I do appreciate Easter food, however, and Passover food, for that matter.
I just like food, especially when the food in question is a large piece of meat.
I come from a ham family.
We ate ham on Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, and I liked it.
You cannot force lamb into a sterile little unit.
(I think thats a good thing.)
One advantage lamb has over ham is that it works for both holidays.
The procedure for smoking a lamb shoulder is almost identical to the procedure for smoking a pork butt.
you might also smoke both cuts without a proper smoker.
Set it up
Before we get to the meat, lets talk about your set-up.
Once youve gathered all of your equipment, youll need to make a charcoal snake.
In addition to charcoal, youll also need some wood chips.
Having the charcoal snaked and ready to go takes one thing off of you day-of to-do list.
Start by salting your lamb the night before.
You want your meat to sparkle with salt, without looking completely crusted over.
(I really like salt, though.)
Apply your rub just before smoking.
(I like to brush a little Dijon mustard on meat to help the plant bits stick.)
You dont need a ton of herbs or garlic.
(I like to let the meat speak for itself.)
Anticipate the stall
The stall is a tricky thing.
Sometimes it happens around 150F, sometimes it happens around 170F, and sometimes it doesnt happen at all.
Fire requires oxygen, and the more oxygen you provide for your coals, the hotter they will get.
Youll release a bunch of heat and moisture.
Remember: If youre looking, youre not cooking.
How could this be?
This gelatinalong with rendered fatwill saturate the meat, making it nice and juicy.
And dont worry if you cant get your shoulder much above 180Fit will still be delicious.
You want it to sparkle with salt, but you should still see some meat peaking through.
it’s possible for you to also set up your grill the night before.
Arrange your charcoal in the snake formation as shown above.
kill the grill until the next morning.
Remove the lamb from fridge, and paint the inside of each lamb segment with Dijon mustard.
Blitz the garlic and rosemary together in the food processor, then press the mixture into the mustard.
Apply your rub, if using.
Once your grill temperature reaches around 200F, adjust your exhaust dampeners so theyre opened just a sliver.
Let the temp stabilize, and adjust more if needed.
Keep an eye on the temp and make small adjustments as needed to keep things between 225F and 25oF.
As long as the meat can be easily pierced with a probe, you should be good.
