# Special treatment for lamb?



## roastpete (Sep 10, 2011)

Using either my grill or a homemade setup made from a garbage can, I've smoked beef, pork, poultry, and fish -- all with very good to amazing results. 

Last week, I moved on to a small, de-boned leg of lamb.  I treated it as I usually would an oven-roasted leg, with an overnight marinade of garlic, a little onion, oregano, some wine vinegar, s & p, allspice and cumin... maybe something else.

I have a bunch of maple scrap from work that I've used with good results on other meats, and I used that this time, too.  As far as smoke and temp goes, everything seemed pretty ok.

However, after 4 hours when the meat was nice and done, I felt like something was off -- while the inside was perfectly done, the outside seemed conflicted.  The delicate flavor of the lamb seemed almost overwhelmed by pungent smoke flavor, and I found myself almost struggling to enjoy one or the other.  The two just didn't quite meld.

Lamb is a more delicately flavored meat than beef or even a lot of poultry.  Is there special treatment I should consider when smoking it to better adapt to that?  Different wood? Different marinade?  Lamb is just so subtle and succulent when done right -- I want to figure out how to blend that with delicious smokiness if I can.


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## africanmeat (Sep 10, 2011)

Welcome to SMF Good to have you here .my advise is first to introduce yourself on Roll Call

but for your question,

I love lamb it is very popular  here. the meat and the flavor are vary Delicate      .it is great on hot a grill ,or vary low and slow cooking in the oven  .

but in a smoker i fond that if i keep few rules it will turn yummy (these rules works for me )

1 simple spices like salt garlic evoo black pepper.

2 i keep a tray with liquid under the meat so the feat does not Burn it can Leave a bitter taste

3 i will wrap it with out adding liquid

leg of Lamb i do low and slow .


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## SmokinAl (Sep 10, 2011)

Glad to have you with us!


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## chadinclw (Sep 14, 2011)

Welcome to the neighborhood.

The best tool for lamb is:







I am just not a fan. I appreciate lamb as a cultural thing and can butcher, cook, and serve it. I just can't eat it. 

Good luck! There are lots of fans.


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## sausage joe (Sep 14, 2011)

I believe lamb should be lightly smoked. I use a cookshack 55. I use just a few sprigs of rosemary, and a small amount of garlic to generate smoke. The smoke flavor comes from the residue in the unit itself.


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## chef jimmyj (Sep 14, 2011)

RoastPete said:


> Lamb is a more delicately flavored meat than beef or even a lot of poultry.  Is there special treatment I should consider when smoking it to better adapt to that?  Different wood? Different marinade?  Lamb is just so subtle and succulent when done right -- I want to figure out how to blend that with delicious smokiness if I can.


I have heard people describe Lamb a lot of ways but DELICATE was not one of them! I'm with you Pete, Lamb done right is right there with Foie Gras and Escargot in the realm of Luxury Eats for me! I do a very similar Marinade for Whole Leg or Kabobs and find OAK is a nice complimentary smoke...JJ


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