Smoked Lamb Ham Recipe (Or Goat)

Craving homemade ham but pork isn’t an option? Or maybe you prefer lamb, or wondered if you can make a leg of lamb into ham? This smoked lamb ham recipe with a maple mustard glaze from award-winning chef Alan Bergo is easy to make at home. All you need is a pot to brine the lamb, and a smoker. Read on and we’ll explain how to make it.

Historically, making a ham was a way to preserve meat over the winter, and, as the fresh meats and root cellar vegetables grew more scarce, having protein ready to use during the cold months was a  necessity in places that experience a cold winter. Come Spring time, the hams were ready to be used, and, likely needed to be.

With Easter right around the corner, our farmers and Chef Bergo got together to test and design a ham recipe for ham using either grass fed lamb or goat so that if you’d like to try making one sometime, you can. It takes a little refrigerator space, but it’s a great do-it-yourself variation on pork ham for the family, during Easter season or anytime.

Of course one of the best parts of a good ham is a glaze, so there’s one included made from maple syrup sourced close to our Farm in Wisconsin, and a little mustard. That being said, if you don’t feel like glazing them ham, or don’t have access to a smoker that can control temperatures, you could easily just bake the ham in the oven, or cook it in water or stock with vegetables as you would corned beef, until tender.

This recipe is by James Beard Award-winning Chef Alan Bergo. He’s a chef from Minnesota and author of The Forager Chef’s Book of Flora. Learn more about Chef Alan at foragerchef.com. 

Looking to buy lamb or goat online? Shepherd Song Farm: Grass to table. We raise lambs & goats traditionally, humanely and sustainably. 100% Grass Fed, Pasture Raised, Never Confined, no Hormones, Grains or Animal Byproducts. Born, raised and processed in the U.S.A. Good for you and good for the environment.

How to Make Smoked Lamb Ham

The process for making a ham from a leg of lamb or goat is the same for pork. First a brine is made and the meat is soaked in it for a few days, then removed and dried. For the best crust, you’ll want to leave the leg in the refrigerator overnight to develop a crust. The images below illustrate the process.

More Smoked Lamb Recipes

Smoked Leg of Lamb (Boneless)

Smoked Lamb Breast or Brisket

Smoked Lamb Shanks