Not any part of the lamb is good for shabu-shabu, but it's generally better to choose the more tender and flavorful parts of the lamb. Shabu-shabu uses the classic 8 main parts of lamb, including: cucumber strips, lamb loin, lamb brain, lamb tendon, lamb crotch, lamb triquetra, head sinker, and lamb tendon.
1, cucumber strips
Cucumber strips are the inner thigh portion of the hind leg of sheep, a piece of meat two colors. It is connected to the crotch meat and is shaped like two connected cucumbers. The meat is light red in color, tender, moderately fat and thin, with a tender texture, and is a favorite of many old Beijingers. It is divided into small cucumber strips and large cucumber strips.
2. Lamb loin
Sheep spine on both sides of the spine, immediately behind the spine of a small strip of meat, long and thin fibers, this part of the meat is thin, long easy to shabu shabu firewood. Pure lean, tender flavor.
3. Sheep's upper brain
Sheep's upper brain is called "upper brain" because it is close to the head of the sheep. The fat in this part of the meat is evenly mixed and distributed like marble spots, and the texture is tender.
4, lamb tendon meat
and pig's hoof tendon is the same, lamb tendon is the ligament of sheep's hooves. Lamb tendon meat loin nest, fifty percent fat, crispy flavor. The meat of the waist nest with the ribs removed, as the saying goes, "the top of the incense sticking to the bone meat", so this part of the meat is the most flavorful. The white part is made up of sinew, fascia, fat and meat***, and has a beautiful texture and flavor. It is especially noteworthy because it is the only two pieces of crunchy meat in the lamb, which has an exceptional texture.
5, sheep grinding crotch
Sheep grinding crotch is the buttock tip meat, soft texture, because by the tail part of the sheep, so the most fresh and easy to stink. Twenty percent fat, taste fat tender.
6, sheep three fork
Sheep three fork is actually the upper hind leg, the whole piece of meat to form a "Y" shape, so it is called three fork. Some of the more subdivided store will have "big three fork" and "small three fork", small three fork is the part of the front leg of the sheep, the big three fork is the back leg part of the sheep, than the small three fork and then some fat.
7, a sinking
A sinking is a piece of meat on the outside of the thigh of the sheep, many people will be confused with the "big three forks", compared to the big three forks, a sinking of a higher percentage of lean meat, meat is more tender. The upper part of the hind leg of the big three fork fifty percent fat, taste fat and tender.
8, lamb tendon
Tendon meat is the muscle of the thigh, wrapped in a membrane of flesh, hidden tendons, moderate hardness, grain rules. There is very little tendon meat that can be used for shabu-shabu, no more than three taels on a sheep, and this part of the meat tastes the most crunchy and tender. It is purely lean and crispy.