I Try It So You Don’t Have To: Canned Corned Mutton

I confess, I have an affinity for salty meat products. I have been known to buy a can of dried beef and just snack on it with some bread and cheese. However, canned corned beef is not something I seek out. As much as I love corned beef hash, I find the canned stuff nasty. So when I saw this can of corned mutton on the shelf I knew it must be mine.

I’m so happy this label was clear that the mutton included juices, because I hate dry mutton. I like it nice and lean.

To be truthful, I have never had mutton that I am aware of, though I love lamb. I hoped my first introduction to mutton in this form would not ruin it for me. I popped open the can and was greeted with the universal smell of all canned meat products: the aroma of wet dog food.

It did not look particularly appealing on the surface, but the visible layer of fat was a sign of things to come. I got my trusty fork ready and dug in to see what I was in for.

The texture was actually better than I expected. Unlike other canned meat products, you can actually see the meat fibers in this instead of  the usual unrecognizable meat pulp. The taste, however, was mostly salt. It wasn’t bad, it just didn’t have the punch of lamb flavor that I was hoping for. I decided I needed to see how it would taste hot. I fired up a pan and dropped a few forkfuls into it to get it hot and crispy.

As soon as it started to cook the smell of lamb began to permeate the kitchen. “Now, we’re talking,” I thought. I could also see the fat rendering out, which gave me high hopes for getting some good brown and crispy bits. It didn’t hold together very well when I flipped it, but the color and smell were much more appealing. If you don’t like lamb, the smell would be off-putting, but I love it so it was a positive for me.

The one drawback to cooking it was the appearance of all of the gristly, fatty bits that separated from the meat after cooking. They didn’t enhance it at all. The flavor after cooking was good. Not great, but good. The lamb flavor was very strong and helped to balance the saltiness. I could totally see this as an ingredient in hash instead of traditional corned beef. It would amp up the flavor and provide a great counterpoint to the saltiness of the meat and other flavors traditionally included in hash. Canned corned mutton gets a surprising “Try it” from me.