Pulled BBQ Lamb Sandwiches
Sponsored by the American Lamb Board
I was out in the wilderness of Idaho on the border of Yellowstone National Park last month. I knew there was a lot of local lamb farms in the area, so on the way up to the cabin I found one and grabbed a beautiful fresh lamb shoulder. I wanted to cook over the fire and knew lamb shoulder would work great low and slow in a dutch oven. I decided to simmer it in some ingredients that would essentially form a BBQ sauce as it cooked. I served it on buns with a crunchy slaw.
The American lamb board is hosting a really cool summer promotion and giving away some great prizes! All you have to do is discover your summer personality. Are you a Fit Foodie or a Global Griller? Judging by this post, you probably won’t be too surprised that I am an “Outdoor Adventurer.” After you take the quiz, hit up the comments section and let me know your result.
The idea was to not have too many ingredients that needed chopping or prep. That way you can just toss everything in the pan. I did chop the lamb, garlic, and (not pictured) onion and carrot, but you can do that at home if you need to and bring them in zip lock bags.
Cook the onion and carrot down for about 10 minutes.
Garlic in next, then lamb.
Followed by tomato, bourbon, brown sugar, cumin, cinnamon, and oregano.
Let it cook about 3 hours, stirring every hour.
It gets a nice deep color when it is done, and is shimmering with flavorful fat.
You can just mash it up with a potato masher and it is ready to serve.
The simple slaw is cabbage, mayo, vinegar, and fresh mint.
I served it with some tasty jalapeno mac and cheese. It was a great wilderness picnic meal!
I have never had such tender and flavorful lamb. It even picked up some of the smoke flavor from the fire burning. Eating it surrounded by nature was really nice. A deer even walked up and said hello!
Next time you are thinking of pulled pork sandwiches, try this lamb version instead!
My friend Krissy even made this beautiful wildflower bouquet for the center of the table.
Major thank you to American Lamb for supporting The Food In My Beard. Make sure to check out the contest and support the brands that help make this website possible!
Pulled BBQ Lamb Sandwiches
Ingredients
Lamb
- 3-5 pounds lamb sholder cut into 2 inch cubes
- 1 onion diced
- 3 carrots diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup cider vinegar
- 28 ounces canned crushed tomato
- 1 cup bourbon
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons cumin
- 1 tablespoon chile powder
- 1 pinch cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- salt and pepper
Slaw
- 1/2 head cabbage
- 20 mint leaves
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons mayo
- salt and pepper
- buns
Instructions
- Cook the onion and carrot with some oil for about 10 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook 2 minutes.
- Add the lamb and cook 5 minutes. On the hot coals and open fire, I was able to brown the lamb slightly, but don’t worry if you can’t achieve this, you will get plenty of browned flavor in the end.
- Add the rest of the lamb ingredients and stir to combine. Cover and bake at 300 for 3 hours stirring every hour.
- Meanwhile make the slaw. Slice the cabbage and chop the mint. Add all the ingredients and stir to combine. Set aside until you are ready to use.
- When the lamb is cooked, mash it with a potato masher right in the pot. Serve with the buns and slaw.
This recipe is spot on!
I did this on a gas grill, but followed the rest of the directions exactly. My wife and I call them Lamb-wiches, they kinda have a Manwich flavor…kinda.