Lamb Shoulder Chops Recipe - 3 Secrets to Making Tough Lamb Chops Tender 

Thanks, Andrea! We have a few new lamb videos coming up too - rack of lamb, leg of lamb, lamb sirloin steaks - stay tuned!

This. Makes. Me. So. Happy!!!!!!!

Thanks for the kind words Ms G!

Thanks! You can do this in the oven or on the grill - you don’t need a smoker. Just use a little extra spice!

How wonderful Dannie! Thank you for letting us be a part of your Christmas dinner! Have an absolutely wonderful holiday!!! -Al and Leah

Thanks! They were so tender this way!

OMG you should taste them! The red wine braise is so good. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment, Brian! -Al

Thanks!

Yay! So glad you like it!

Yay! Enjoy! Please come back and let me know how it goes! -Al

I've never done the root beer boil. Going on the list!

Thanks! You should try this!

You just made my day, Martin! Thanks for trying it I’m so glad you loved it! -Al

Wonderful! So many people overlook this cut because they don't know what to do with it. I'm so glad you tried it Evelyn!

It’s an accurate description 😂. Thanks for watching, John!

Glad you liked those! Don't give it away, but I'm curious to see who else figures out the "missed buzzer opportunity"! FWIW - grape seed oil has a smoke point of 420°F. Avocado oil has a smoke point of 520°F and a pretty amazing taste. Give it a try!

@@BehindTheFoodTV I almost did, but the price was 2-3x per ounce... Obviously, I'll need to try that for the 'perfect' maillard effect :)

With great power comes great responsibility, young man! :-) 🍖✊🍀

New sub, also.

Thanks Amarie! She’s the apple of my eye!

Thank you so much! Such wonderful words!

Thanks, John (if that’s even your real name lol). It really is a wonderful special occasion meal. Welcome to the Eat More Vegans family! -Al

Thanks, Victor! This video is so old I cringe when I watch it - but the lamb was so good! Some day when I come out to the PNW you can make the salmon and I'll make the lamb!

@@BehindTheFoodTV sounds like a good plan. 👍

Lol thanks Mugensamurai! Wait until you see the toys I show off when I started using Flamethrowers!

Thanks Charlie. She's growing up now and spending less time cooking with me - which of course makes me sad. But she is still on the show about half the time - which makes me happy!

HI Pascha - yes you can! I really like to get at least some smoke on the lamb, which you can do on any grill - but if you don't have a grill at all I would recommend adding a little more smoked flavor for the portion when you cook them before braising - such as ancho chiles and/or smoked paprika. But you can absolutely braise in the oven - my wife does it all the time!

Hi Dorothy! Without a smoker or beef broth you’re going to want to amp up the flavor. I’d add mushrooms (shiitake if you can get them, or portobello maybe?), and definitely lots of onion. A slow cooker is fine if you supplement the flavors this way. I hope this helps - please come back and let me know how it turns out!

@@BehindTheFoodTV Thank you for the quick reply! I do have shiitake mushrooms on hand!

@@dottienguyen outstanding! Throw a handful in the braising liquid. You'll create a fun umami flavor enhancement that will make up for the lack of that strong beef flavor. Man I wish I could be there to taste it with you! Good luck!

Only get it if you don’t like waiting! If you’d rather wait until tomorrow.......😎

You know how to speak my language, good sir!

Cheers from the US of A Andrew! I did some research, and I believe (I could be wrong) that the forequarter chop may include the shoulder chop plus some additional muscle from the neck and shank. I'd be interested in hearing what your butcher says. Either way I believe the preparation should be the same. Here's an article I found that might be some help. Would you please come back and let me know what your butcher says tho? -Al. www.australianlamb.com.au/know-your-meat/lamb-cuts-chart/

Hi again Al (@@BehindTheFoodTV ) I actually get most of my lamb and other cuts direct from a farm based business - they deliver to different areas each week of the month, so it's all freshly butchered by them and their team. The business has been growing quite nicely with them putting on more delivery trucks and they deliver to our door (or kitchen bench even) - how brilliant is that. My wife LOVES their eggs. Freshly laid on the farm, and plenty of double yolkers 8^0 This is what they said in reply: "Hi Andrew Yes that’s absolutely correct, shoulder chop and forequarter chop are the same thing. Perfect just on the BBQ also great under the griller for a very quick dinner. We often have them marinated in a middle eastern marinade which is basically greek yoghurt and spices." Maybe it's a different variety of lamb causing yours to be tough, as ours are quite a definite common cheaper cut. Cooked quickly on the bbq as they said, and I indeed remember as kids we'd cook them under the grill (part of the oven). Yumm. I recently got the mid sized Weber Smokey Mountain adding to my Q3200 I've had for a few years now. Am really enjoying all the video channels, including yours, and learning heaps. Did my first brisket over the weekend, and very pleased with the results. Their briskets are small (1.5kg) in comparison to the massive ones you have there (15+lb or 7+kg) in the USA. I'm only starting my smoking journey and loving it Keep up the fantastic work

@@absoz I have only one question: Can they add North Carolina to their delivery route?!?!?! Thanks for the quick reply - and for being a part of the Eat More Vegans family, Andrew. Wait until you see what I do with a whole shoulder on Saturday..........

And they've just added a new feature to their page based on our messaging last night, going to do a monthly "Recipe from the Heart" - first one is the lamb chops (the forequarter is great for this) in yogurt and spices Have a peek facebook.com/MudgeeLamb/posts/1798420523657400 Reckon they'd come up sweet on the bbq too - a future idea for you

Looking forward to the clip - lamb is definitely my favourite

Hi John thanks for watching. I'd try to get a little more flavor on them if you're not going to smoke them. The Maillard sear is a great idea - maybe add some butter and rosemary to the sear to maximize flavor. Then make sure you deglaze the pan with the red wine you're going to use for the braise - what will be left behind will be really tasty!

@@BehindTheFoodTV I’ll give that a try and see how it comes out! Thanks so much for the tips. I’ve never had lamb like this I’m excited to try it!

Thanks man. It’s really all about how you make it IMHO. Lamb shoulder is full of sinew and other connective tissue (just like pork shoulder or brisket) - so it needs to be done low and slow to avoid being tough. Leg and rack on the other hand? Pretty hard to mess it up if you don’t overcook it. Thanks as always for watching and taking the time to comment!

Hi Angelica! They don’t sell that one anymore but they have a new and improved set available. Here’s the Amazon link if you’re in the US (let me know if you’re in a different country and I will get you that link): amzn.to/3tQvq1d

@@BehindTheFoodTV I got it, Thank You! 😃I live here in the US, but I'm from P.R. Enjoy the Weekend.

That's a great tip, Christopher! I've been going for the "wow he really uses that dutch oven a lot" effect :-) I would only get a food saver like this if you like to freeze foods without risk of freezer burn and/or marinate quickly. If you like freezer burn or waiting for marinades, then save the money!

I should also probably point out that I didn't use tomatoes or the rest of what would make this osso bucco but I can see where you would get that. Maybe I should do a smoked osso bucco video?

@@BehindTheFoodTV a smoked Osso Bucco video would be fantastic!

Yeah I messed up a couple of times lol! Thanks for watching I hope you enjoyed it!

So glad you liked the recipe! I’m curious if you’ve got a Yoder why no smoke? Just so have an excuse to try them again? 🤠😎😂🥩🥓🍖

I have been picking up lamb a lot lately and when I looked for how to treat this particular cut your video looked the best but I wasn’t prepared to put it on the smoker as it was getting late. I clean my 640 out before every use and it takes a bit of time on top of it being about 20 degrees where I’m at. I’m glad I picked your video to follow because they were amazing and I bagged up the braise to freeze and use again so yeah that’s a great excuse because I already picked up some more 😁. Oh yeah I also didn’t trim.....

You win favorite comment of the day!

@@baltimoreboy42 You can freeze and reuse braising liquid?

@@windermere2330 🤷🏾‍♂️ don’t know but I did.

Hi Dorothy - it really depends on where and how the lamb you're cooking was raised! US farm raised lamb is usually grain fed or finished, so it doesn't have that gamey taste. Australian and NZ lamb by contrast tend to be grass fed their whole lives, which results in more branch chan fatty acids (BCFAs) - the source of that flavor you're trying to avoid. If you're cooking lamb with a lot of BCFAs, the best thing you can do is to use antioxidants (like mustard) as a binder for your seasoning before you start the dry part of the cook. You won't get a taste of the mustard, but it will counteract the BCFAs and mellow the flavor. Thyme, Sage, and Rosemary are al also antioxidants you can use liberally with lamb.

I won't deny I have a bit of an addiction to gear lol. You can totally do this over charcoal - in fact you'll get an even better taste over hardwood lump charcoal and smoking wood than I got on the pellet grill. Thanks for hanging out here Jose!

Hi Yolanda! If you’re worried about the cost, stick to cuts like shoulder, neck, etc. that are cheaper. I’ve got recipes for all of it here on the channel so you can make it taste amazing. Thanks for watching!

I've seen it done with beef - seems worth trying with lamb! Thanks for the idea, John! -Al

You're getting your wish! Cutting the red off on Tuesday!

How did it turn out, Bull? Also if you don't know what to do with the rest of that beast.....ship it over!!!!! :-)

@@BehindTheFoodTV was unbelievable. A kiss of cherry 🍒 and apple 🍏 pellet, maybe not as much garlic. Yeah words can’t describe how good it was. Braising it really made it tender. Cheers

@@bullparnu7434 awesome you just made my day! I'm so glad you and the crew enjoyed it!

I would do it in an oven or braise stovetop and just add a little liquid smoke. Enjoy!

You take this piece right heeeeeeeeeeere! 🍖🍖🍖

@@BehindTheFoodTV 😋It's delicious!

Yes sir!

Right? Thanks for noticing! We have a lot of fun with our music!!!!

It’s great you can get yours locally sourced! If you’re not going to do it this way, at least smoke them low and slow so you can break down the muscle tissue. Good luck!

@@BehindTheFoodTV I think I'll do them in the same spicy way I do shanks. Maybe thaw out about another four.

Zootybeano I’m intrigued!

Hahaha awesome! When you get it you get it right?

For those of us who remember 70's p*rn lol

Interesting that’s your result. Animal shoulders (doesn’t matter which animal) are working muscles and therefore loaded with connective tissue.

@@BehindTheFoodTV I don’t disagree at all perhaps lamb is just not as tough as say the same cut of beef or pork . Deer and elk would be so tough for the same cut .

Nice! Come back please and let me know how this turns out for you!

Thank you - I'm very proud of her!

Thanks Adam. Don’t worry I’m not offended I really appreciate all feedback!

Good observation, Mike. You could certainly take these the whole way without the braise - but they won't be as tender. That's why I smoked them first to get that bbq flavor before braising. If you don't like the idea of this kind of braise and want to stick closer to traditional BBQ style, you could braise in foil (3-2-1 ribs style) using 50/50 apple juice and ACV. Thanks for watching, and taking the time to comment!

Thanks for catching that.

@@BehindTheFoodTV What was the other herb then?

@@charliedelta9501 honestly this was 2 years ago and I don’t remember all of the details, but it’s a safe bet if I made lamb I used rosemary and thyme. 😂

Vegans are so tasty! Thanks for watching Rose!

You’re welcome!