I Messed Up Good Food: Dub Shack BBQ Tries Lamb Breast

Even your friendly pitmaster has a bad cook.

I bought lamb breasts from Walmart not that long ago, and from the notes I took plus the extra research and development (R&D) I normally undertake from YouTube University, this one still feels like a failure. Fortunately for me, they were cheap to the tune of $12 as I do have a meat budget at home to abide by - no pressure, right? - and I'd rather give new proteins a trial run at home before foisting them upon friends, family, customers, coworkers, and the "meat list."

How badly did I screw this up? Keep reading and check out the pictures.

INGREDIENTS

Lamb breasts (they come in a 2-pack)

Meat Church's Holy Cow rub

Fire and Smoke Society's The Usual rub

Yellow mustard as a binder

STEP ONE. Remove the breasts from the packaging and rinse them off in the sink before laying them on the rack. If you see any excessive fatty bits, trim them off but don't get too happy; lamb is typically a very lean meat and needs its fat. After yellow mustard is slathered on both sides - trust me, you're not going to taste it - apply both Holy Cow and The Usual and let them meld together as the smoker comes up to a temperature of 275-300 degrees. 

STEP TWO. Like any other ribs, lamb breasts cook the way you position them on the smoker. Below you'll see two racks of beef back ribs serve as a buffer on both breasts, and one of the omissions I made was not adding a water pan to the Oklahoma Joe as proteins smoked together. 

I'm good but I'm not perfect, y'all. Those beef ribs tho...

After one hour check the ribs for color and close the smoker. We know the saying "lookin' ain't cookin'", so get a beer or a bottle of water and keep watching the firebox. This cook used cherry and hickory wood splits, and as a pro tip, preheat the wood before adding it to the offset box. Try to keep the cooker around 275 in the meantime. The beef back ribs are going to cook for a good while longer (read Beef in the Streets from December 2021 for a more detailed approach to how I did those guys), so while you salivate over something new, check the lamb breasts for tenderness.

STEP THREE. Upon probing the breast temperature to 165 or the color of your satisfaction, wrap them up in butcher paper. [If you have aluminum foil, that is OK too; I have a couple of rolls of butcher paper to work through from last year's cooks - and the tragic thing is that I got both rolls just before brisket prices got ridiculously expensive. I haven't smoked one of those to the chagrin of my family and neighbors in nearly a year, and once beef prices begin a downward swing, that may become something for them to enjoy. 

As for the lamb breasts, you're treating them like baby back ribs once they are wrapped. They are finished at 205 degrees as the intermuscular fat renders to a buttery texture. Allow them to rest for fifteen minutes before slicing and chowing down! 

Where else did I mess up? I pulled them off the smoker at 190 degrees because I was sleepy. They were good but I'm sure that letting them get the last fifteen degrees would have made them better. Also, my lamb became some really good rib tips dry or wet with a dollop of my own Dub Shack BBQ's Pop Da Cherry barbecue sauce.

Would I do it again? Armed with the knowledge and the shameful feeling that a meat beat me, one day I'll try again. If you attempt lamb breasts, feel free to compare notes in how yours turn out. As always, thanks for reading this post and supporting the movement. Don't forget that every day is a GREAT day for Dub Shack BBQ! Be blessed, be safe, and be good to each other.