Smoked Lamb - any tips?

[robgunby]

Got me a full shoulder in the smoker this afternoon to make some burritos for tea, just hope I put it on early enough!

[Pooky]

Nice man! Looking forward to seeing some pics!

[robgunby]

Sorry for the terrible pic.... camera phone or wait until I get in the darkroom next.... so camera phone.



Result:

-From the perfectionist bbqer point of view, I unfortunately had to cook it a lot faster than I would have liked. Consequentially, it didn't cook as evenly as I would have liked, leaving some parts not quite ready to pull and the bone still firmly attached.

-From my mouth's point of view....my god it was good! Despite the slightly uneven cooking, it was moist, tender, with a sweet flavour (no sugar needed in the rub for this!) and that unmistakable richness of lamb. Smoke was hickory, which did it a marvellous justice, though if I had more time to cook it I would have gone with cherry.

-The pieces which did not pull were by no means tough, in fact I was pleased in the end that I had some chunks, they had little bite to them, whilst being incredibly moist and tender.

-Rub was paprika and tomato with garlic, onion, a little cumin (not much), salt, pepper, cayenne.

-Foiling sauce was beef stock from the weekend's pot roast brisket with cyder vinegar and a little of the rub mixed in.

Conclusion:

A wonderful way to cook a piece of lamb shoulder, for sure, but, and this is not like me to say, I think there are better ways to cook it (merguez sausage anyone?). The consistent opinion from the wife and kids was "pulled pork would have been better". Would have been £2 a kilo cheaper too. With that said, it was an interesting experiment and I may well try a leg at some point. We also have a decent amount of leftovers. I'm thinking Lancashire hotpot at the weekend....

[Pooky]

Looks and sounds good! Yeah, I had a similar problem with some bits still being firmer - I guess it's partly a result of the tougher sinews and silverskin in sheep.

I'd agree - Delicious and something different, but it's hard to beat a nice pork shoulder!

…and I love a good Merguez - I happily eat Harissa by the spoonful!

[robgunby]

ah ok, I thought it was the quicker cooking, good to know to expect the same in future.

Speaking of merguez, my new neighbour is an algerian chef. I think we'll get along famously, bar the fact I will have to buy halal meat if I want him round for a barbecue!

[keith157]

Well done, shoulder really is a succulent cut of meat, be aware though that leg won't pull and will/could dry out a lot quicker due to the lack of connective tissue and collagen (but it makes fantastic sarnies ).

[robgunby]

Succulent is definitely the word. Have never cooked lamb shoulder before other than in sausages. Tender doesn't quite cover the textural sensation!

I figure lamb leg would warrant the same sort of treatment as a beef forerib roast - just enough time in the smoker to infuse it with smoke, but not enough to cook it past rare. Would that sound about right?