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Lamb Rocks!

PostPosted: October 25th, 2014, 8:12 pm
by peashooter
I travel a fair bit for work. My trips often last a month or two due to the nature of the projects. I have spent nearly 4 months in Australia this year and have met a burgeoning group of "American Style BBQ" enthusiasts, many of whom are using Yoder pellets and offsets. The beef and pork I've have sampled in restaurants, pubs and back yards rivals some of the best I've had Stateside (and I grew up in Kansas City -go Royals, lived in Memphis, worked a lot in Texas and if I'm not in a hotel, I'm in Charlotte theses days). Aussies don't have easy access to the relatively good quality of "grocery store" beef and pork that we do in the US and have to make due with pretty spare spare ribs, or work with a local butcher to get traditional 'cue cuts from very young, lean angus cattle. They do have some extremely good Wagyu (Kobe style) beef, but again, need to work with specialty butchers to get the right cuts.

I told you that story to tell you this one: The Aussies I have met through a local BBQ forum are outstanding characters. They are extremely resourceful, creative and passionate about their BBQ. Heck, a team of some fellas I met went to their first American Royal this year and beat Miron Mixon in RIBS! (on a Yoder btw!) Still, I sometimes felt that they were struggling with the dilemma of copying an American "style" (Texas style brisket for example) or creating their own style.

They needn't worry, they have lamb. The combination of low and slow smoking, local hardwoods (iron bark and red gum) easy access to locally sourced, affordable, high quality lamb and commercially available rubs or their own blends, results in a new favorite smoked meat - BBQ Lamb! It has a rich, earthy flavor that would go really well with hickory and oak. It would even stand up to a good bit of mesquite. I would personally stay away from the sweeter rubs and stick with savory/beef style rubs maybe even adding a bit of rosemary and thyme or some dehydrated lemon to the rub.

I'll be picking up my YS640 just in time to roast my Thanksgiving turkey. After that, the search will be on to find a good local source for lamb spare ribs and shoulders. While you can smoke any part or even a whole, the ribs, shoulders/forequarters, seem to have the fat and collagen needed for a nice long cook. If you have any tips on sourcing or methods, I'm all ears. I'll post up my attempts at lamb once I get back and get settled.

Burned out on burnt ends? (yeah, like THAT will ever happen!) Give lamb a shot!