DON'T LAMBASTE LAMB JUST YET: SAMPLE IT FREE THIS WEEKEND

So you think lamb has a "muttony, goaty" taste and "smells up the complete house" while cooking.

"Not so," says Charlie Knote, a cook-out cook who shares many recipes with the public via his cookery articles which appear in the Southeast Missourian's monthly tab, "The Best Year' (TBY).

Knote, who will conduct a free barbecue seminar this weekend at Cape Girardeau's Town Plaza Parking Lot, will feature lamb.

"The seminar will be held east of Wedges's," said Knote. "We'll be giving away free prizes, and free samples of barbecued lamb."

Sponsors for the six-hour seminar, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, include Bargain Factory of Murphysboro, Ill., Charmglow Grills of DuQuoin, Ill., and Clayton Meats, of St. Louis.

Among prizes to be presented will be a duo-burner gas grill, a bag of gas-grill, permanent pumice briquettes and a portable gas grill.

"Free samples of the barbecue lamb will available from 11 a.m. to about 2 p.m., or when the lamb is gone," said Knote.

"You will find that lamb does not taste goaty," he added. "Lamb are different now than several years ago. Our lamb now comes from meet-breed sheep which are grain fed four to eight weeks and weigh 125 to 140 pounds before processing."

The process eliminates nearly all of the lamb's potential muttony taste and odor, said Knote.

Knote says lamb steak should be marinated up to two hours at room temperature, or overnight in the refrigerator.

Knote said smart barbecuers stop cooking lamb at 155 degrees, or when it has a pale pink center "done" stage. Others want lamb very rare, or when it has a red center "done" stage.

"You'll be surprised how tender and flavorful that lamb can be," he said.