Cuts of Lamb

The tenderness of a cut of lamb depends on what part of the lamb it comes from. Lambs are divided into five different areas, called primal cuts. The illustration shown here identifies the primal cuts of lamb. The primal cuts are then further divided to make the market-ready cuts of lamb that appear in retail stores, or are ground to make ground lamb. The rest of this guide covers the primal lamb cuts in detail, providing illustrations of the market-ready cuts taken from each primal cut, and explaining the best cooking methods for each market-ready cut.