In our just-released April-May issue of My Table, Robin Barr Sussman has written two articles about lamb dishes available in Houston restaurants. One of them includes three recipes from local chefs.

Coincidentally, I recently was a guest at a media dinner at Liberty Kitchen & Oysterette that spotlighted imported Australian lamb. Between each course, Australian butcher Doug Piper (photo to left) demonstrated butchering a whole lamb carcass. It sounds like bizarre dinner entertainment, doesn’t it?

Strangely enough, watching the demonstration in Liberty Kitchen’s private room seemed almost intimate, as Piper smoothly cut through the joints and separated the muscles, tenderly holding out the various cuts for our inspection and taking our questions. We recently asked Piper a few more nosy questions.

Tell us about your education. University or straight into work?

I did most of my schooling at Blackwood in the foothills of South Australia, I left school at 15 years of age and started working as an apprentice butcher in a busy retail shop in the Central Markets in South Australia.

What was your earliest ambition?

I enjoyed the carpentry classes at school and was seeking a carpenter and joiner apprenticeship. The building industry was pretty slow at that time, so I decided that I would broaden my job choices. I have fond memories of staying with my grandparents; they would take me to the butcher and buy their weekly meat. I remember the butchers were always happy and would give me a thick slice of fritz (cooked sausage) to eat. That distinct odor of fresh meat and the sawdust on the floor remains with me today.

What is your favorite way to cook lamb?

I love to cook on my barbecue, cooking those tender little lamb T-bones over the grill or cooking my delicious “two-beer roast” lamb top sirloin.

The biggest home-chef mistakes when it comes to lamb cookery?

Not using the right cut of lamb to suit their cooking method, over-cooking and not seasoning the lamb. Australian lamb has a delicate flavor and is best eaten medium to medium rare, so it is still juicy and tender.

Who has cooking duties at your house?

My wife and I share the cooking. I tend to cook more on the weekends, while my wife cooks up some delicious weeknight meals.

Least favorite kitchen gadget?

The oven! It takes forever to clean – that’s why I cook more outside on my bbq.

“Every day I read … ”

Actually I read very little. When I am not cutting meat I am working on my computer in the office reading emails. I do, however, read the weekly Land magazine, which is an agricultural newspaper that covers everything about country life in Australia.

Tell us about your hobbies.

I love motor sports. I love watching the V8 races and I am a bit of a car person. I enjoy washing and cleaning my cars and doing the minor repairs.

What is your biggest extravagance?

My boat. We spend more time sitting in it in the garage at night in the summer months having a drink and chatting than we do in the water.

What is your favorite food and drink pairing?

My tastes are quite simple: Singapore chilli crab and an ice-cold beer.

What do you do in your free time, if you have any?

I like to go fishing whenever possible. We are keen fishermen and only live a few minutes from the water.

People often observe that Texans and Australians are cut from the same cloth. What do you think?

I have been to Texas a couple of times and I feel very relaxed and comfortable. I find the people in Texas are always very friendly.

Your American friend is coming to Sydney and has never been before. What must he/she do while they’re there?

First up is to allow at least a month – you won’t see much in a week. You must visit Harry’s Cafe De Wheels in Woolloomooloo. I have taken quite a few people who visit Sydney to this iconic pie cart. One of Harry’s signature dishes is their “pie floater,” which is a meat pie, mash potato, gravy and mushy peas. Or if you are not a fan of the meat pie they have a “Tiger Eye” hot dog with mash and chilli. Harry’s Pie Cart overlooks the magnificent Sydney Harbour and Harbour Bridge, so you can kill three birds with one stone.