Brined Lamb Shoulder
Ingredients
Whole lamb shoulder (bone in)
4 rosemary sprigs
4 bay leaves
Half a head of fresh garlic
Chicken Stock (amount will depend on the size of your hotel pan)
1 cup pomegranate seeds
1 cup roasted chickpeas
Mint and parsley to garnish
Brine Ingredients
540 grams kosher salt
540 grams brown sugar
5 bay leaves
3 tablespoons coriander seeds
1 tablespoon cumin
2 bunches of fresh rosemary
1 bunch of fresh thyme
1 head of fresh whole garlic
8 quarts of water
Pomegranate Glaze Ingredients
1 quart pomegranate juice
1 quart stock (from the brine)
3 tablespoon grain mustard
1/2 cup pomegranate molasses
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
Instructions:
Place all brine ingredients in a large pot, bring to a boil and then turn off heat. Allow mixture to cool down to room temperature. Once the mixture has cooled, strain the brine and place the whole lamb shoulder in the brine. Cover and let sit in the fridge for two days. After the two days, pull the lamb shoulder out of the brine and hot smoke the lamb shoulder for 1 hour. Be sure to hang on to the brine mixture – you’ll be using this in the pomegranate glaze!
Once the lamb is done smoking, remove from smoker and place in a deep hotel pan with 5 bay leaves, 4 rosemary sprigs and half a head of fresh garlic. Fill the hotel pan with chicken stock (store bought chicken stock will work fine, or if you’re in a pinch you can just fill with water). The pan should be filled just enough so that a little piece of the lamb shoulder is sticking out. Cover in tin foil and place in the oven, pre heated at 300 degrees. Let the lamb cook in the oven for approximately 4 hours. When done, the meat should be tender enough that it will easily fall off the bone, but still be firm enough to hold its shape in the hotel pan.
To make the pomegranate glaze, mix all the ingredients in a pot, place on medium heat, stirring regularly and let simmer until the mixture has reduced down by half.
Remove lamb shoulder from pan, pour the glaze on top, garnish with fresh pomegranate seeds, roasted chickpeas, mint and parsley. Enjoy!
