Smoked Leg Of Lamb (Pulled Lamb)
Enjoy the rich, smoky flavors of our succulent smoked leg of lamb recipe. Marinated in a fragrant blend of herbs and spices, the lamb is slow-smoked to perfection over smoldering hardwood for a melt-in-your-mouth experience that's sure to impress your guests at any gathering. A delectable fusion of smokiness and tender meat that's bound to be a showstopper on your dinner table.
Servings 10 servings
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 lb. Bone-In Leg of Lamb fat and silver skin removed
- Apple Cider Vinegar for spritzing
Dry Rub
- 2 tbsp Kosher Salt
- 1 tbsp Black Pepper
- 2 tbsp. Paprika
- 1 tbsp. Cumin
- 1 tbsp. Coriander
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 2 tsp Cinnamon
- 2 tsp Allspice
- 1 tsp Aleppo Pepper or cayenne
- 1 tsp Ground Cloves
Injection Ingredients
- 1 stick Butter
- 2 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1/2 cup Beef Broth or vegetable stock
- 2 tsp Dry Rub Mixture (from above)
- 2 Garlic Cloves smashed or sliced
Instructions
Preparation and Injection:
- Remove the leg of lamb from the packaging and pat the meat dry with paper towels.
- Trim any silver skin and remove as much of the fat cap on the outside of the lamb.
- Prepare the lamb injection by combining all the ingredients in a pot over medium low heat. Cook the mixture until everything is heated through and then let cool for 15 minutes.
- Once the injection is no longer hot but warm, strain it through a sieve or cheesecloth to remove and solids (they will get stuck in the injector).
- Inject the lamb with as much of the mixture as you can, it's ok if some leaks out. Place the lamb on a wire rack and leave it uncovered in the fridge for 2 hours or overnight for best results.
Smoking Instructions:
- Preheat the smoker to 250 F. and set the smoker for indirect heat. Add a foil pan filled with water to the deflector plate or closer to the fire box inside your smoker for this cook.
- Combine all the dry rub spices together in a bowl and whisk to combine.
- Remove the leg of lamb from the fridge and pat it dry a second time to remove any moisture that leaked from the injection.
- Lightly coat the lamb in olive oil and then coat it in the dry rub mixture.
- Place the leg of lamb onto the grill grate and smoke for 1 hour. Check the lamb and see how the bark is forming. If the bark appears dry, spritz or mop the outside of the bark with diluted apple cider vinegar to keep it moist and continue to smoke until the internal temperature reaches 165-170 F.
- Remove the leg of lamb from the smoker and place it over foil with some pads of butter and spritz it again. Wrap it very tightly in the foil and place it back onto the smoker to continue cooking until it is probing tender (between 195-205 F.).
- Once tender, remove from the smoker and let it rest at least 1-2 hours in a cooler before pulling.
- Pull and shred the lamb from the bone and serve as desired.
Notes
Why should you remove the fat cap? The fat on the lamb doesn't render the best and also contributes to the gamey flavor often associated with lamb. Removing this does have the potential to dry out the meat slightly (thus the injection that's recommended for this recipe) but builds a much better bark and gives this better flavor overall. You can leave the fat cap on if preferred.