Smoked/Pulled Lamb question.

[Bateshorn 9940]

Has anybody here done it?  If so:  rubs, sauces, sides, etc?  I have a WSM. 

I'll hang up and listen.

[Bat Guano 359]

I've smoked lamb shanks. Basically followed the same procedure as a brisket - in fact I did them at the same time because I had some space on the smoker. They were good. Not better than the traditional braise, but just as good, in a different way. Less moist, but still nowhere near dried out - plenty of connective tissue to melt.

[Anastasis 23485]

Smoked amb breast. Think fatty lamb spare ribs. Render the shit out of them. Achieve nirvana. 

[Doc Holliday 199]

I like Nirvana

[staboner 4987]

lamb ribs are good. done the same. usual just black pepper and salt and things are delightful

one thing you can do is greek style kleftiko. its fucking excellent on the pit.

- lamb shanks

- put into tightly wrapped foil

- only salt, pepper, oregano, a little olive oil, a little lemon, nothing else. 

- put off the side and let sit for 3 or 4 hours. maybe 225 at the most indirect temp

so not really smoking it per say, but indirect cooking it and the slight flavor you get from the pit is outstanding. love me some kleftiko. super easy and the texture and taste are outstanding. you are looking for a melt/breakdown of the cartilage and grizzle almost completely. don't add liquid or some other stupid shit that online recipes say. having it dry to start is what you want and fat will give you some liquid as it cooks. you can direct cook it at the end for a sec to maybe add some color and more flavor if you want. usually i don't even need to. 

 

 

 

[stc 1465]

this recipe is excellent. have done it a couple times on the wsm and it's always turned out great. 

http://robbwalsh.com/2009/03/serious-bbq-barbacoa-de-borrego/

 

Edited October 23, 2018 by stc

[Bat Guano 359]

21 hours ago, staboner said:

lamb ribs are good. done the same. usual just black pepper and salt and things are delightful

one thing you can do is greek style kleftiko. its fucking excellent on the pit.

- lamb shanks

- put into tightly wrapped foil

- only salt, pepper, oregano, a little olive oil, a little lemon, nothing else. 

- put off the side and let sit for 3 or 4 hours. maybe 225 at the most indirect temp

so not really smoking it per say, but indirect cooking it and the slight flavor you get from the pit is outstanding. love me some kleftiko. super easy and the texture and taste are outstanding. you are looking for a melt/breakdown of the cartilage and grizzle almost completely. don't add liquid or some other stupid shit that online recipes say. having it dry to start is what you want and fat will give you some liquid as it cooks. you can direct cook it at the end for a sec to maybe add some color and more flavor if you want. usually i don't even need to. 

 

 

 

Forgot about that; kleftiko is good shit. You can make it with the lamb shoulder too.

[staboner 4987]

1 hour ago, Bat Guano said:

Forgot about that; kleftiko is good shit. You can make it with the lamb shoulder too.

i think if you can get shoulder it is the best, yes. lots of good grizzle on there to breakdown

if anyone knows where to get shoulder in Austin let a brother know. all i ever see if leg, leg steaks and shanks

[Bat Guano 359]

Yeah, I've been looking for it too. You can find shoulder steaks and one time I asked the meat guy at Central Market if he had a whole shoulder roast that hadn't been cut up into steaks; he did, and I bought it, but it was priced the same as the steaks per lb., so a bit overpriced, IMO. And it was only a couple of pounds, so not really the whole thing anyway.

[stc 1465]

I've had good luck at whole foods and salt & thyme. You have to ask, they have them in the back.

[futureman 22545]

On 10/22/2018 at 10:36 AM, Bateshorn said:

Has anybody here done it?  If so:  rubs, sauces, sides, etc?  I have a WSM. 

I'll hang up and listen.

ruby’s (not rudy’s) is now closed but they used to do smoked pulled lamb every couple months.  the owner (pat mares) is considering putting out a cookbook.  she’s pretty accessible if you email her, I’m sure she’d tell you how they did theirs.  

[Bateshorn 9940]

5 hours ago, futureman said:

ruby’s (not rudy’s) is now closed but they used to do smoked pulled lamb every couple months.  the owner (pat mares) is considering putting out a cookbook.  she’s pretty accessible if you email her, I’m sure she’d tell you how they did theirs.  

Thanks!  

 

I appreciate the comments about shoulder.  Every recipe is:  just get a shoulder and smoke it.  Yeah, sure, super easy cut to find, bro...

Edited October 24, 2018 by Bateshorn

[Anastasis 23485]

This just happened:

BTW @staboner they have lamb shoulder.  Located in San Antonio, they will ship but probably cost prohibitive that way.  I justified the shipping by ordering a bunch of ribs to stock the freezer.  We be doing some smoking soon. 

 

http://www.hudspethriverranch.com/online-store

 

[futureman 22545]

1 lbs 93 oz ?

[Anastasis 23485]

On 10/24/2018 at 11:46 AM, staboner said:

i think if you can get shoulder it is the best, yes. lots of good grizzle on there to breakdown

 

https://jesspryles.com/recipe/how-to-smoke-lamb-shoulder/

 

 

[Braff Zacklin 13662]

Damnit, Anastasis. What did we ever do to you to deserve this level of torment?

[Anastasis 23485]

1 minute ago, Braff Zacklin said:

Damnit, Anastasis. What did we ever do to you to deserve this level of torment?

LOL.  Just ran across Jess' article.  Reminded me of this thread.  That shit looks pretty spot on.  She is in Austin, so figured she had some angle on sourcing lamb shoulder in Austin.  No hint in the article. Closest reliable source I have found is the one I linked last year with a pick up spot in SA. 

[CooterBrown 18029]

LOL.  Just ran across Jess' article.  Reminded me of this thread.  That shit looks pretty spot on.  She is in Austin, so figured she had some angle on sourcing lamb shoulder in Austin.  No hint in the article. Closest reliable source I have found is the one I linked last year with a pick up spot in SA. 

You can buy whole shoulders at Central Market. They’re not in the case and you have to ask for them. Meat guy said they always have a half dozen available.

[futureman 22545]

20 hours ago, CooterBrown said:

You can buy whole shoulders at Central Market. They’re not in the case and you have to ask for them. Meat guy said they always have a half dozen available.

 

[Walden Ponderer 12639]

There's a farm right across the road from me that raises sheep, and two more about a half a mile in either direction.

How I never knew this thread existed is a mystery, but I will be visiting it often now.

[CooterBrown 18029]

I've only ever done lamb shoulder using Robb Walsh's Lamb Barbacoa recipe.  It is really, really good.  However, that straight up smoking method above looks infinitely easier and and just as tasty.

http://robbwalsh.com/2009/03/serious-bbq-barbacoa-de-borrego/

Barbacoa de Borrego

Hope you’ve five or six hours, because this ain’t fast food. Make sure you’ve got everything you need before you get started.

Equipment: Barbecue smoker or large covered grill, charcoal, hardwood logs, chips or chunks, starter chimney, soup pot, blender, roasting pan, heavy duty aluminum foil, fire gloves or pot holder mitts

7-8 pound square-cut lamb shoulder roast
2 tablespoons grill rub (or salt, pepper and chili powder)

For the chile puree:
2 ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
2 guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
2 chipotle chiles, stemmed and seeded

For the soup:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 celery stalks, cleaned and chopped
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
14.5 ounce can stewed tomatoes
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
Leaves from 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, cleaned and chopped
Leaves from 3 sprigs fresh thyme, cleaned and chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

For Serving:
24 warm flour tortillas
1 cup chopped onions
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 cups refried beans

Rub the lamb roast with seasonings and allow to marinate for a few hours. Light about 25 charcoal briquettes in a chimney and prepare a grill with the coals on one side only. Brown the lamb roast over the hot fire for a few minutes, turning often. Move it to the cool side of the grill or to the smoking chamber of an offset barbecue smoker. Put some hardwood on the coals and close the lid. Allow the roast to smoke for an hour and a half to two hours at around 250 degrees turning to cook evenly.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan over low heat, simmer the chiles in water to cover. Allow them to sit in the hot water for ten to twenty minutes until soft. Puree the chiles in a blender adding the soaking water a little at a time until the puree is smooth.

In a soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat and add the onions and celery. Stir and cook for five minutes or until softened. Add the garlic and cook another few minutes. Add the chile puree and cook for a three minutes stirring well. Add the remaining vegetables and herbs and 8 cups of water and bring the mixture to a boil. Turn down the heat and allow to simmer while the lamb smokes.

Add more charcoal and wood to the fire. Place a metal roasting pan on the grill directly

ver the coals. Carefully pour the chile broth into the roasting pan. Place the lamb roast in the roasting pan with the soup, rib bones down.
Allow the lamb to simmer and smoke for an hour to an hour and half, replenishing the liquid level if needed.

With the aid of fire gloves or pot holders, cover the roast and the roasting pan with aluminum foil and seal tightly. Simmer over the coals or in a 300 oven for another hour or 2 until the lamb meat is extremely tender. You want the roast to be intact, but the meat to be very soft.

Allow the roast to cool slightly. Clean the meat away from the bones and chop lightly. Serve the cleaned meat in some chile broth. You can also serve some of the broth in a cup as a first course. Warm the flour tortillas. Warm the refried beans. Combine the chopped cilantro with the chopped onions and place in a bowl on the table. Everybody get to make their own tacos.

Yields around 4 pounds of meat.

[stc 1465]

Robb Walsh method on a 10 lb shoulder yesterday. It was excellent.

[Jerry Callo 8727]

46 minutes ago, stc said:

Robb Walsh method on a 10 lb shoulder yesterday. It was excellent.

That looks outstanding.

[kevwun 15897]

My aunt and uncle bought half of a show lamb this year and they really only want the chops, so I now have a rack or ribs, the whole hind leg and the front shoulder that was split in to pieces.  I am thinking about smoking the leg, but I don't have much experience cooking lamb outside of chops or ground meat skewers.  I am guessing it should be medium-ish?  Any tips for seasoning and temps?

[Jerry Callo 8727]

Lamb is best medium rare IMHO.  I would shoot for internal temp of 120-125 on a smoked or rotisserie leg.  If you are planning on cooking and pulling the shoulder pieces, they'll need to be a little more cooked. 

[kevwun 15897]

Not sure what I am going to do with the shoulder pieces yet.  I may de-bone them and grind them when we make sausage.  Would you season with just salt and pepper or something with herbs?

[Jerry Callo 8727]

5 minutes ago, kevwun said:

Not sure what I am going to do with the shoulder pieces yet.  I may de-bone them and grind them when we make sausage.  Would you season with just salt and pepper or something with herbs?

I like a more complex seasoning for lamb - so something with herbs.  Lamb has a distinct taste that can be a bit overwhelming for some.

[CooterBrown 18029]

Smoke and finish in a braise until fall about tender. Shred. Eat in homemade tortillas with a nice top shelf margarita.

[Hook1997 5402]

Braised lamb shank in a good wine sauce with veggies is always good.  I forget which recipe I did last but I usually just google it and find one I like. 

[WhatTheBuck 28798]

2 hours ago, kevwun said:

My aunt and uncle bought half of a show lamb this year and they really only want the chops, so I now have a rack or ribs, the whole hind leg and the front shoulder that was split in to pieces.  I am thinking about smoking the leg, but I don't have much experience cooking lamb outside of chops or ground meat skewers.  I am guessing it should be medium-ish?  Any tips for seasoning and temps?

I don't think a leg of lamb needs anything more than a marinade of garlic, Rosemary, olive oil, and fresh squeezed lemon juice. Blend that with some salt and pepper and marinate overnight. 

It cooks fast on the smoker. Depending on your taste, I'd say get the internal temp up to about where you want it, take it off, tent it and let it rest for 30 minutes, then give it a quick sear over direct heat to finish and crisp up the outside. Personally I'd be looking for a final internal temp of about 130-135. I thought this was a little overdone with a temp of 140, but it was on the rare side of medium and still pretty killer. Calling it medium rare would've been a stretch. But you could do a lot worse. 

[kevwun 15897]

How hot did you cook that?  Is 275 like for a brisket good?

[WhatTheBuck 28798]

7 minutes ago, kevwun said:

How hot did you cook that?  Is 275 like for a brisket good?

In the 225-250 range and it hit 135 after about 3 1/2 hours. I'm talking fast. 

[kevwun 15897]

Thanks that's good to know.