BGE Smoked Lamb Shoulder

Food

BGE Smoked Lamb Shoulder

Eight hours until it pulls itself apart

Prep 30 min
Cook 480 min
Servings 6
Equipment bge
There is a particular moment in cooking a lamb shoulder, somewhere around hour six, when the smell coming off the Big Green Egg becomes something close to unreasonable. The fat has been rendering for hours, the spices have caramelised into the bark, the cherry wood smoke has been threading itself through the meat since morning. The neighbours have noticed. You have been asked twice what time dinner is. The shoulder is, by virtue of its anatomy, ideally suited to this kind of cooking. It is a working muscle — heavily used by the animal, full of collagen and intramuscular fat — and it responds to long, low heat the way good prose responds to editing: everything unnecessary dissolves, and what remains is essential. At 90°C internal temperature, the collagen has converted to gelatin, the fat has basted the meat from within, and the fibres will pull apart with the gentlest persuasion. The spice rub here draws from the Eastern Mediterranean tradition — cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cardamom — which has been marrying lamb for longer than most European cuisines have existed. This is not a cultural affectation but a matter of empirical fact: these spices know what to do with lamb. The smoke adds a dimension they could not have anticipated but deserve entirely. Serve it pulled, in flatbreads, with a cold yogurt sauce and something sharp — thinly sliced red onions dressed in red wine vinegar, or a simple chopped salad. It will feed six people and make them very happy.

Scale Recipe

1 10 20

Instructions

0/9 complete

Score and rub (ideally the night before)

Score the fat cap of the shoulder in a diamond pattern, cutting through the fat but not into the meat. Mix all rub ingredients together. Coat the lamb all over with olive oil, then press the rub into every surface and into the scores. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate overnight — or at minimum for 2 hours.

Prepare the sharp onions

Combine the red wine vinegar, sugar and salt. Toss in the sliced red onions. Leave at room temperature for at least 1 hour. They will turn deep pink and lose their harshness entirely.

Set up the BGE

Remove the lamb from the fridge 1 hour before cooking. Set up the Big Green Egg for indirect cooking with the convEGGtor in place. Stabilise at 121°C (250°F). Add 3–4 chunks of cherry wood directly to the charcoal.

Smoke

Place the shoulder fat-side up on the grill grate. Close the lid and do not open for at least 3 hours. Maintain 121°C throughout — adjust top and bottom vents as needed. After 3 hours, begin checking with an instant-read thermometer.

Target internal temperature: 90–93°C (195–200°F). This is when collagen fully converts to gelatin.

The stall

Between 65°C and 75°C internal, the meat will stall — the temperature plateaus as evaporation cools the surface. This is normal and can last 1–2 hours. Do not raise the temperature. Wait it out.

Wrap and finish

Once the shoulder reaches 90°C, wrap tightly in two layers of butcher paper. Return to the BGE for a further 30 minutes. The paper holds the steam and pushes the final collagen conversion.

Rest

Remove from the BGE. Still wrapped, place in a cooler lined with newspaper or old towels. Rest for at least 1 hour — up to 3 hours is fine. The temperature will hold well above serving temperature throughout.

Make the yogurt sauce

While the lamb rests, combine all yogurt sauce ingredients. Taste for salt and lemon. Refrigerate until needed.

Pull and serve

Unwrap the shoulder — pour any collected juices over the meat. Using two forks or your hands (protected by clean cloths), pull the meat into rough chunks and shreds. Discard any large fat pieces and the bone. Drizzle with the resting juices. Serve immediately with flatbreads, yogurt sauce and the sharp onions.
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