Smoked Greek Lemon-Oregano Pulled Lamb

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A boneless lamb shoulder rubbed with Greek oregano, garlic and cumin, then smoked low and slow over oak until it pulls apart with a fork. Spritzed with lemon and red wine vinegar as it cooks, it finishes juicy, tangy and deeply smoky — pile it into warm pita or serve with rice and yogurt.

Ingredients

• 4 lb boneless lamb shoulder, tied
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp dried Greek oregano
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

• 3 lemons
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 4 oak wood chunks (or 3 cups oak chips)

Instructions

1. Pat the lamb shoulder dry and rub it all over with the olive oil. Mix the oregano, salt, garlic powder, cumin, paprika and black pepper in a small bowl, then press the rub over every surface of the meat, including the ends. Let it sit at room temperature while the smoker heats.
2. Set up your smoker for indirect cooking and bring it to a steady 250°F (120°C), adding the oak chunks to the coals or the smoker box. Wait until the smoke runs thin and blue rather than thick and white before the meat goes on.
3. Place the lamb fat side up directly on the grate. Smoke undisturbed for 2 hours. Meanwhile, juice 2 of the lemons into a spray bottle or small bowl and stir in the red wine vinegar and 1/2 cup water.
4. After the first 2 hours, spritz or mop the lamb with the lemon-vinegar mixture every 45 minutes. Keep the smoker between 240°F and 260°F, topping up the oak once at about the 3-hour mark. Cook until the exterior is a deep mahogany bark and the internal temperature reads 165°F (74°C), about 4 to 5 hours total.
5. Set the lamb on a double layer of heavy foil, pour over any remaining spritz liquid, and wrap tightly. Return it to the smoker and cook until a probe slides into the thickest part with almost no resistance and the internal temperature reaches 203°F (95°C), about 2 to 3 hours more.
6. Leave the lamb wrapped and rest it in a cooler or a turned-off oven for at least 45 minutes. Do not skip this — it is what keeps the meat juicy.
7. Unwrap over a bowl to catch the juices, remove the twine, and pull the lamb into rough chunks with two forks. Toss with the collected juices, then squeeze over the remaining lemon and scatter with a extra pinch of oregano before serving.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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