- Preheat the smoker. It will be ready when the coals are just dying down and the temperature has reached 120°C.
- To prepare the lamb, make five randomly spaced incisions on the skin side of the shoulder.
- Push one blanched garlic clove and basil leaf into each of the incisions. (Blanching the garlic beforehand gives a more mellow flavour).
- Sprinkle plenty of salt over the lamb, ensuring it gets into the incisions – this helps to season while it cooks.
- Place the lamb (with the incisions facing up) onto the grill in the smoker. It will need to cook for 4-5 hours.
- Meanwhile prepare the salad. Add the spring onions, fennel, tomatoes, a good pinch of salt, the olive oil and the balsamic vinegar to a large mixing bowl. Mix well. Cover the salad with cling film and leave to marinade in the fridge. The acidity of the vinegar will marry all the flavours together.
- After the lamb has been cooking for about 1 hour, place the aubergines on the grill next to the lamb.
- Take the aubergines off the grill after 1 – 2 hours. They should have a smoky appearance and reduced in size a little.
- Cut the aubergines in half lengthways then scrape the flesh out onto a chopping board. Add a pinch of salt to the aubergine flesh, chop it and place onto a large serving platter. Set aside.
- Take the salad out of the fridge and add the rocket. Roughly chop the remaining basil leaves and add to the salad. Mix well and season to taste.
- The lamb should be ready after 4 – 5 hours of cooking. If possible, check the temperature with a probe – for well done, slow cooked lamb that will easily come off the bone, the recommended core temperature for the meat is around 68°C and 72°C.
- Carefully take the lamb out of the smoker – it should have reduced in size a little and crispy on the corners, with the meat easily falling away from the bone. Place onto the serving platter with the bread, salad and chopped aubergine. Sprinkle a little more salt on top of the lamb if you like.
Hywel Griffith’s Welsh Lamb shoulder with a chunky tomato and fennel salad
- Prep time 20 mins
- Cook time 4 hrs 30 mins
- Serves 5+
Ingredients
- 1 PGI Welsh Lamb shoulder joint
- 5 garlic cloves, boiled in water for 10 minutes
- Handful of fresh basil leaves (about 15 leaves)
- Salt
For the salad:
- 5 spring onions, roughly sliced
- 1 head of fennel, roughly chopped
- 5 ripe plum tomatoes, roughly diced
- Salt
- 50ml olive oil (good quality)
- 50ml balsamic vinegar (good quality)
- 2 aubergines
- 150g rocket
- 1 ciabatta loaf