Smoked Lamb Breast

by Alan on August 22, 2023 in Additional Ideas, Lamb Breast Recipes, Racks, Legs & Roasts, Recipes: Lamb & Goat

Rich, smoky, tender and full of flavor, a smoked lamb breast or goat breast is one of the best ways to treat a cut that can be intimidating to work with. But, with a few tips, breast, also known as lamb brisket, might just become your new favorite cut. Read on and I’ll explain the secret to perfect, tender results every time.

Finished, smoked, sliced lamb breast next to a knife.

Trimming the Fat

Lamb and goat breast tend to be fatty, so the most important part of the recipe is trimming some of the fat off before marinating, and then cooking. The images below illustrate the process of exactly how much fat I like to trim from the breasts. I trim just about as much fat as I can without cutting into the meat or making holes. Don’t worry if you cut a little too deep while trimming, you’ll be rolling the meat up to cook so it isn’t an issue. Essentially, you’re trying to remove as much fat as you can, keeping its rectangular shape and not leaving holes in the meat.

A lamb breast trimmed of fat and ready to cook. — The finished, trimmed breast should still have a thin layer of fat.

Step-by-Step

Once the meat has been trimmed it’s seasoned first with salt, then on both sides with a dry rub. This is the same method I use for just about any smoked meat from pork brisket to smoked goat.

Seasoning a trimmed lamb breast with salt.

Seasoning both sides of a trimmed lamb breast.

After seasoning, it’s tied into a roll with butchers twine and allowed to rest overnight for the best flavor.

Rolled, seasoned lamb breast ready for smoking.

Wrapping a lamb breast in cling film after smoking to keep it moist.

The next day you remove it, smoke it for an hour or two, then wrap it in parchment and put it in the oven to cook low and slow. The parchment is key here, and helps the meat to not dry out, it’s a technique we also use on Whole Roasted Leg of Lamb Dibi Style. Once the meat is fully cooked and fork tender it’s removed and allow to cool. Next the butchers twine is removed.

Smoking a lamb breast on a Traeger pellet smoker.

Cooking lamb breast wrapped in parchment — Instead of slow roasting, you can also wrap the breast in parchment as another option.

Removing the butchers twine from a chilled, smoked lamb breast.

Cooling the meat after cooking is optional, but it helps it hold its shape. If you want to serve perfect toto hk rounds of the smoked breast as I show here, you’ll want to allow it to cool completely before slicing and reheating. Once the meat is cooled you can cut it into thick slices, heat in a pan until lightly browned and delicious, and serve with your favorite seasonal side dishes.

Rolled slices of smoked lamb breast cooking in a pan.

Sliced browned lamb breast with coleslaw.

This recipe is by James Beard award-winning Chef Alan Bergo, the Forager Chef. A chef from Minnesota, Alan is a culinary industry veteran, former 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.

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.

Sliced browned smoked lamb breast in a pan with cooked greens, bellflowers and lemon.

Smoked Lamb Shanks

Smoked Boneless Leg of Lamb

Smoked Lamb Riblets

Chilled, sliced lamb breast on a cutting board next to a knife.

Print Recipe

No ratings yet