Owensboro-style BBQ Lamb Shoulder

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This is my take on the pulled mutton served at the Moonlite Bar-B-Q Inn. It’s not their recipe but the final outcome is pretty close to their great mutton buffet offerings.

Ingredients

1 (5-pound) lamb or mutton shoulder roast

For the rub:

2 tablespoons coarse kosher salt

2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons granulated garlic

1 tablespoon crushed rosemary

For the basting sauce:

1 cup white vinegar

1 cup water

1 cup beer

1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce

2 tablespoons rub mixture

1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt

2 teaspoons granulated garlic

1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

Instructions

Combine the rub ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the basting sauce ingredients and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Use this to mop the roast every hour during cooking and as a dipping sauce at the table.

Prepare a smoker or grill for indirect 225 degrees F. cooking using hickory and cherry wood.

Generously season the roast with the rub and place the roast, fat side up, on the cooking grate. Cover and cook for one hour. Baste with the warm mop and continue cooking, basting every hour and replenishing the coals as needed, for another 8 to 9 hours or until the roast has an internal temperature of 145 degrees F. Remove the roast from the grill and allow it to cool until it can be shredded.

Serve with remaining dipping sauce. Accompany the lamb with potato salad, baked beans and cornbread.

Owensboro Mutton Mop

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Terry Stinnett, a barbecuer who lives about 10 miles from Owensboro, has been cooking mutton at church benefits for more than 20 years.

“The church’s men’s club cooks four to six times a year,” he explains. “Once of these fundraisers consists of 500 to 1,000 pounds of mutton, 300 to 500 whole chickens and 300 to 500 gallons of burgoo.”

Terry is also a certified barbecue judge for the Kansas City Barbeque Society and travels to 15 to 20 competitions a year. He usually competes in a handful of barbecue competitions each year.

“We cook the meat over an open cinder block pit,” he notes. “Logs of hickory for flavor, oak for heat and sassafras for flavor are alternated in the bottom and the fire is about four feet from the meat. It will cook about 12 to 14 hours. As it is cooked, it’s turned every hour. The finish dip or sauce is applied about two hours before the meat is done.”

The open pits are dug four feet into the ground and are about 20 feet in length and 54 inches wide, he said. Large heavy screens are laid atop the cinder blocks to hold the meat.

Here’s his recipe for mutton mop, to be applied during the last 2 hours of cooking. It’s been scaled down from the original 3-gallon batch.

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups vinegar

1 1/3 cups Worcestershire Sauce

1/2 cup barbecue sauce

4 teaspoons butter

4 teaspoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon pickling spice

Instructions

Combine all the ingredients in a large stock pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Nepal-style Smoked Lamb (Lamb Sukuti)

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My youngest daughter recently visited Tibet and Nepal. She came back with this recipe that I’ve modified a bit. Traditionally, Sukuti is prepared with a dried meat, almost like a jerky. This recipe could also be prepared with beef or buffalo although beef is never eaten in Nepal. This recipe requires advanced preparation to allow the meat to marinate.

Ingredients

3 pounds boneless lamb shoulder, cut into thin three-inch long slices

1/2 cup chopped yellow onion

2 tablespoons dark molasses

2 tablespoons clover honey

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons minced ginger

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon chili paste

1 teaspoon ground Szechuan peppercorns

1 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon fennel seed

Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

Combine all of the ingredients, except the lamb, in a blender and process into a smooth paste.

Mix the lamb pieces with the spice mixture in a large bowl; cover and marinate for at least 2 hours.

Prepare a grill for indirect cooking and place the lamb pieces on the cooler side of the grill. Smoke for about 1 hour or until the slices are slightly crisp.

Almost Mrs. Bishop’s Chess Pie

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I’m no baker, but even I can make this!

Ingredients

3 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon white cornmeal
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust

Instructions

In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, melted butter, cornmeal, buttermilk, salt, vanilla, and vinegar. Blend well and pour into an unbaked 9-inch pastry shell. Bake in at 375° on the bottom rack of the oven for 15 minutes; reduce heat to 350° and bake 20 minutes longer.

Big Bob Gibson’s Hickory-Smoked Chicken with White Sauce

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Here it is, Big Bob Gibson’s recipe for his infamous White Barbeque Sauce. This recipe has been published for years on the Internet, but I trust that this one is the real thing. This is the version as published by Mike Mills in the fantastic book, Peace, Love and Barbeque. Enjoy.

Ingredients

1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, finely ground
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 whole chicken, cut in half
Finely ground kosher salt and ground black pepper
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Instructions

To prepare the sauce: Combine all the first six ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Place in an airtight container or bottle and refrigerate until you’re ready to use. Keeps up to 4 days.

To prepare the chicken: Wash the chicken and season it liberally with salt and pepper. Smoke over hot coals and hickory wood at 300 to 350 degrees for 3 to 4 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 170 degrees. Halfway through the smoking process, baste the chicken with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper once more.

After you take the chicken off the pit, immediately place it in the bowl of white sauce, turning the chicken to coat evenly. Place the chicken on a cake rack and allow it to rest for a few minutes prior to serving. Discard any sauce that you’ve used for coating the chicken.