Lamb / Sheep Cuts by Chart

This chart shows U.S. Lamb Primal Cuts. Canada uses the same cuts but with names in both English and French.. There are two different cut styles used in the U.S. - Style A (13th rib goes with loin, no surloin (next cut is leg)) and Style B (no rib goes with loin, surloin is cut from Style A leg).

Australia / New Zealand primal cuts are very close to U.S. Style-B, though subprime cuts are a little different. Traditional British cuts are quite different (Click on English Chart for English cuts), but England seems to be shifting to the Australian system. See Links for further details.
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Shoulder #206
Shoulder	Roast	This is the sheep equivalent of the beef chuck roast, but goes lower and includes the sholder joint and part of the leg bone (left in photo). The photo specimen was 7 inches long, 5 inches wide, 4 inches thick and weighed 2.8 pounds. This cut has a complex bone structure and some rather large fat deposites.
Shoulder	Steak	This is the sheep version of the beef 7 bone steak, complete with a 7 shaped slice of the shoulder blade. It is sliced from the Lamb Shoulder Roast. The photo specimen was 8 inches long, 3-1/2 inches wide, 3/4 inch thick and weighed 8-1/2 ounces.

Rack #204	Officially, this primal cut is both sides as a saddle, but in markets its generally sold by the side. To many Americans this is the most desirable part of the lamb - used in many of the fanciest classic lamb recipes. It's also very much the most expensive especially since there isn't all that much meat on it.
Rack	Whole Rack of Lamb	The photo specimen was 12-1/2 inchs long, 8 inches wide and weighed 2 pounds 9 ounces.
Rack	Lamb Chops	. These chops will be of varying size and meatiness due to position in the rack. Note that the feather bones (above the spine) are removed as is the outer layer of fat and miscellaneous bones.

Loin #231	The Lamb Loin is generally sold as a half loin (the full primal cut is a saddle including both sides) and is "trimmed" by removal of the flank, which is rather small in any case and mostly tough membranes.
Loin Trimmed	Whole	This is a fairly meaty cut and sells at a higher price than some other lamb cuts. The photo specimen, purchased at a multi-ethnic market in Los Angeles, conforms to neither Style A (13th rib only) or Style B (no rib) in having ribs 11 12 and 13. It was 11 inches by 6 inches and weighed 2.1 pounds. Cut to Style A it would have been 1 pound 11 ounces, 9 inches by 6 inches. The short loin part of the tenderlon can be seen in the upper right.
Loin Trimmed	Lamb Loin Chops	. The loin may include 1 to 3 ribs which are not proper loin chops (the photo shows two rib chops on the left). The loin chops are quite meaty, containing only a thin T-shaped bone. Actually, they are mineature T-Bone and Porterhouse steaks.

Sirloin #234G	This cut exists only with cutting Style B, In Style A it's part of the Leg. U.S. Lamb is generally cut to Style A unless specifically ordered as Style B, generally by an institutional buyer or restaurant

Leg #233	Leg of Lamb is prized everywhere lamb is eaten. It is highly popular in France, and the French will pay a good price. This often results in good prices for other parts of the lamb in England, Scotland and Wales, The legs having all been shipped to France.
Lamb Leg, Whole		The leg shown is "shank on", but that's optional with the meat cutter. This leg was 21 inches long, 11 inches wide, 4-1/2 inches thick and wighed 11-1/2 pounds.

Breast #209	This is the lamb equivalent of pork spare ribs, cut from the front of the sholder back to the division between rack and loin, and from mid-rib to keel.
Beast, Whole		While in position this cut is the equivalent of pork spare ribs, it is otherwise not so equivalent. Those who have chosen a religion that forbids pig will mercifully never know how severely they are being punished.

Foreshank #210
Shanks		Lamb shanks are popular in all lamb eating cultures. The meat is flavorful and there's plenty of connective tissue to make good soups. The photo specimens were 7 inches long, 2-1/2 inches wide and 1-3/4 inches thick at the big end. They weighed 11-1/2 ounces each.

Other Cuts	While these unnumbered cuts are not normal to American supermarkets, they are very popular in some other countries. Here in Southern California they are all easily available from ethnic markets.
Head		Lamb heads are a prized delacy in the cuisines of the Middle East, Turkey, Armenia and the Stans. American military personnel in Iraq who've asked for a "real authentic Iraqi dinner" generally regret their request as dinner stares back at them while the Iraqis beam with pride at the fine fare they have provided. Lamb head is also quite popular in Norway.
Neck		Lamb Necks are useful for stews and the like. The meat is fairly dark and flavorful, and there is little fat. The photo specimens were 4 inches long, 2-1/2 inches high and 3 inches across and weighed 1 pound each. Each of these chunks contained two neck bones. Keep in mind, if using an English recipe that uses the traditional English lamb cuts, "neck" means something quite different. See the English Lamb Chart.
Mutton Chunks		Here in Southern California, Mutton is often cut into chunks, similar to how Goat is often cut, but into larger chunks. Most mutton available here is imported frozen from Australia or New Zealand. The photo specimens were about 50% bone, but quite low in fat.
Feet		Lamb feet are used mainly to add substance to soups and stews. They appear in recipes from regions where cows can't be economically raised and pigs are forbidden (or way too expensive to raise). The photo specimens, from New Zealand, were 6-1/2 inches long and weighed 4.9 ounces each.
Fat		In regions where people adhere to a religion that forbids lard, the best they can do is sheep fat. For this purpose special breeds of sheep are raised that store large amounts of fat in their tails and/or rumps. This fat is considered of much higher quality than that found on other parts of a sheep. This fat is very important for frying and inclusion in recipes in the Middle East, Pakistan and Central Asia. These breeds are not raised on a commercial scale in North America, so here we must use fat from other parts of the sheep. Photo by Amir264 distributed under licese Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike v4.0 International.

Innards	In traditional agricultural regions, all edible parts of an animal are eaten, including internal organs. These are different in taste and texture from muscle meats and some are highly prized and expensive. Most Americans, however, are unfamiliar with them and how they are used, so innards tend to be rather economical here.
Tongue		Lamb tongues are eaten by pretty much every culture where lamb is a significant item in the diet. They are sometimes pickled. The photo specimens, packed in a tray of 6, were 5 inches long and weighed 2.7 ounces each.
Kidneys		Lamb kidneys are eaten by pretty much every culture where lamb is a significant item in the diet. They are similar in size, shape and taste, and are generally interchangeable with pig kidneys (unless you're a Muslim or observant Jew). The photo specimens were 3-3/4 inches long and weighed 3-3/4 ounces each.
Liver		As with the livers of other meat animals, lamb liver is usually cooked with onions. The photo specimen was 0.7 pound, 7 x 5 x 7/8 inches.
Heart		Lamb hearts are eaten by pretty much every culture where lamb is a significant item in the diet. The meat is dark and tough, so needs long cooking (4 hrs simmering). The photo specimens were 4-1/4 x 3 x 2 inches and wighed 10-3/4 ounces, a significant part of which is hard fat. Pig hearts are larger, cheaper and much less fatty, but forbidden by Islam and Judaism.
Spleen (Melts)		These are usually labeled "Lamb Melts" in the markets to avoid the rather anatomical "Spleen". It is most used in North African cooking, but also anywhere sheep and goat are feature meats. The larger of the two photo specimens (front and back) was 6-1/2 inches long, 4 inches wide and 1 inch thick, weighing 5-1/2 ounces. .
Lungs (Lights)		Lungs are called for in some recipes, most notabley for Scottish Haggis, as well as some recipes originating from the Middle East, "The Stans", North Africa, and China. It is, however, illegal to sell lungs in the U.S. and Canada, so you must slaughter and disassemble your own lamb.
Tripe		Lamb tripe is much thinner than beef but may take as long to cook depending on desired texture. The photo specimen was about 13 inches by 10 inches and weighed 1 pound, but they may be up to about 1-1/2 pounds.
Brains		Lamb brains are eaten in most lamb growing regions, but have not been easy to find here in Southern California (which is not much of a lamb growing region). In Autumn 2013 I did find some, imported from Australia, packaged in individual plastic bags arranged six to a foam tray. Typically, they were 3 inches wide by 3-1/2 inches long and weighed 3-1/4 ounces each. subst: Sweetbreads are considered a superior substitute.
Sweetbreads		Lamb sweetbreads are particularly popular in Latin America and Turkey. There are two types, usually served together. Throat Sweetbreads (thymus) are cylindrical in shape while the Heart Sweetbreads (pancreas) are roughly spherical. I have yet to see them here in Southern California where even cow sweetbreads are not common.
Testicles Lamb fries		Lamb testicles are well regarded by non-squemish eaters. they are generally shipped frozen from Australia or New Zealand. The photo specimens were purchased from a multi-ethnic market in Los Angeles, (Altadena) just under 1-1/2 pounds packed in a foam tray of 5. The largest was 3-1/2 inches long, 2-1/2 inches diameter and weighed 5-7/8 ounces. The smallest was 3-1/4 inches long, 2 inches diameter and weighed 3-5/8 ounces.