Welcome!


This is a membership forum. Guests can view 5 pages for free. To participate, please join.

[ Pitmaster Club Information | Join Now | Login | Contact Us ]

Only 4 free page views remaining.

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Lamb Shoulder

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    #16
    OK, picked up two lamb shoulders. About 2.5 lbs each. I will give one of them a shot this Saturday. My plan is to use some sort of rub with some rosemary in it but nothing too spicy. Plan on cooking it to around 195 or so until it starts pulling. I also want to come up with some sort of pomegranate molasses sauce to use. I have grilled legs of lamb with pomegranate molasses in the past and it is excellent. Anyway, I will report back when done.

    Click image for larger version

Name:	lamb shoulder.jpg
Views:	247
Size:	119.4 KB
ID:	656597

    Comment


    • EdF
      EdF commented
      Editing a comment
      As they say, you can't argue taste. Enjoy the cook and the eating!

    • JoeSousa
      JoeSousa commented
      Editing a comment
      I did have someone suggest rubbing pureed anchovies on the outside with the other seasonings. Not sure if I will try that or not.

    • EdF
      EdF commented
      Editing a comment
      We use anchovies that way, though mostly in stuffings. A filet or two will do it. Deepens the overall flavor, and you won't taste anything fishy.

    #17
    Nice! Saving this thread. I love smoked lamb and make it all the time, usually using legs although I've done shoulder before. I prefer a medium lamb to a well done lamb (i.e., "pulled" lamb), cooked low and slow at 225. I like thin slicing the lamb (I haven't figured out why but I do) and, with leftovers, either grilling or air frying to slices. For rubs, I'll either do a rub heavy in rosemary with pepper and garlic or a Mechoui style lamb, using a rub from Adam Perry Lang's Serious Barbecue (it's similar to Meathead's without the cardamom but with allspice and a couple other things). If I do the Mechoui style, I'll finish with a nice coating of honey.

    Comment


    • Henrik
      Henrik commented
      Editing a comment
      Mmm...honey coating on lamb. Yum!

    #18
    Cool! I want to hear more about the pomegranate molasses! As for the shoulders: you go, man! My only advice is to wrap after the stall since they are so small (2.5 lbs). Looking forward to photos!

    Comment


      #19
      Keep us posted. The Mrs is wanting me to try it so I am thinking about doing one. I look forward to hearing how it turns out.

      Comment


        #20
        I've cooked lamb shoulder two ways and it came out great both times. First is traditional low and slow similar to a chuck roast. Time consuming (10+ hours) but delicious. The second time I cooked it sous vide for 24 hours at 135, chilled and then roasted/seared with charcoal. That came out tender and amazing. I think low and slow is best if you do not have access to a sous vide.

        BTW I also use mustard powder (anti-oxident) to reduce/eliminate the gaminess that comes from cooking the lamb fat.

        Comment


          #21
          OK, first shoulder is done. Dry brined overnight. For the rub on this one I kept it "simple": 1 Tbsp black pepper, about 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp ground rosemary leaves, 1/4 tsp ground cumin seeds, and just for fun 1 Tbsp pomegranate powder. I had to go to a health food store to find that. I originally didn't intend to use it but yesterday I was curious if the stuff even existed and lo and behold it does. So I threw it in there. It pretty much tastes just like pomegranate.

          Smoked it for about 7 hours until it hit 200 degrees with some apple wood on the kettle with the SNS. Kept the temps between 250-300.

          I wanted something to help cut through some of the gaminess so I put together a very sweet sauce. 4 Tbsp pomegranate molasses, 2 Tbsp honey, 2 Tbsp ketchup, 1 tsp mustard, 1 tsp black pepper, and a good sprinkle of cayenne and smoked paprika. I loved how the sauce tasted and think it would be excellent on some chicken wings.

          When it hit 160 I gave it a basting of sauce and wrapped it in paper and put it back on the kettle. When it was done I sauced it again, put it over the heat for a couple minutes to set the sauce, and then wrapped and rested in the cooler for a couple hours.

          Overall it was good but not great. The meat was moist but nowhere near as tender as a pork butt. It shredded with a bit of effort but not as easily as pork does. The flavor was good but I don't know if it is something I would want to eat on its own like I would pulled pork. I think it will be great with some rice or couscous. Should also be great in a pita with some lettuce, feta, and tzatziki.

          Here it is after cooking but before resting:

          Click image for larger version

Name:	lamb shoulder.jpg
Views:	352
Size:	88.8 KB
ID:	657844

          And here is what it looked like pulled (not great lighting for this pic):


          Click image for larger version

Name:	pulled lamb.jpg
Views:	266
Size:	73.0 KB
ID:	657845

          There were quite a few fatty bits that didn't render and when all was said and done the 2.5 lb shoulder yielded 1 pound of meat.

          I am going to try something different with the next shoulder. But I don't think I will go out of my way to put this on the Easter menu like I was hoping. If you can get your hands on a shoulder it could be worth trying though.

          Comment


            #22
            Yum! I love lamb shoulder too but it takes ages to cook and do it well. I want to do it again this Easter, but I've decided to buy one already slow roasted for me. I'm going to get the slow cooked lamb shoulder from Meatsmith in Melbourne, Australia this year - one less thing to worry about for the feast at lunchtime and it looks delicious!

            Comment


              #23
              I'm a little confused. I read up on cooking leg of lamb and it's recommended to cook to approx. 130 deg. Are the shoulder and leg that different?

              Comment


                #24
                Starsky I think lam is best in the 130-140F range. BUT, if you want to treat the shoulder like a pork shoulder, and cook it to 203 to get a lot of smoke and bark to pull it. You can. Lotta fat and sinew in the shoulders so I usually break them down into chunks, golfball size, and grill hot and fast to get a crust. Legs, I never cook them past 140 BUT the tapered end will go past that.

                Comment


                  #25
                  Here's how I do leg of lamb. Hardest part is the aitch bone. https://amazingribs.com/tested-recip...eg-lamb-recipe

                  Comment


                    #26
                    I've done a leg of lamb before in a style my buddy calls "flip flop." You can make an event out of it. Use some kind of seasoning/salt blend over an open lump charcoal or oak coal fire. Season one side of the leg and let it cook until "done" to your liking, but just the first 1/4" or so. Shave off thin pieces with a super sharp carving knife into tortillas or dinner rolls as friends and family come by. Once one side is depleted flip it over, season and repeat. Same basic concept of al pastor really. Last time I did it we had two legs going at the same time.

                    Comment

                    Announcement

                    Collapse
                    No announcement yet.
                    Working...
                    X
                    false
                    0
                    Guest
                    Guest
                    500
                    ["pitmaster-my-membership","login","join-pitmaster","lostpw","reset-password","special-offers","help","nojs","meat-ups","gifts","authaau-alpha","ebooklogin-start","alpha","start"]
                    false
                    false
                    {"count":0,"link":"/forum/announcements/","debug":""}
                    Yes
                    ["\/forum\/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads","\/forum\/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads\/1157845-paid-members-download-your-6-deep-dive-guide-ebooks-for-free-here","\/forum\/the-pitcast","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2019-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2020-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2021-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2022-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/current-2023-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/current-2024-issues","\/forum\/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads\/1165909-trial-members-download-your-free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-here"]
                    /forum/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads/1165909-trial-members-download-your-free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-here