Grilled Cumin Lamb Shoulder Steak (燒烤孜然羊肩肉, Siu1 Haau1 Zi1 Jin4 Joeng4 Gin1 Juk6)

 

This recipe was updated on 17 Dec 2014. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed, and metric measurements added.

The same marinade that was used for the Grilled Cumin Turkey Wings (孜然火雞翼, Zi¹ Jin⁴ Fo² Gai¹ Jik⁶) recipe also goes very well with lamb, in this case lamb shoulder steaks. You need to grill the lamb shoulder steaks using direct heat to cook them. The marinade uses cumin, star anise, and Sichuan peppercorn to give the lamb its spicy flavor.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

2	2	Lamb shoulder steaks (羊肩肉, joeng4 gin1 juk6), about 1½ lb. (750 g.)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Whole cumin (孜然, zi1 jin4), ground
1	1	Whole star anise (八角, baat3 gok3), ground
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Sichuan peppercorns (花椒, faa1 ziu1), ground
½ in.	15 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), crushed in a garlic press
2 cloves	2 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), crushed in a garlic press
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Soy sauce (豉油, si6 jau4)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Hoisin sauce (海鮮醬, hoi2 sin1 zoeng3)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
1 tsp.	5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)

 

Equipment

		Spice or coffee grinder
22.5 in.	57 cm.	Covered charcoal or gas grill (or larger)

 

Instructions

1. Grind the cumin, star anise, and Sichuan peppercorns in a spice or coffee grinder. Place the ground spices into a bowl that will be used to marinate the lamb steaks. Add the ginger and garlic crushed in a garlic press, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, ground white pepper, and sesame oil to the bowl. Mix the marinade ingredients together.
2. Add the lamb steaks to the bowl and coat the lamb steaks with the marinade. Marinate the lamb for at least 4 hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Remove the lamb from the refrigerator at least one hour before grilling.
3. Prepare the charcoal or gas grill for direct cooking following the manufacturer’s instructions. Light the charcoal or preheat the gas grill accordingly. Soak the wood for smoking (pecan, oak, or any other wood can be used) for one hour if desired. I use dry and not soaked wood.
4. If using a charcoal grill, arrange the lighted coals on one half of the grill. The side of the grill with the coals (the “hot” side) will be used to grill the lamb and the side without the coals (the “cool” side) will be used for smoking the lamb. For a gas grill, follow the manufacturer’s instructions as to which burners to leave on for direct cooking. Put the smoking wood onto the coals or as per the instructions for the gas grill.
5. Place the lamb on the hot side of the uncovered grill until browned (around 2-3 minutes). Turn the lamb over to brown the other side (again about 2-3 minutes). Move the lamb to the cool side of the grill when browning is complete.
6. Cover the grill and allow to smoke for 5 minutes. Remove the lamb from the grill and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Be careful not to overcook the lamb shoulder steaks. The temperature of your fire and previous experience with your grill will determine the total cooking time for the lamb.