# Smoked shawarma: Here's the plan



## lav25

It's Friday night where I am, and I've got a 1.6kg boneless lamb shoulder that I'm planning on putting in on Sunday, wanted to post up my plan and see if anyone sees any holes in it. 

I found a recipe for shawarma a while ago and the spice mix looks good:

2 tsp black peppercorns
5 cloves
½ tsp cardamom pods
tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 star anise
½ a cinnamon stick
½ a nutmeg, grated
¼ tsp ground ginger
1 tbsp sweet paprika
1 tbsp sumac
¾ tbsp Maldon sea salt
25g fresh ginger, grated
3 garlic cloves, crushed
40g chopped coriander, stems and leaves
60ml lemon juice
120ml groundnut oil

However, since this is an oven recipe, designed to be cooked at 350F/180C and I'm going to be smoking at 225F, I think I'm going to swap out the groundnut oil (which is what, anyway?) for brown sugar and make a rub like you would for ribs or pork, and leave it saran wrapped overnight like you would a pork butt. 

The lamb shoulder is a flatter piece of meat than a pork butt is, not sure if I should tie it up or not. On the one hand, more surface=more smoke, but on the other, quicker heating which means less breakdown of the fat and connective tissue. Thoughts?

Finally, I plan to pull it, so I think that cooking it pretty much the same way I did my last pork butt will work: smoking (with apple) at 225 until the IT is 165, then foiling for the rest of the time, maybe with a bit of apple juice in the foil. I've read a couple recipes that say that lamb should be injected, and a couple that say it doesn't matter, not sure on that bit or not. 

I'll be cooking in an MES 30 digital, so temps will hold steady whatever I choose. 

Anyone see any gaping holes in this plan? I'm still very new to this, so I know I've got a lot to learn.

Thanks for looking, Q-view in 40 hours or so :)


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## SmokinAl

Sounds real good!
Al


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## daveomak

Ground nut oil is......     wait for it.......  PEANUT OIL......


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## atomicsmoke

Good plan. I wouldnt inject it if i were you...it's ahoulder...won't dry out and you will pull it anyway...

I did a pulled lamb last year with middle eastern spices. I took it to around 200F IT. Was excellent with corn tortilla and tzatziki.


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## lav25

atomicsmoke said:


> Good plan. I wouldnt inject it if i were you...it's ahoulder...won't dry out and you will pull it anyway...
> 
> I did a pulled lamb last year with middle eastern spices. I took it to around 200F IT. Was excellent with corn tortilla and tzatziki.


Thanks, that's the sort of advice I'm looking for. I'll be doing it with flour tortillas, although corn sounds lovely. I was debating pitas vs tortillas, but I spent some time in Istanbul and the street food kebaps there are either on a kind of French loaf or in a tortilla, so tortillas it will be.


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## atomicsmoke

lav25 said:


> Thanks, that's the sort of advice I'm looking for. I'll be doing it with flour tortillas, although corn sounds lovely. I was debating pitas vs tortillas, but I spent some time in Istanbul and the street food kebaps there are either on a kind of French loaf or in a tortilla, so tortillas it will be.


You spent time in Istanbul and are asking us rednecks for advice on sharwrma? Sheesh...


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## lav25

Smoking away, that’s apple smoke wood. Bag marinated it overnight, the foil pan has a lemon, black pepper, a stick of butter, sliced onion, and some red paprika (bell pepper) along with some bourbon. Just kinda winging the gravy, we'll see how it works. It's at about 3 hours now, IT is 156 and stalled, but no worries, it's only noon-ish.


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## lav25

Four hours to 165, two more hours (foiled) to 195, stalled at 195 for two hours. 

Just kicked the smoker temp up to 240 from 225. Patience is a virtue, but 8+ hours for 4lbs of meat is getting a little tedious.


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## lav25

Nine and a half hours, 203F, it's coming out. I'll leave it wrapped in the foil and a towel for half an hour, then it's dinner time.


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## loosechangedru

I'm VERY interested in how this turned out!


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## pushok2018

Waiting..... Hope  you enjoyed it.


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## atomicsmoke

Me three


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