First Lamb Shoulder

[TheHojo]

Smoked my first lamb shoulder yesterday - had not had lamb in over 30 years due to a bad experience - but will have to say this was very good

6 pound bone in lamb shoulder - a little olive oil and salt/pepper rub - took about 7 hours to get to 203.

Once it hit 175 I wrapped in a foil boat and back on the smoker.

Have to say I enjoyed more than pulled pork - served on Naan, along with tzatziki and red onions.

Sorry no photos - with it being Easter and having guests - I failed to take any photos.

If you have never had pulled lamb shoulder I would highly recommend.

 

[SirPorkaLot]

I love lamb, but prefer mine cooked to medium rare, medium at most.

Not a big fan of lamb cooked to pulling temps

 

[Debmar]

Got one on right now. We have a dinner at 5 tonight, put it on at 4 am and i am getting nervous as she is only at 180 f currently (250-275 uds temp)
Wanted to not wrap but just foil boated it to try and speed up
If not significantly closer in an hour i will prob bail and full foil wrap

Shoulder prefer pulled
Leg sliced

Crossing my fingers she gets it in gear and starts to climb quickly

 

[ssv3]

Lamb shoulder is one of favorites.

Shoulder pulled

Leg sliced

 

[TheHojo]

Got one on right now. We have a dinner at 5 tonight, put it on at 4 am and i am getting nervous as she is only at 180 f currently (250-275 uds temp)
Wanted to not wrap but just foil boated it to try and speed up
If not significantly closer in an hour i will prob bail and full foil wrap

Shoulder prefer pulled
Leg sliced

Crossing my fingers she gets it in gear and starts to climb quickly

Mine stalled at 172 for about 90 minutes - didn’t move

Mine was boated - I did lightly tent in foil at around 185 to speed up the process and thru some more sticks on to run closer to 300

good luck !

 

[Debmar]

Ahhhhhh! I had to bail and foil wrap. After being at 183 she started dropping. Went all the way down to 168 till she started coming back up. This despite my raising temps to 320 ish. Have it in oven wrapped up tight at 350 F so hoping by 4:30 it will be at pull temp / tender

I seem to have trouble learning. I always tell myself this but Next time on any potential long cook its going on night before. I can always let it sit in the cooler but cant push the stubborn ones to get done on time. Its not the only item on the menu so no ones going to starve but wanted this one to be a home run.

Sako, those lamb pics look good, sliced leg shot particularly looks excellent

 

[TheHojo]

Wow - sorry to hear this one gave you so much trouble. I have had a few cooks where internal temp dropped 2 to 4 degrees - but nothing like that!

 

[sackedbysapp]

Where ufind a lamb shoulder?

 

[Big George's BBQ]

Sounds great I also prefer mine less well done but would be happy to eat yours

 

[TheHojo]

Where ufind a lamb shoulder?

A couple local butchers carry them in Dallas - have also seen them at local farmer
markets

 

[ssv3]

A couple local butchers carry them in Dallas - have also seen them at local farmer
markets

Ted,

Curious what you paid for it? Last time I bought it was a while back at $9/lb. Used to get it for like $5/lb then they got popular. These are all pre pandemic prices. And these prices are for American lamb. I bus American lamb legs and shoulders. Huge difference in quality.

 

[TheHojo]

Ted,

Curious what you paid for it? Last time I bought it was a while back at $9/lb. Used to get it for like $5/lb then they got popular. These are all pre pandemic prices. And these prices are for American lamb. I buys American lamb legs and shoulders. Huge difference in quality.

The one I bought was 8.99/pound- tasted fine - American lamb - but the yield on a 6 pound lamb wasn’t that great with the shoulder bone and rib cage

Next time will order from my go to butcher -needs a couple days notice - but he can get local grass fed lamb - but “slightly” more expensive - 12.99 per pound

Having never priced lamb before - not sure if these prices are good, bad or outrageous !

 

[ssv3]

The one I bought was 8.99/pound- tasted fine - American lamb - but the yield on a 6 pound lamb wasn’t that great with the shoulder bone and rib cage

Next time will order from my go to butcher -needs a couple days notice - but he can get local grass fed lamb - but “slightly” more expensive - 12.99 per pound

Having never priced lamb before - not sure if these prices are good, bad or outrageous !

That's about right! Same prices as here. Lamb tends to be a little pricier especially American or Australian. I'm not big fan of New Zealand lamb.

Good thing about the ones I get is they have the rib cages removed. Hardly any meat and you just pay for the extra weight.

This is how I get my shoulders here. They're min USDA choice

 

[TheHojo]

Those look great - the one I smoked didn’t look that good! But it was Easter - and I was stuck with what they had

Really enjoyed the taste - will definitely put this in the rotation of my cooks

 

[ssv3]

Those look great - the one I smoked didn’t look that good! But it was Easter - and I was stuck with what they had

Really enjoyed the taste - will definitely put this in the rotation of my cooks

These are decently meaty for being lamb shoulders. And yes, I'll take a shoulder over the leg any day. I do love both but shoulder to me tastes so much better.