Grilled Lamb Shoulder with Mint Chimichurri

Eat ‘em & Beat ‘em is off to a perfect start! Ok, it’s only 1 game in. Time to see if today’s dish can help propel the men’s team to victory against Australia this afternoon. I grilled half of a boneless lamb shoulder and served it up with some minty chimichurri. This was really tasty. I did overcook it a little bit, though. The rendering fat along with the marinade dripping on the flames created a bunch of flare-ups along the sides of the shoulder. Even a trusty spray water bottle couldn’t keep the flames at bay. I’ve adjusted the recipe slightly to help you not overcook the meat if you make it. You can also roast this in the oven. But, since it’s summer, I decided to grill and chase it down with a Fosters. This is the 2nd Australian dish I’ve made and it’s been about 4 years in between. But, it looks like I used the same plate from that photo - what are the chances of that? Slim, just like the chances of Australia beating team USA.

Grilled Lamb with Mint Chimichurri

• Boneless lamb shoulder

• 4 garlic cloves

• 1 brunch of mint and cilantro

• ½ bunch of thyme and oregano (remove the leaves if the stalks are woody and discard the tough stalks)

• Cubanelle pepper, seeded and roughly chopped

• Red chile, roughly chopped (or heavy pinch of chili flakes)

• 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger

• Zest and juice from 1 lemon

• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar

• ½ cup olive oil + more as needed

Prepare the lamb. Remove the lamb shoulder from its packaging and pat dry. 

Using a sharp knife, open up the shoulder removing any tough sinew or remaining blood lines into a fairly evenly thick slab of meat. Score the fat cap in a crosshatch pattern.

Using a meat mallet, hammer the meat into a uniform thickness to allow for even cooking/temperature. 

Season both sides of the shoulder liberally with Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. 

Prepare the chimichurri by adding all of the remaining ingredients in a food processor and pulse to combine. You may need to add a little extra oil if the mixture is too tight. 

Pour half of the chimichurri into a bowl, cover, and set in the refrigerator. Use the remaining chimichurri as a marinade rubbing it into the meat. 

Place the prepared lamb in a refrigerator for at least 6 hours and up to 24 hours. 

When ready to cook, preheat your grill to medium-high for 15 minutes. 

Blot the fat-cap side of the prepared lamb with a paper towel to remove some of the marinade. 

Place the meat, fat-side down, on the grill and lower the temperature to medium. Monitor for any large flare-ups. 

Grill the meat for about 10 minutes. Then flip and cook for another 8-10 minutes until the meat registers 125 degrees. 

Remove from the grill and set it on a cutting board, uncovered, and allow the meat to rest for 10 minutes. 

Slice thinly and serve with the reserved refrigerated chimichurri.

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