Lamb Shoulder


 
C

Clark Deutscher

TVWBB All-Star
I picked up two of these a while ago. The first I smoked and pulled. Turned out well.

Anyways I have one more shoulder left and was wondering if anyone has any other ideas. I am supposed to do it up and bring it to the fights on Saturday night. I was thinking of cubing it and marinating in a yogurt base then grilling.

Good idea or horrible plan?

Any input is much appreciated. I definately do not have a lot of experience with lamb!!!!!

Clark
 
That will work just fine, Clark. I am grilling lamb tenderloins tonight and will likely marinate in one I often use--that works well for shoulder chunks too--yogurt puréed with lemon zest, garlic, onion, Aleppo, salt and white pepper. I'll serve sprinkled with zatar or straight sumac.

Don't make the cubes too small. For shoulder, I think it is better to grill over moderately gentle heat, very quick sear finish. You can either do a two level fire or you can simply pile all on one side, start indirect, then finish quickly direct. (For tenderloin or loin I just go direct, hot and fast.)
 
Sounds good I think I'll do similar but maybe add cumin? I don't have zatar at home but I do have sumac so will sprinkle with that instead.

Thanks for the tip on the mild heat, I think I would have just went high and did them up but thinking about it they would be pretty tough?

Would you take them to medium or well?

Clark
 
You can add cumin. Its volatiles are fat soluble so, in dairy, a little can go a long way. Go on the lighter side so as not to overwhelm.

If you have sesame seeds and thyme--not French thyme, use a Mediterranean thyme or sub savory--you can make your own zatar. Grind together about 1/4 c each of sumac and thyme and 2 t sesame seeds. Voilà: zatar.

I wouldn't worry about internal color so much with shoulder. Cook indirect or over moderate heat for a little while and let them cook gently almost through, my preference for shoulder if grilled; sear quickly to finish. Lamb, usually slaughtered young, is rarely tough. Shoulder can toughen a bit if cooked too long at high heat. Its fibers seems to sieze. This can be easily avoided.

While writing this I took a quick break to make the marinade for tonight. I went with 3/4 c yogurt, 1.5 T Aleppo, 1/2 a small onion, 1 t powdered lemon zest, yur suggestion of cumin at 1/3 t, the seeds from one green cardamom pod, and 2 t salt. Vac-sealed the tenderloins to marinate. I will drain well, blot excess and lightly pepper before grilling.
 
Thanks Kevin. I will do the same and whip up the zatar. Looking forward to it actually. Although I haven't done a lot of lamb I am really taking a liking to it.

I have never used yogurt as a marinade before though. Am I supposed to strain it?

Thanks!

Clark
 
No. In fact, if you are only adding agents that will thicken it you need to add a touch of water to thin it. I use yogurt that is in the thick side, but the onion addition adds enough water to thin it well enough.

Yogurt, like buttermilk (a good marinade base as well) has the acidity to perform well (I avoid adding much if any additional acids; that is why I use lemon zest or lemon zest powder as opposed to juice), and will act upon the meat fibers in a way, imo, that is much better than typical acid-based marinades (those based on vinegar or citrus juice). One can marinate for some time without the fear of blowing out the muscle fibers and making the meat mushy, as happens with the usual acid-based mixes. Those are very time dependent but, still, there is no in between--the meat's fibers go from natural to denatured in a heartbeat. There is no gradation of 'tenderness'. Marinades of those types should be used for flavoring, not 'tenderness'.
 
Excellent, Thank you sir!

On a seperate note I picked up that Syrah you recomended in Seattle. It really is nice, but they increased the price by $20. Still worth it I would say though.

Clark
 
Up $20? Yowza. Yes, I'd still buy it.

Well, sauce. I went with straight pomegranate molasses tonight. Worked very well with the marinade and the zatar. Highly recommended. If you would like something thinner it could be gently heated to make it thinner than whisked with a little yogurt. You could also, as an alternative, sauté a little minced shallot in evoo and a little butter till soft, add a good splash of chicken stock and some pom molasses and whisk till smooth, adding salt and pepper to taste.

No pomegranate molasses on hand? Do the same thing but add maybe a cup of pom juice and reduce it.

No juice? Use some good cherry preserves or cherry juice (reduced the same way), adding a little lemon juice for some sour notes.

Go for slightly viscous/clingy.

Just a few thoughts.

Tonight's din--grilled marinated lamb tenderloins (marinated as noted above), cauliflower 'couscous' (minced cauliflower florets steamed in chicken stock (which had been added to caramelized finely chopped onion), with a mince of carrot and red bell pepper, steamed green beans with a little butter and onion, lamb drizzled with pom molasses, zatar sprinkled over all, with whole grain toast point dripped with Morea evoo and sprinkled with Aleppo:




 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top