OOPS! That didn't work

[rynd2it]

One of my all-time favorite dishes is a Greek disk called 'Kleftiko" - the word means stolen as they used to steal the lamb and than bake a shoulder in a sealed smoke-filled oven so the smoke wouldn't give them away.

I've had lamb shanks done the same way so I decided to try and use the smoker to create the disk. Used a simple overnight marinade of olive oil, garlic, oregano, thyme, lemon juice, salt & pepper. Got the smoker to 240 with charcoal briquettes (all I had at the time) then added a lump of mesquite and let the lamb smoke gently at around 230 for two hours.

It was as tough as shoe leather

however it was cooked and there was a definite smoke ring in the meat which I could taste as well.

So where did I go wrong

I suspect it needed to be smoked (or maybe wrapped in foil and cooked) for several hours.

Anyone got any ideas on doing this dish?



David

 

[mikey2gunz]

Dave-

Sounds to me like it didn't cook long enough. I think I'd've tried a milder wood as well, but that's just me. I hear pecan is good with lamb.

Mike

 

[rynd2it]

Hi Mike,

Thanks - I'll definitely give it longer, a lot longer, next time. And you are right the mesquite was a bit strong but the only other wood I had was oak.

I'll give pecan a try, thanks

 

[mikey2gunz]

Dave-

I currently use hickory and CHERRY. Will be moving on to hickory and apple when my stash runs out. I've a free source of apple from an orchard in Iowa City. Pre-heating my wood on top of the firebox helps BIGTIME, and when the free wood starts rolling in, I'm gonna pre-burn to get even better results....

Mike

 

[rynd2it]

I can't use hickory - my wife is allergic to it

Apple might work, although there's not a lot of apple wood around here - it's all citrus which is useless.

 

[dacdots]

On the contrary,citrus is an excellent wood for smoking,I used it all the time when I lived in FL.It works well with fish,poultry,and pork.It is a mild tangy flavor which doesnt overpower your product.Many marinades call for lemon or lime juice and the citrus wood will give you a similar taste.Id give my right arm for a truck load of citrus wood seeing on how its pretty scarce here in WV.Ive told the story here on the forum of how for four years I raised from seed six grapefruit trees just to use it foe smoking.When the trees started hitting the cieling in the house I cut it up and used it,David.

 

[rynd2it]

Thanks for that - I'm sure many of my neighbors would gladly give you a truck load - you would just need to drive about 4,000 miles round trip

 

[gypsyseagod]

i was lookin' @ yer cooking method. maybe 230-240 was too hot. i'd go 200 for lamb(depending on the size of meat)- say 2lbs an hour- cut to kabob size- foil & tent w/ 3tsp water & fresh basil) or oven cook for an hour @ 180... that sound like a gyro recipe.

 

[squeezy]

I have to agree with longer cooking time and the oak would have been a better choice in this case.
Pecan would be great as would apple or maple for lamb.