New Zealand Raw Lamb Meat Smells Really Good? Why?

[goodsamaritan]

I just bought some New Zealand Lamb Meat... the ribs... a whole row... and I opened the plastic and let it thaw in my refrigerator.

The curious thing about it is it is the BEST SMELLING raw meat I have ever smelled.

I am wondering why?

Do they spray anything on it?

Or is it just the way raw lamb meat is supposed so smell?

I assume coming from New Zealand it is grass fed.

What's your experience?

[TylerDurden]

I have heard horror stories about NZ lamb being largely grainfed feedlot-style in the last few months prior to slaughter. On the other hand, the NZ lamb I bought at Waitrose supermarket in the UK  was OKish. Mind you, the free-range(and likely 100% grassfed) raw lamb's legs I bought from my local UK farmers' market(Marylebone LFM farmers' market in London) was the best tasting raw meat I have ever had other than some raw wild seafood I used to purchase. The white fat on that raw lamb was so succulent and tasty whereas the white fat on the 100% raw, grassfed beef I used to buy years ago tasted foul by comparison.

[ys]

I've heard NZ lamb was not finished on grain but again it could be from different producers.
Australian lamb on the other hand is all grain finished.