First attempt boned shoulder of lamb help

[MickyB]

I am going to attempt a long cook shoulder of lamb tomorrow. Decided to rub with oil, garlic and fresh herbs tonight.
Do I need to try the snake method to achieve a 5 or 6 hour slow indirect cook? And has anyone got a good basting recipe for when I foil the meat for the final part of the cook?
Thanks, Mick

[RobinC]

I've never slow cooked lamb (though I've done mutton that way). The snake method can give you a king cook time. I used it yesterday in my 67cm kettle for a 6 hour cook, hardly used any fuel.

[Tiny]

Hello old chap, I am doing the self same beast tomorrow, I will not be going very low, I reckon at around 300-320. I have studded my beast with garlic and rosemary tonight and on the morrow will be basting with a mix of mint jelly, balsamic vinegar, a couple of anchovies and a drop of red wine, if it doesn't seem sticky enough will add honey and will keep painting until it shines with tastiness........go well sir and I wish you lamby goodliness
Cheers
Tiny

[MickyB]

We'll it went very well! I was a bit concerned for the first hour that the temp was only 150, but soon got up to 250 and held there or thereabout for 4 hrs which gave me the 4 hrs on the grate, then foiled and basted for another hour.
The meat didn't fall apart as I had hoped but was very moist and carved nicely, maybe it needed a couple more hours to become 'pullable' , I reckon there was a good couple of hours heat left.
Onward & upward....

[PDC7]

Which cooking method did you use? And what fuel? Oh and what equipment I'm nosey

[CHokKA]

Which cooking method did you use? And what fuel? Oh and what equipment I'm nosey

Yeah do tell, I'd be interested in doing something like this myself

[MickyB]

I used my Weber 57cm kettle with the briquettes from Homebase (where I bought the Weber from)
Put a couple of small bits of branch from an apple tree I cut down last year on top of 'the snake'.
I watched a you tube video of how to set up 'the snake', and went about half way round the outside with the coals, put a water tray in, protected the meat from direct heat with a bit of foil as a 'barrier' and lit about 15 briquettes in the chimney to get it going.
It is very tempting to keep lifting the lid to see if it is working so after lifting a couple of times early on to make sure the coals were lighting around the snake I went down the pub for a couple of hours and left it alone. (I love this way of cooking!)
Prepared the meat by rubbing the inside with olive oil, garlic salt, plenty of fresh thyme and rosemary, tied it up, left it for a couple of hours and popped it on. For the glaze I used olive oil, balsamic vinegar syrup, half a lemon, crushed some fresh mint in, and proberbly splashed it on 4 or 5 times over an hour whilst in foil.
It didn't taste too smokey at all but definitely had that bbq flavour rather than oven roasted.
Whats not to like, the Mrs didn't have to cook a Sunday lunch and it gave me plenty of time down the boozer, happy days..

[Tiny]

Sounds splendid old chap,
I changed tack and had an disaster, went curry spices and yoghurt instead, gave it some cherrywood smoke but used the gas as weather iffy and my usual sighted help poorly. After a few hours it wasn't cooking on at all so had to abandon lunch plans retreat to the oven and have for tea, was very tasty indeed but twas not a luncheon, glad yours did the business
Cheers
Tiny