Shawarma Pulled Lamb Recipe | Middle Eastern BBQ Dry Rub

Shawarma pulled lamb combines slowly cooked lamb with warm seasoning and fresh lemon. The Shawarma BBQ Rub has a flavour profile featuring cumin, coriander and cinnamon. This is a shawarma-inspired dish, not traditional vertical-spit cooking. Lamb shoulder is the preferred cut for meat that pulls apart easily.

Ingredients and equipment

  • 1.5–2 kg boneless lamb leg or shoulder; preferably shoulder for pulled lamb
  • 50–60 g Shawarma BBQ Rub
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • BBQ set up for indirect cooking, or an oven
  • Butcher paper or aluminium foil suitable for the cooking temperature
  • Meat thermometer and, for the BBQ, a thermometer to monitor temperature at grate level

Adjust the rub quantity to its salt content and product guidance. Shoulder is generally better suited to long cooking and pulling apart. Leg is leaner and can turn out drier; do not expect an automatically identical result.

Preparation and marinating

Use fully thawed meat. Mix the rub with olive oil and lemon juice and spread over the lamb. Marinate covered for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, in the fridge at 4°C and within the meat's use-by date.

Use clean hands, knives and dishes. Lemon adds freshness but does not disinfect meat or automatically tenderise its centre. Discard marinade that has touched raw meat; do not use it uncooked as a serving sauce.

Low & slow on the BBQ

  1. Set up the BBQ for indirect cooking at 120–130°C. Monitor the temperature at grate level and keep the heat steady.
  2. Place the lamb over indirect heat. If wanted, add a modest amount of clean, dry, untreated smoking wood intended for cooking, such as cherry. Heavy smoke is unnecessary.
  3. Treat the first 3–4 hours as a possible smoking stage, not a fixed cooking time. Monitor grate and meat temperatures and check the colour. Keep the lid closed when practical, but do not skip necessary checks.
  4. Wrapping is optional. Around 70°C internal temperature, assess whether the outside has set sufficiently. Wrap if desired in suitable butcher paper or foil. Foil retains more moisture and can soften the bark; 70°C is neither a compulsory wrapping point nor the finish temperature.
  5. Continue cooking gently. For pulled shoulder, around 90–95°C is a guide for checking tenderness, not a guaranteed finish at a fixed time. Measure in several thick areas of meat, not just fat. A probe should meet little resistance and the meat should pull apart easily. If still tough, keep cooking and check again.
  6. Rest loosely covered for about 30 minutes, then pull with two forks. Mix in a little hot cooking liquid if wanted and serve immediately.

Allow several hours with a generous buffer. Weight, shape, shoulder versus leg and actual BBQ temperature determine the time required. Even after wrapping, the meat may still need several more hours. Assess temperature and tenderness together; colour or a smoke ring alone does not demonstrate safe cooking.

Cooking in the oven

  1. Preheat to 150°C fan. Put the marinated lamb in an oven dish with a splash of water and cover well with suitable foil or a lid.
  2. After around 3–4 hours, check whether it pulls apart easily. This is a checkpoint, not a guaranteed finish time. Use the same thermometer and tenderness checks as for the BBQ. Cook covered for longer if needed, adding water if the dish risks drying out.
  3. For more colour, uncover only once tender and briefly increase to 220°C. Watch closely and stop once sufficiently browned. A fixed 20 minutes is unnecessary and can burn the seasoning. Expect a roasted exterior rather than exactly the same bark as on the BBQ.
  4. Rest loosely covered for about 30 minutes, pull the meat and add a little hot cooking liquid if desired.

Serving and flavour

Serve in pita bread with tzatziki, grilled aubergine and fresh parsley. Alternatively, add couscous, roasted chickpeas and a fresh tomato salad. Lemon gives a fresh contrast to rich meat; extra acidity is a flavour choice, not an essential tenderiser.

Pull coarsely for more texture. Use only liquid cooked with the lamb, not raw marinade. Skim off some fat if preferred before adding the juices.

Storing and reheating

Cool leftovers quickly in small, shallow portions and refrigerate within 2 hours at 4°C. Include resting and serving time out of refrigeration in that limit. Keep covered for no more than 2 days or freeze for later.

Reheat only the portion needed, once, until steaming hot throughout. Stir so the centre becomes hot too. A splash of water or safely chilled cooking liquid helps prevent drying. Discard leftovers from the reheated portion.

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