Easy Smoked Lamb Neck (or Goat)

There’s lots of cuts that are worthy of smoking on a lamb or goat, but a whole smoked neck, along with the shoulder, are my favorite. You can smoke literally any cut of lamb or goat, but shoulders and necks, as they contain plenty of intramuscular fat to keep the meat moist, are going to give you the best results, where using something like a leg of lamb can result in meat that’s dry.

How to Smoke Lamb Neck

The basic recipe is really easy: make a brine with salt and water, then immerse the neck in the brine for 24 hours. Afterward, you remove the neck, season it with black pepper, and smoke it low and slow until the meat pulls easily from the bone when flaked with a fork. Removing the meat does require a little more effort than smoking a shoulder, but, one taste of the juicy, tender meat and you won’t care about a little extra prep time before serving.

To remove the most meat from the bone, find it easiest to cut the meat off into large chunks with a knife, afterward, I take a fork to the neck bone and flake off every last piece of delicious meat. The finished meat is great anywhere you’d use smoked pulled pork, and it makes a fantastic barbecued sandwich (directions for how to make mine below).

This recipe is by Chef Alan Bergo, the Forager Chef. A chef from Minnesota, Alan is a culinary industry veteran, former executive chef of acclaimed Lucia’s Restaurant, and the Salt Cellar. Author of The Forager Chef’s Book of Flora, he’s one of the most respected voices in the world of foraging and wild food. He’s best known as the founder of Forager Chef, his website focused on wild ingredients that reaches millions of readers each year. Learn more about Chef Alan and his hunt for mushrooms, wild and obscure foods at foragerchef.com. 

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More Lamb Neck Recipes

How to Cook Lamb or Goat Neck, with Recipes

Braised Lamb Neck with Harissa and Chickpeas

Easy Lamb Neck Stew