best prep is to cut every second rib making double wide chops (below). Marbled, tender, juicy, grilled to medium rare, they are simply spectacular.
Ribs Some butchers actually sell the front seven ribs in a slab with the loin muscle removed. Not exactly a he-man meal, there is not much meat on them and a lot of fat. I don't recommend them.
Loins and Loin Chops From just behind the rib section comes the loin, home of the most amazing porterhouse and T-bone type cuts. They are best when cut thick, have a bit of fat to be trimmed, and an adult serving is a minimum of three chops because they are so small, but they possess some of the most tender and flavorful meat I know on any animal.
Legs Cone shaped, lamb hind legs are a twisted mass of muscles, sinew, and fat, but the whole leg can be roasted, with or without smoke, and you get a whole range of doneness from well done at the tapered end by the shank, to rare at the hip end, if you wish. Or you can take the leg apart, remove the bone, and cut it into chunks that make great grilling. The leg can be cut crosswise into steaks, but they can be tough.
Shoulder Another group of complex muscles that can be cut into arm chops and blade chops, but is better roasted whole or chunked for grilling. Some butchers sell boneless shoulders wrapped in mesh. Below is a whole shoulder I cooked in the same fashion as a pork shoulder, smoked low and slow for hours.
Shank About the same size as turkey drumsticks, they are usually braised in a flavorful liquid.
Saddles You can order a lamb hind saddle, which is both legs connected to the spine and running all the way up through the sirloin. You can also order a rib saddle, which is a rib cage from the spine half way down the side, including the ribeye. Next best thing to cooking a whole lamb.
Stew and kabab meat If you don't want to cook a whole lamb or shoulder, take the whole jugsaw puzzle apart, trim off the excess fat and sinew, and then cut the muscles into large chunks about 2" square. Grill them like kebabs, but without the metal skewer. If you cut the chunks too small it is impossible to get a dark exterior and all the rich flavors that come with it without overcooking the interior.
Great informative article. I have probably cut over a million pound of lamb in the almost 30 years of being a meat cutter and what I can say is U.S.A. lamb today has about 300-400% more fat now than it did when I first started. It's great for grilling, but bad for the bottom line. This is why I believe you do not see domestic lamb in grocery stores, but the New Zealand, Australian lamb, leaner, cheaper, but a more gamey. Once again , nice article.