What Is Hogget? (And Why It Might Beat Lamb)

Ask The Farmers — straight answers from Michael & Carolyn Emeny, 4th-generation Mudgee farmers and owner/operators of Mudgee Meat

Hogget is lamb that's grown up — specifically, a sheep between about 12 and 24 months old, once its front two milk teeth have been replaced with adult teeth. That single change is what moves it out of the "lamb" category altogether. It's not a lesser cut, a mislabel, or old stock — it's a genuinely different eating experience, with a richer flavour, a bit more fat, and a firmer bite than young lamb. It's also something you'll struggle to find almost anywhere else — it doesn't appear on either Our Cow's or ButcherCrowd's range at all. We're Michael and Carolyn Emeny — 4th-generation farmers from Mudgee in the NSW Central Tablelands, and the founders of Mudgee Meat. Hogget's one of those things a lot of Australians have heard of but never actually tried, so here's what it is, how it compares to lamb, what you get in a pack, and a recipe to try it for yourself — answered the way we'd tell a mate over the farm gate.

What actually makes something "hogget" and not "lamb"

The lamb-hogget-mutton split isn't a marketing term or a quality grade — it's an age classification, and in Australia it's traditionally checked at the teeth, not the calendar.

  • Lamb — under 12 months old, with no permanent incisors yet (still on milk teeth).
  • Hogget — roughly 12 to 24 months old, once the front two milk teeth have been replaced with permanent adult teeth.
  • Mutton — over 24 months old, with more of the adult teeth through.

That teeth check exists because it's a reliable physical marker of age, and age is what actually drives the differences in the meat — not a processor's decision about what to call it. A sheep doesn't become hogget because someone changes the label; it becomes hogget because it's had another six-plus months to grow, develop more fat cover, and build more flavour into the muscle.

Why some people genuinely prefer it to lamb

The honest answer is that hogget and lamb aren't better or worse than each other — they're different, and which one you prefer comes down to what you're after.

  • Richer flavour. The extra months add depth that young lamb simply hasn't had time to develop yet. Customers who grew up eating hogget or mutton often say it's the flavour they actually remember — young lamb can taste comparatively mild by contrast.
  • More fat, better basting. Hogget carries a bit more fat than lamb, which renders down during a slow cook and helps keep roasts and shoulder cuts moist rather than drying out.
  • A firmer bite, not a tough one. It's not as tender as young lamb — it asks for a different cooking approach, not a lower standard. Treated right, that firmer texture holds up beautifully to a proper low, slow cook.
  • Genuinely good value. Because most of the market skews toward young lamb, hogget tends to offer more eating for the money — a real consideration if you're feeding a family or entertaining.

None of this makes hogget the "right" choice over lamb across the board. If you want a quick, tender midweek chop on the grill, lamb's still the easier option. If you want a slow-cooked leg or shoulder with real depth of flavour, hogget is worth trying at least once.

Why almost nobody sells it

Most of the Australian market — supermarkets, mainstream butchers, and the newer online meat subscription brands alike — is built entirely around young lamb. Neither Our Cow nor ButcherCrowd, the two biggest names in online meat delivery alongside us, stock hogget at all. Part of it comes down to volume: hogget makes up a smaller share of what comes off any given farm than lamb does, so it's not always worth a retailer's while to carry it as a standing product. Part of it is simply that most shoppers have never been introduced to it, so there's less demand pulling it onto the shelf in the first place. That's exactly why we've kept it in our range in limited numbers — customers who know hogget tend to actively seek it out, and we'd rather keep offering it than let it disappear along with everyone else's range.

How to cook hogget so it shines

Because hogget is a little firmer than lamb, it rewards low and slow cooking rather than a quick sear — the same logic as a tougher, more flavourful cut of beef.

  • Leg and shoulder roasts — low oven temperature (around 150–160°C), longer cook time, and don't rush it. The extra fat bastes the meat as it renders, which is exactly what you want.
  • Shanks — a natural fit for braising. Long, slow, moist heat turns the connective tissue tender and pulls all that extra flavour through the sauce.
  • Chops and cutlets — still work well on the grill, just don't cook them as hard or as fast as you would a lamb chop. A touch more time at a slightly lower heat gets the best result without drying them out.
  • Rest it properly. Firmer cuts benefit even more than usual from a decent rest after cooking — it gives the muscle fibres time to relax and hold onto their moisture.

Try it yourself: Slow-Roasted Hogget Shoulder

This is the pack's Whole Shoulder Roast, treated exactly the way hogget wants to be treated — long, slow, and left alone to do its thing.

Serves: 6–8
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 5–6 hours

You'll need: 1 Whole Shoulder Roast (from the Grass-Fed Full Hogget pack), 4–5 garlic cloves (sliced), a small handful of rosemary sprigs, 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp cracked black pepper, 2 brown onions (quartered), 1 cup beef or lamb stock, 1 cup water

Method

  1. Take the shoulder out of the fridge an hour before cooking so it comes closer to room temperature — it cooks more evenly that way.
  2. Preheat the oven to 150°C. Using a small knife, cut 10–12 small slits over the surface of the shoulder and push a sliver of garlic and a small piece of rosemary into each one.
  3. Rub the whole shoulder with olive oil, then season generously with the salt and pepper.
  4. Scatter the quartered onions in the base of a roasting tray, sit the shoulder on top, and pour the stock and water around it (not over it) — this keeps the base of the tray moist without washing off the seasoning.
  5. Cover tightly with foil and roast for 4–5 hours, until the meat is fork-tender and starting to pull away from the bone.
  6. Remove the foil for the final 30–45 minutes to let the outside colour and crisp up.
  7. Rest for 15–20 minutes, loosely covered with foil, before carving or pulling apart with two forks.
  8. Strain the pan juices and onions and serve alongside as a simple gravy — there's no need for anything more elaborate, the shoulder does the work.

Our tip: Don't judge doneness by time alone — hogget shoulder is ready when it yields easily to a fork, not on the clock. If it's still resisting at the 5-hour mark, give it another 30 minutes rather than pulling it early.

What's in a Grass-Fed Full Hogget pack

Our Grass-Fed Full Hogget is butchered as a traditional cuts pack, minimum 22kg, at $479. Here's what's included:

  • Leg Roasts x 2
  • Shanks x 2
  • Shoulder Chops
  • Whole Shoulder Roast
  • Rack and Cutlets
  • Chump Chops
  • Loin Chops
  • Neck Chops
  • Rib Racks x 2
  • Sausages (2kg)
  • Plus all off-cuts, trimmed for soup or your pet

It's a genuinely varied box — roasts and shanks for the slow cooks, chops and cutlets for the grill, and sausages and trim so nothing's wasted. Numbers are limited, since hogget makes up a smaller share of what comes off the farm than lamb does.

Every pack arrives fresh and chilled — never frozen — vacuum-sealed and ready for the fridge or freezer, the same as the rest of our range. And if you set it up through Meat on Repeat, the $479 price is locked in for 12 months and delivery is free for life, which on a pack this size is a genuine saving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is hogget the same as mutton? No. Hogget sits between lamb and mutton — roughly 12 to 24 months old, once the front two milk teeth have come through as adult teeth. Mutton is the next stage again, over 24 months old, with more permanent teeth through. Mutton has an even stronger flavour again and typically needs even longer, slower cooking than hogget.

Is hogget tougher than lamb? It's firmer, not tough. Cooked with the right method — low and slow for roasts and shanks, a little gentler on the grill for chops — hogget is tender and full of flavour. It's simply less forgiving of a rushed, high-heat cook than young lamb is.

Why haven't I heard of hogget before, and why don't other online butchers sell it? Most of the Australian market is built around young lamb, so hogget rarely turns up in supermarkets or on a typical butcher's counter — and it doesn't appear anywhere in Our Cow's or ButcherCrowd's ranges either. It's more of a traditional cut that's stayed popular with people who grew up eating it, or who go looking for it specifically once they know it exists.

Can I buy hogget cuts individually, or only as the full pack? Right now hogget is only available as the Grass-Fed Full Hogget pack, in limited numbers. That's part of why it's worth locking in through Meat on Repeat if you know you like it — it secures your price and your spot for the next one.

Does hogget freeze as well as lamb? Yes — every cut is vacuum-sealed, so it follows the same storage rules as the rest of our range: up to 2 weeks in the fridge, or up to 12 months in the freezer, still sealed.

Michael & Carolyn Emeny are 4th-generation farmers from Mudgee, NSW, and the founders of Mudgee Meat. Their family has farmed the Central Tablelands for over a century. Since 2012 they've delivered grass-fed beef and lamb, paddock-raised pork and bulk packs — butchered in-house and sourced direct from trusted Australian farmers — to families across Australia. Got a question for the farm gate? Ask the Farmers.