Leg of lamb is a traditional springtime or Easter dinner, but there’s nothing typical about this smoked pulled lamb recipe. I love the flavor of lamb any time of the year. With this spicy but sweet shredded lamb, I’m sure your dinner guests will too. It’s so freakin’ delicious on gyros, tacos or whatever you’re in the mood for — special occasion or not.
The trick with this one is to be patient! Once you cover the lamb with foil and start the braising process, resist the urge to open it up. You really can’t “over braise” a cut like this, so let the cooking time run its course. Our braising ingredients are guaranteed to have the tender meat falling off the bone. Add in our Chipotle Garlic Rub and FYR RED Hot Sauce for a spicy but savory crust on the outside and you’ve got the most flavorful meat on the dinner table.
Why You’ll Love Smoked Pulled Lamb
Lamb sometimes gets a reputation for having a gamey flavor, but starting with high-quality pasture-raised lamb meat (like what we’ve seen from the American Lamb Board) can turn all of us into lamb lovers.
The larger cuts are off the charts when it comes to flavor, tender texture and feeding a hungry crowd. Our FYR RED Hot Sauce and Chipotle Garlic Rub take this to a next-level BBQ recipe, and there are so many great ways to serve it. I’m always stoked when I get to introduce people to a protein they might not use all the time. So, this is your sign to channel your inner backyard pitmaster, head to your neighborhood grocery stores or local butcher and pick up a leg of lamb.
Smoked Pulled Lamb Ingredients
- Leg of Lamb: A large and impressive cut. This bone-in leg of lamb will get incredibly tender in the smoker thanks to our delicious braise. The Chipotle Garlic Rub and FYR RED Hot Sauce will create a good crust and enhance the smoky flavor.
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- Braising Ingredients: Beef broth, thinly sliced onions and local honey are all you need here.
- Gyro Toppings: Pita bread, hummus, tzatziki, sliced red onions, sliced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, fries and feta cheese make our smoked pulled lamb recipe better than any gyro restaurant meal out there.
Homemade Hummus
Making your own hummus gets you a spread that’s way more delicious than anything you’d find at the store. All you need is four main ingredients — chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini and olive oil (and OK, sometimes garlic if you’re feeling it) — and a food processor.
Take 1 15-ounce can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed, and add them to the food processor with 1/4 cup of tahini, 1/4 cup of olive oil, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 1/4 cup of water, 1 medium garlic clove, and 3/4 teaspoon of salt. Process all those ingredients until you have a smooth mixture, which takes about 30 seconds.
Put the hummus in a bowl and transfer it to the fridge for 30 minutes or so; this is a great way to let the flavors meld together. Serve with our lamb gyros or straight up on warm pita bread.
How to Make Smoked Pulled Lamb
The brine and braise for this recipe is going to take some time, but we’ve got this. The prep only takes 30 minutes, so after that you can kick back and let the smoker do its slow cooking work.
Seasoning
Place your whole bone-in leg of lamb on a baking sheet, score the fat cap, slather with 1/4 cup of FYR RED Hot Sauce and generously season all sides with 1 cup of Chipotle Garlic Rub to completely cover the roast. Place the leg of lamb in the fridge, uncovered, for at least 4 hours but ideally overnight.
Smoking Your LEG OF LAMB
Preheat your smoker to about 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Add some wood chips or wood chunks if you want extra smoky flavor. Take your leg of lamb out the fridge and place it on the smoker. Let the lamb smoke until the meat reaches 165 degrees internal (about 3 hours). Once the lamb has hit temperature, take it off the smoker and place it in a large foil bin.
Braising Your SMOKED PULLED LAMB
Fill the bin with 2 1/2 cups of beef broth, 2 tablespoons of honey and 2 sliced onions. The liquid in the bin should come up to about 50 percent of the leg of lamb’s height, so add more or less broth if necessary. Tightly cover with foil and place the whole thing back on the smoker at 300 degrees.
Smoke until the meat is probe tender and shreddable, another 3 or 4 hours. Once the roast is done, pull the bin off the smoker and let the lamb rest for 20 minutes.
For more braising recipes, check out Braised Beef Short Ribs, Beer and Herb Braised Lamb Shanks Recipe and Tacos Al Pastor.
Assembling Your Gyros
After the lamb rests, remove from the bin and use two forks to shred the meat. If you want, you can also strain and simmer the leftover au jus down by half for a freakin’ delicious dipping sauce.
Add a handful of the shredded lamb to some pita bread, along with your favorite gyro toppings — hummus, tzatziki, sliced red onions, sliced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, fries and feta cheese are all great here. Serve and enjoy!
What to Serve With Smoked Pulled Lamb
These gyros are a meal unto themselves! The smoked pulled lamb also works great for tacos or lamb sliders. If you want to make this cut more of a traditional meal, serve the meat over mashed potatoes with the leftover au jus and snow peas sautéed in butter and kosher salt on the side.
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Leftovers and Reheating
Braised meats make incredible leftovers. They’re often even better the next day. Store your leftover smoked pulled lamb in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. Reheat the meat in a baking sheet in the oven or on the stovetop, then assemble your gyros, tacos or sliders again and serve.
FAQS
Sure. If you don’t have a smoker or want less smoky flavor, you can braise the lamb in your oven or slow cooker. Be sure to do your research to find the ideal time and temperature to make sure the lamb cooks the way you want it!
A leave-in probe thermometer or digital thermometer is the best way to ensure your temp is spot on.
You can, but the cut will likely take less time and the bone adds some extra flavor. A boneless roast is easier to carve, but bone-in has that extra connective tissue great lamb flavor.
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Smoked Pulled Lamb
Ingredients
Lamb:
- 1 Whole Bone In Leg of Lamb
- 1 cup Chipotle Garlic Rub
- ¼ cup FYR RED Hot Sauce
Braising:
- 2.5 cups Beef Broth
- 2 medium Yellow Onions sliced
- 2 tbsp Local Honey
Gyro:
- Pita Bread
- Homemade Hummus
- Tzatziki Sauce
- Sliced Red Onions
- Sliced Tomatoes
- Chopped Lettuce
- Cooked Fries
- Feta Cheese
Instructions
- Place your leg of lamb on a baking sheet, score the fat, slather with FYR RED Hot Sauce and generously season all sides with Chipotle Garlic Rub in order to completely cover the roasts.
- Place them in the fridge, uncovered, for at least 4 hours but ideally overnight.
- Preheat your smoker to about 250F. Add some wood chips or wood chunks if desired for extra smoky flavor.
- Pull your leg of lamb out and place on the smoker to cook until 165F internal (about 3 hours).
- Once the lamb has hit temperature, pull out and place in a large foil bin. Fill into the bin your beef broth, honey and sliced onions. The liquid in the bin should come up to 50% of the lamb legs height, so add more or less if necessary.
- Tightly cover your bin with foil and place back on the smoker at 300F to smoke until the meat is tender to probe and shreddable (another 3-4 hours).
- Once the roast is done, pull off and let rest for 20 minutes.
- After the rest, pull the leg of lamb out and shred them up. (Optional: strain and simmer the au jus down by half for a dipping sauce!)
- Add a handful of the shredded lamb to some pita bread along with your favorite gyro toppings (some included above). Serve and enjoy!
