Lamb Shanks, Blue Cheese Mashed Potatoes
and Zesty Stuffed Mushrooms

I have to say that Patti out did herself with this one. All I did was put the things she gave on the grill. She seared the lamb in a cast iron Dutch oven and then made a sauce to cook them in. Followed with creamy blue cheese garlic mashed potatoes that was incredible. Topped off with  Patti’s zesty bacon sausage stuffed mushrooms.

Then, Patti served these guys up on a bed of her blue cheese mashed potatoes. It was crazy good. Our “crash test dummies “, aka our very good friends Ira & Lili, started moaning and groaning and making yummy noises until well after everything was gone.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 6 hours

Grill: Royall 3000 Wood Pellet Grill

Pellets: Royall house blend: oak, hickory and cherry

Ingredients: Lamb Shanks

6 lamb shanks

½ lb. bacon

2 large sweet onions, thick sliced

2 cups peeled garlic

5 sprig fresh rosemary

3 cups red wine

2 cans Italian style stewed tomatoes, drained

2 Tbsp. Country Bob’s Seasoning Salt

1 Tbsp. coarse ground black pepper

Ready for the Smoker

Directions: Lamb Shanks

In a 5 quart “oven safe” Dutch oven (we use cast iron) add the bacon and render, when you have hot bacon drippings add the lamb shanks 1 or 2 at a time and sear. Remove and set aside, continue until you have done them all.

Next, add all the remaining ingredients to this Dutch oven and place on the grill uncovered for 2 ½ hours. Then, cover and bring the grill temp up to 300 for 3 hours. If you are doing the potatoes and mushrooms, add them uncovered for the last 30 minutes of cook time.

Cooking Directions: Royall Wood Pellet Grill

Open the lid and set the dial to “Smoke”, turn it on. After about five minutes you can shut the lid. Give it about 10 minutes to heat up. Patti has lined the drip pan with foil for me, it makes for easier clean up. Place everything directly onto the grill and just let it hang out in the smoke and get happy for 2 ½ hours or so. This is referred to as “smoking”; the temperature is around 165-180 degrees.  This will allow the lamb to pick up the flavor of the smoke.

After 2 ½ hours, turn the digital control up to 300 degrees/medium and cover the lamb for 3 hours.  If you are doing potatoes and mushrooms, add them the last 30 minutes of your cook time and they will pick up some of that good smoke flavor as well.

On the Royall 3000 Wood Pellet Grill/Smoker

Note: I get a lot of questions about the kind of pellets you can use with a recipe. Keep in mind that a recipe is just an outline. Some you need follow closely like when you are making bread, but most you can do anything you can dream, our favorite way to cook. Feel free to mix and match the pellets until you find a combination you really like. Also you are only smoking at temps less than 250 degrees, anything higher is cooking and there will not be much if any smoke so it does not matter what kind of pellet you are using.

Cooking In the Oven:

We have been getting requests for recipe conversions for the oven. I tell folks all the time that cooking on a Royall wood pellet grill is just as easy as cooking in your oven. Just about anyone can do it and do it well. Think about it. You set your control knob to the temp you want, put your meat in and leave it for a set time.

It is the same thing, time and temp. is what it is all about. The Royall is just like your oven except it uses wood pellets and has wheels.

If you want to smoke in your oven they sell oven smokers for that. I, myself, would not spend the money on one of those when you can make your own out of foil.

Foil smoke packets. (Two handfuls wet chips and one dry, fold foil into a packet, poke holes in it with a fork and you’re good to go.) Just set it in the oven. You might want to make sure you turn on your vent fan or your house will fill up with smoke. You will give your alarms a good work out.

Lamb Shanks on a bed of Blue Cheese Mashed Potatoes

About our Recipes

We do our recipes on our patio where we have a lineup of grills, including Royall Wood Pellet Grill/Smoker, Traeger, Charmglow, Char-Broil, The Big Easy, Brinkman and Weber. I call it our “Wall of Grill”. Our grilling styles are healthy and low fat and will fit pellet heads, gas, natural wood and even charcoal purists. Almost any of our recipes can be done on any kind of good BBQ.

The important thing to keep in mind is TIME & TEMPERATURE. You can even do some of them in the oven or crock pot, but, then you lose all the flavors you get from cooking outdoors. But sometimes it does rain.

Remember that a recipe is simply an outline; it is not written in stone. Don’t be afraid to make changes to suit your taste.

Take it and run with it….

Live Your Passion,

Ken & Patti

Hey, if you are interested in fine meats and sausages for your grill, go see Jacob. He is a Sausage Meister and we are not kidding. If you get a chance, go and see him. It will be a fun day trip. (Take an ice chest; we always fill up a big one.) Or check him out @ www.tandhsausage.com or call him 760 471- 9192.