Porcupine Shoulder

The closest this recipe gets to porcupine is ‘quills’ of rosemary – sorry to disappoint! It calls for lamb shoulder. After a few hours, the outside will have crisped beautifully and the inside will be meltingly tender, with subtle hints of woody rosemary and mint. Enjoy!.

Porcupine Shoulder

Ingredients
Lamb shoulder or leg
Rosemary sprigs
Mint sauce
Oil

1. Preheat grill. Prepare the gas barbeque for cooking over indirect medium heat. On the Cadac grill, this means setting two burners at one end to medium high, and leaving the other burners turned off.

2. Cut the holes for the rosemary quills. Using a carving knife, make 1 – 2 inch deep incisions in the meat, 10 – 15 in total. Keep the incisions running in one direction, like the quills of a porcupine.

3. Rub and season the meat. Brush oil and mint sauce over the exterior of the meat, pushing some into the incisions. Season generously with coarse salt and pepper.

4. Insert the quills. Trim the rosemary sprigs to approx. 3 inches long. Insert them into the incisions, pointing them all in the same direction.

5. Barbeque. Transfer the meat to the cooler end of the barbeque grate and cook for around 3 – 4 hours. Once done, allow to rest for 5 – 10 minutes before serving.

6. Carve and serve. Remove the rosemary quills. Carve. Don’t expect neat slices – there is no elegant way to carve lamb shoulder! Just enjoy the juicy succulence and richness of your masterpiece.