On April 16, Austinites will have a chance to try more lamb dishes than many of them eat in a year at the Lamb Jam Cookoff at Assembly Hall. Well-known chefs from restaurants around town are joining together for the event and monthlong menu challenge organized by the American Lamb Board, a national research and promotions board for farmers, producers, and processors.

A press release lists Kareem El-Ghayesh from KG BBQ, Amanda Turner from Olamaie, and Ana Torrealba from El Naranjo as participants in the cook-off, among five unnamed others from the restaurants below.

This event is part of the Lamb Jam Happy Hour Tour, which is organizing menu initiatives in the respective top local restaurants of seven cities. Restaurants will send someone to represent them in the cook-off, but first they'll show the dishes off on their regular menus, allowing guests to enjoy not just a few bites, but a whole meal in all its nuance. This is called the "Dine Around," and it lasts throughout February.

Trying a full dish will get a diner 20 percent off when purchasing their Lamb Jam tickets ($60 before discount).

From a press release, here are the participating Austin restaurants and their lamb-focused creations:

• Foreign & Domestic — Whey Braised Lamb Neck Ravioli: fennel and crispy focaccia crumbs
• KG BBQ — Egyptian Cowboy: Egyptian style mac & cheese with pulled Lamb shoulder topped with sumac pickled onions and pomegranate BBQ sauce
• El Naranjo — Taco De Barbacoa: slow-cooked lamb shoulder in agave leaf, served with onions, cilantro, salsa borracha
• Holiday — Braised Lamb Arincini: fontina, anchovy-mint salsa verde
• Olamaie — Lamb Tartare: black garlic, smoke, peanuts
• Gina’s on Congress — Lamb Sausage: white bean puree, Calabrian chili agrodolce, mint, crispy garlic
• Micklethwait Barbecue — Smoked Lamb Barbocoa Tamal: morita chile mole, cotija cheese, mesquite charred onion escabeche
• El Alma— Taco Arabe: grilled lamb-adobo, pita bread, serrano yogurt sauce, arbol chile pickled cucumber

Attendees at the jam will get to try small versions of the same dishes, vote on their favorite, and enjoy a party with live music, a photo booth, and American Lamb merch. The chef who wins will get a Chef Retreat to the JL Bar Ranch, Resort & Spa in Sonora, Texas. A portion of the proceeds support World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit by José Andrés that works internationally in crises to hand out meals.