Smoked Lamb Baharat
Baharat is an Arabic spice blend with allspice, black pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg that gives lamb a deep, warm aroma when hot smoking. The combination of sweet and savory spices harmonizes perfectly with the natural flavor of the lamb. This recipe is excellent for lamb shoulder or whole lamb leg.
Ingredients(for 1 kg)
Instructions
Brining & Marinating
15 minutes + 24 hours brining timeBring brine of 1 liter water, 60 g salt, 20 g baharat and honey to a boil, let cool completely. Submerge the lamb and brine for 24 hours in the refrigerator. Remove, pat dry and rub with the dry rub from the remaining spices.
Prepare Smoker
45 minutesSlowly preheat smoker to 110-125 °C – stable temperature is important. Mix and soak cherry and beech wood chips. Insert a water bowl for sufficient moisture. Bring the meat to room temperature.
Low & Slow Smoking
6 hoursPlace the lamb and smoke for 6 hours at 110-125 °C. Refill wood chips every 60 minutes and monitor temperature. After 6 hours the meat should have formed a nice dark bark and have a core temperature of approx. 70 °C.
Texas Crutch & Finishing
2-6 hoursWrap the meat tightly in butcher paper and return to the smoker. Continue cooking at the same temperature until a core temperature of 90-95 °C is reached. The wrapped meat can now be kept warm for 1-2 hours.
Resting & Serving
45-60 minutesLet the finished lamb rest in the butcher paper for 45-60 minutes. Keep warm in a cooler if necessary. At this core temperature the meat should effortlessly fall off the bone. Serve with fresh mint, pomegranate and Arabic bread.
Pro Tip
The low-and-slow method is crucial for baharat lamb – never go above 125 °C, otherwise the spices burn and become bitter. After 6 hours wrap the meat in butcher paper (pink butcher paper) for the so-called Texas crutch – this keeps it juicy and prevents the spices from getting too dark.
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