Buying and lighting calculator · Lamb and rabbit
How much lamb shoulder do I buy and when do I light?
The shoulder is the most forgiving cut of the lamb: juicier and fattier than the leg, with a flat blade bone that comes away easily at the end. In Spain it is sold whole and bone-in; a recental shoulder runs 1.2 to 1.5 kg, a lechal one under 600 g. Count on about 340 g raw per person, because bone, fat and water take about 41 % and leave about 200 g of clean meat. Timing changes a lot with the doneness you want: at 160 °C indirect, the reference chart gives about 50 minutes per kilo for pink, and if you want it meltingly tender and falling apart, you will need to run it much longer with the probe in hand. Rest it under foil before pulling it apart or slicing.
How to ask for it
For 4 people: Ask for recental lamb shoulders of about 1.3 kg each (2.6 kg in total); milk-fed lechal shoulders are smaller, about two portions per piece.
A roast shoulder loses about 41 % to bone, fat and water: 340 g raw leaves roughly 200 g on the plate per person. pull at 57 °C in the thickest part; it climbs to 63 °C while resting.
How we calculate it
We start from a reasonable cooked portion (about 200 g of meat on the plate, 170 g of cleaned fish) and convert it to raw weight using each cut's bone and trim loss. "Hungry" adds 25 %. We round up to what is actually sold: quarter kilos, whole pieces, units.
To the cook time (per kilo or per piece, at each method's temperature) we add the kamado's lighting and stabilising (20-45 min depending on the method, as on the recipe pages), the rest, and a margin for long cooks, which vary from one piece to the next. Times are approximate: your kamado, the wind and the charcoal decide; on big cuts, trust the probe.
Frequently asked questions
How much lamb shoulder per person?
About 340 g raw per person, bone-in. Roasting takes close to 41 % in bone, fat and water, leaving about 200 g on the plate. A 1.3 kg recental shoulder feeds three or four; a lechal one of around 550 g feeds one or two if there are other dishes on the table.
How long does a lamb shoulder take in the kamado?
At 160 °C indirect, about 50 minutes per kilo for pink: a little over an hour for a 1.3 kg shoulder, plus the lighting. Pull it at 57 °C in the thickest part and rest 20 minutes; it will reach 63 °C. If you want it fall-apart tender, it needs much longer and this figure does not apply.
Lamb shoulder or leg?
The shoulder is fattier and juicier and forgives overshooting better; the leg is leaner and carves into clean slices. Roasted bone-in, both yield almost the same per kilo, so count about 340 g per person for either. Choose by texture: shoulder for soft, rich meat, leg for neat slices.
Other Lamb and rabbit cuts
Approximate figures. Sources and the portion rule are in "How we calculate it".