Pulled Mutton/Lamb Advice Needed


 
Lew Newby

Lew Newby

R.I.P. 1/26/2024
My oldest daughter and her friend are writing a cook book with foods from each state such as Gooey Butter Cake from Missouri. They decided they wanted 3 regional BBQ recipes to add to the book. I can handle the Brisket and ribs but they want Louisville/Western Kentucky "pulled Mutton". I can't get Mutton but Laura got a 6 lb. boneless Lamb shoulder that I'm cooking on Sunday. First , it has to be pulled so I'm figuring on starting to probe for tenderness at 190°F internal temp. I plan to start the cook at 250 to 275 and increase to 325 when IT hits 170° IT. I also plan to have a drip pan and a water pan on the main grate while cooking on the upper grate. I'm using a BBQ rub recipe she gave me and a mutton mop during the cook. She's doing a Louisville Black Sauce for serving. B&B Championship Blend pellets. Weber Smokefire cooker. I prep pork butts the night before I cook them. If the rub is on overnight will it mess up the Lamb? The rub contains salt.
That's my plan and I need someone that's done pulled Mutton or Lamb to nit pick it and improve my chances of producing juicy and tasty pulled lamb. Thanks.

EDIT: I found the June 19 post by TonyUK and he did a great job. I'm not as good of a cook as him but at least I'm on the right track and have a feel for cook time.
 
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Having stayed with a family in North Africa during the 1970s, I do know that the meat can be greasy if prepared improperly. Otherwise it tastes great either in a couscous or curry when prepared properly.
 
I have had goat at Indian restaurants that was very good not sure if they cook mutton, will have to look up a Pakistani place and see what kind of menu they have
 
Let us know how it turns out. I grew up in West KY and love BBQ mutton. I tried smoking a shoulder once and it wasn't quite the same. Not to be critical, but bbq mutton is typically served either sliced and most frequently chipped. For all the times I've seen it on menus, I've never seen it referred to as pulled.
 
I have not made mutton, but have done leg a couple times pulled for tacos. I cooked or smoked it like Brisket. Seasoned S&P Garlic,&Onion powder. I followed the basic cook ideas of Lews plan and it came out great.
Lamb has more oil in the meat so drying out is not a issue, I never mopped ,or used a water pan. I cooked this while living in N KY and it was a hit with folks.
 
JSheffer said:
Let us know how it turns out. I grew up in West KY and love BBQ mutton. I tried smoking a shoulder once and it wasn't quite the same. Not to be critical, but bbq mutton is typically served either sliced and most frequently chipped. For all the times I've seen it on menus, I've never seen it referred to as pulled.
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From what I read it originated in Owensboro along with Black Sauce.
 
Kevin L (NKY) said:
I have not made mutton, but have done leg a couple times pulled for tacos. I cooked or smoked it like Brisket. Seasoned S&P Garlic,&Onion powder. I followed the basic cook ideas of Lews plan and it came out great.
Lamb has more oil in the meat so drying out is not a issue, I never mopped ,or used a water pan. I cooked this while living in N KY and it was a hit with folks.
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Thanks. It’s looking good so far. The proof, however, is in the eating.😁
 
I've not made it but I've certainly eaten it.
Sheep not that popular here in the US as a meat, because we have grassy space for cows , but it's the staple of the rest of the world in rocky, sandy, mountainous .....non grassy regions

Grilling sheep smells fantastic unfortunately it doesn't taste quite as good as it smells. It's very fatty.

In jordan, bedouin barbecue is called zarb. Lamb cooked in ground. I guess burying it traps the moisture. Just pull it apart with your hands and eat.

Lots of communal hand eating on big meals.

In a nutshell today, they bury a 55 gallon drum in the ground... Build a fire in the bottom of it.
Have a big rack that will hold lots of cut up meat and a pan of rice/water. Then put this rack down into the drum over the fire when it burns down to coals. Put the lid on the drum, and shovel sand on top. In about an hour it's ready

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MartinB said:
I've not made it but I've certainly eaten it.
Sheep not that popular here in the US as a meat, because we have grassy space for cows , but it's the staple of the rest of the world in rocky, sandy, mountainous .....non grassy regions

Grilling sheep smells fantastic unfortunately it doesn't taste quite as good as it smells. It's very fatty.

In jordan, bedouin barbecue is called zarb. Lamb cooked in ground. I guess burying it traps the moisture. Just pull it apart with your hands and eat.

Lots of communal hand eating on big meals.
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Lamb in much of the middle east is smaller and sometimes fatter than well-grazed sheep in countries like the UK, where moist lush grass is so abundant that the grass seems to continue to grow while the sheep remain stationary and eat in the same spot all day.

Lamb chops are, of course, great when properly seared and grilled. But shoulder and leg of lamb are often slow-cooked through one moisture-trap method or another. Those parts are tougher to chew on.
 
Darren Lebner said:
Lamb chops are, of course, great when properly seared and grilled. But shoulder and leg of lamb are often slow-cooked through one moisture-trap method or another. Those parts are tougher to chew on.
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When I was working in jordan , almost every night I ordered a shish kebab platter from room service at the hotel.
It came with chicken and beef kebabs......and a lamb chop. And every night I gave sone of the meat to a feral mama cat . She would carry the lamb chop back to her kittens, that stayed put hiding all day . She was smart enough that she knew that piece could be carried and so she ate other stuff and carried that one. She was good mama. She was so scrawny while she was nursing..... After she quit nursing and started putting a little weight back on she was a pretty cat. Would never let you get close enough to touch her.

Point is, I didn't eat the lamb chop. I fed it to cats.


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