Mediterranean Lamb Shoulder
Herb-marinated, smoked low and slow until fall-apart tender. Olive oil, garlic, lemon, rosemary, thyme, oregano, sea salt and black pepper.
Test kitchen, draft 1. Not yet cooked and logged.
- Yield
- A 5 to 6 lb bone-in shoulder serves 6 to 8
- Prep
- 20 minutes, plus 4 hours to overnight in the marinade
- Cook
- 6 to 8 hours at 250 F, wrapped for the last half, plus a 30 to 60 minute rest. Estimate.
- Wood
- Oak, Cherry
Safe first. Then done.
145 F (62.8 C), then rest at least 3 minutes before carving or consuming
Steaks, chops and roasts (whole muscle). Food thermometer in the thickest part, away from bone, fat and gristle, read before removing from the heat source. This is a food safety floor, not a preference. Where any other number on this page is lower, this one governs.
Source: USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart, page updated 2025-04-14, read 2026-09-02.
195 to 205 F, probe tender
Lamb and goat shoulder, shank and breast are collagen cuts. The American Lamb Board says shoulder benefits from slow cooking to break down connective tissue and shanks practically melt off the bone when slow cooked; FSIS says less tender goat cuts should be braised or stewed. For pulling, backyard convention finishes them probe tender around 195 to 205 F. Goat is very lean, so wrap early and keep the pit gentle.
Pit temperature: Low and slow for collagen cuts (brisket, pork butt) means 200 to 250 F pit air so the outside does not overcook while the centre catches up (Texas A&M). FSIS's food-safety band for a smoker is 225 to 300 F. Poultry skin crisps better at the top of the band or above it.
Lamb
- 1bone-in lamb shoulder, 5 to 6 lb
Marinade
- 1/3 cupolive oil
- 6garlic cloves, crushed
- 1lemon, zest and juice
- 2 tbspfresh rosemary, chopped
- 1 tbspfresh thyme leaves
- 1 tbspdried oregano
- 1 tbspsea salt
- 2 tspcoarse black pepper
Pit
- as neededoak or cherry chunks
- 1 rollpink butcher paper
Pantry items to check before you start. Print the page and tick them off.
- Olive Oil Atlas Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Dried Oregano Amazon Grocery, 0.65 Oz
- Dried Thyme Badia Whole Thyme Leaves, 8 oz
- Dried Rosemary Anthony's Organic Dried Rosemary Leaves, 1 lb
- Sea Salt Maldon Sea Salt Flakes 125g
- Coarse Black Pepper McCormick Black Pepper, 3.12 oz
- Garlic Powder McCormick Garlic Powder, 8.75 oz
As an Amazon Associate, Pit Log earns from qualifying purchases. We pick these by name and type, checked against Amazon’s own records. Not by what pays best. We show no prices. A price on a page goes stale fast. Checked 2026-09-03.
- 01
Score the fat cap in a diamond pattern, a quarter inch deep. Mix the marinade and rub it into every cut and under any loose flaps.
- 02
Bag it or cover it and marinate in the refrigerator, 4 hours to overnight. Never on the counter. USDA FSIS: marinate in the fridge and discard the used marinade.
- 03
Run the pit at 250 F with oak, or oak and cherry. Shoulder on fat side up. Leave it alone for 3 hours.
- 04
When the bark is set and dark, usually 160 to 170 F, wrap tight in butcher paper. Back on at 250 F.
- 05
Start checking at 195 F. It is done when a probe slides into the thickest part, away from the blade bone, with almost no resistance. That is usually 195 to 205 F. USDA FSIS calls lamb safe at 145 F with a 3 minute rest; this cook passed that hours ago. The extra is about collagen, not safety.
- 06
Rest wrapped for 30 to 60 minutes. Keep it above 140 F if you hold it longer.
- 07
Pull it off the bone with forks or claws. Squeeze fresh lemon over it. Serve on flatbread with yogurt, or over rice.
- Untested draft. Concept from the approved Pit Log lamb graphic.
- For a sliced roast instead of pulled, follow the American Lamb Board scale on the lamb temperature page: pull at 135 F for a 145 F medium rare after rest.
- Thaw and marinate in the refrigerator. Thaw in the refrigerator, in cold water changed every 30 minutes, or in the microwave; never on the counter. Thaw before smoking. Marinate in the refrigerator (beef, pork and lamb up to 5 days; cubes 2 days). Boil used marinade before brushing it on cooked meat, or discard it. Do not cook frozen meat in a slow cooker.
- Leave-in probe / wireless thermometerFSIS: use two thermometers, one for the pit air and one for the food. Every low-and-slow page.
- Pink butcher paperBrisket, shoulder, lamb and goat wrap. Consumable, repeat purchase.
- Meat claws / shreddersPulled pork, lamb and goat shoulder.
As an Amazon Associate, Pit Log earns from qualifying purchases. We pick these by name and type, checked against Amazon’s own records. Not by what pays best. We show no prices. A price on a page goes stale fast. Checked 2026-09-03.
- Lamb shoulder guide, in the works
- Oak smoke
- Cherry smoke
- The full temperature chart
Open it in Pit Master Log
The log opens with custom, oak, 250 F and butcher paper already filled in. Change anything. Then cook.