Cherry-Smoked Pulled Lamb Shoulder with Lemon-Garlic Yogurt

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A boneless lamb shoulder rubbed with oregano, garlic and lemon zest, then smoked over cherry wood at 250°F until it pulls apart at 203°F internal. Foil-wrapped halfway with lemon juice so it stays juicy, it shreds into warm pitas with a cool garlicky yogurt. Almost all of the eight hours is hands-off.

Ingredients

• 4 lb boneless lamb shoulder, tied
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 2 lemons (zest of both, juice of 1)
• 4 cherry wood chunks

• 1 1/2 cups plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 English cucumber, coarsely grated
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 8 pita breads, warmed

Instructions

1. Pat the lamb shoulder dry. Rub it all over with the olive oil, then mix the salt, pepper, oregano, garlic powder and the zest of both lemons in a small bowl and press the rub into every surface, including the ends. Let it sit at room temperature while the smoker comes up to heat, about 45 minutes.
2. Set up your smoker for indirect cooking at 250°F (120°C) and add 2 cherry wood chunks once the fire is clean-burning and the smoke is thin and blue. Fill the water pan if your smoker has one.
3. Place the lamb fat-side up directly on the grate and smoke undisturbed for 4 hours, adding the remaining 2 cherry chunks after the first 90 minutes. Do not open the lid otherwise; the bark needs the time to set.
4. When the internal temperature in the thickest part reads 165°F (74°C) and the outside is deep mahogany, lay the lamb on a double sheet of heavy foil, pour over the juice of 1 lemon plus 2 tablespoons water, and wrap tightly.
5. Return the wrapped lamb to the smoker and cook another 3 to 4 hours at 250°F, until a probe slides into the centre with no resistance and the internal temperature is 203°F (95°C). Total time is usually 7 1/2 to 8 1/2 hours; go by feel and temperature, not the clock.
6. Rest the foil-wrapped lamb in a dry cooler or a turned-off oven for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, squeeze the grated cucumber dry in your hands and stir it into the yogurt with the grated garlic and a pinch of salt.
7. Unwrap over a bowl to catch the juices, pull the lamb apart with two forks, discarding large fat pockets, then toss the meat with a few spoonfuls of the reserved juices. Pile into warm pitas with the lemon-garlic yogurt.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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