Best Tips for Cooking Mutton

Cooking mutton is as simple as cooking many other meats, though it does require a bit more time to properly prepare. Mutton is a tough, strong-flavored meat and must be marinated and seasoned well in order to be enjoyable. Pairing mutton with flavors that complement the meat and refraining from over-cooking it or cooking it at a high temperature are important. It is also a good idea to select high quality mutton from a knowledgeable butcher.

One of the most important tips for cooking mutton is to choose mutton that is high quality. Like any type of meat, the quality of the animal, the feed it was given prior to slaughter, and the care used when processing it have a great influence on the meat. Fresh mutton will have a significant amount of white-colored fat in the meat and will be quite dark. Sheep that have not been exposed to cramped living conditions or fed highly processed meal will also often produce higher quality meat.

After a cook has procured a piece of high quality meat, the next tip for cooking mutton is to marinate the meat. Thick pieces of mutton will need to marinate for longer than thin pieces because this type of meat does not absorb a marinade quickly. When the marinade is allowed to permeate the entire cut of meat, the flavor of the marinade is spread throughout and can mask the strong flavor that for which mutton is known.

Another important thing to do when cooking mutton is to season it well. Many people do not like the flavor of mutton because it has a strong and somewhat unusual taste. Adding the proper types of seasonings can complement the flavors in the mutton, making it more palatable. As a strong flavored meat, it requires strong flavored seasonings, such as mint, garlic, olives, or capers.

When cooking mutton, care needs to be taken that the meat is prepared to the proper internal temperature. Mutton can be cooked to any temperature but may become tough if it is cooked for a long period of time at a high temperature. People who wish to eat mutton well-done may want to cook it in a stew, giving the meat a chance to soften while those who prefer their meat medium or rare can sear it on the stove or grill or cook it in the oven with no problem.

Source: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-the-best-tips-for-cooking-mutton.htm

The Nutrients in Mutton

Mutton, the meat from adult sheep, provides a more gamey alternative to standard beef or pork. You can use mutton as you would use pork or beef, and some options are mutton stew and roast mutton. The meat is rich in a variety of minerals and vitamins, but it contains more fat than very lean cuts of beef. In moderation, mutton can be a beneficial component in an

Basic Information
An 85-gram, or 3-ounce, serving of roasted mutton contains 199 calories and no carbohydrates. Mutton provides 28 grams of protein, or 56 percent of the daily value, in each 3-ounce serving. Protein is essential for maintaining your muscle mass and building a strong immune system. A 3-ounce serving of mutton also contains 9 grams of total fat, or 14 percent of the daily value, and has 93 milligrams of cholesterol, or 31 percent of the daily value. Dietary cholesterol may raise your blood cholesterol levels, according to MayoClinic.com.

Types of Fat
A 3-ounce serving of roasted mutton contains 3.8 grams of monounsaturated fat and 0.7 grams of polyunsaturated fat. It also contains 4.3 grams of saturated fat, which raises your cholesterol levels. Unsaturated fats may be heart-healthy nutrients because they lower your blood cholesterol levels when you substitute them for saturated fats, according to MayoClinic.com. Adults should limit saturated fat intake to 10 percent of total calories, or 22 grams of saturated fat per day on a 2,000-calorie diet.

Minerals
Each serving of mutton provides 4 milligrams of iron, or 22 percent of the daily value. Iron is necessary for healthy red blood cells and preventing anemia, and the iron from meat is in the form of heme iron, which is easy for your body to absorb. Zinc is a mineral that promotes a strong immune system, and a 3-ounce serving of mutton supplies 5 milligrams of zinc, or 33 percent of the daily value. A 3-ounce portion of mutton provides 348 milligrams of potassium and 115 milligrams of sodium. Potassium helps counter the effects of sodium, and a high-potassium, low-sodium diet helps lower your blood pressure, according to MayoClinic.com.

Vitamins
A three-ounce portion of cooked mutton supplies 3.8 micrograms of vitamin B-12, or 32 percent of the daily value. Vitamin B-12 is an essential nutrient for producing healthy red blood cells, according to the Linus Pauling Institute Micronutrient Information Center. Older adults are at higher risk for deficiency. Each serving of mutton contains 5.5 milligrams of niacin, or vitamin B-3, or 28 percent of the daily value. Niacin is necessary for metabolizing carbohydrate, fat and protein from your diet.

Source: http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/nutrients-mutton-1347.html