Servings
6-8

Ingredients
Lamb Marinade
- 1/2 deboned American lamb shoulder, about 2 to 3 pounds
- 1 quart Greek yogurt
- 1/2 Asian pear, grated
- Salt, to taste
- *Gochugaru, to taste (Korean red pepper flakes)
Garlic Confit:
- 4 to 5 cloves garlic
- Extra virgin olive oil to cover
Ssamjang:
- 2 tablespoons of Doenjang (Korean fermented soybean paste)
- 2 tablespoons of Gochujang (Korean red pepper paste)
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 bunch chives, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 4 pieces of perilla leaves, chiffonade
- 1 piece Tokyo negi or green onion, whites cut on a bias
- 5 pieces of roasted, unsalted walnuts, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon grated Asian pear
- Sesame oil (Look for Korean Sesame Oil)
Pickled Biquinos Peppers:
- 1 cup Biquino peppers
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons sugar
To Plate:
- Any season big leafy greens (perilla, butter lettuce, red leaf lettuce)
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 6 green onions, whites cut into 2-inch pieces
- Maldon salt, to taste
- 6 pieces perilla leaves
- Pickled Biquinhos peppers (or any seasonal peppers)
- Broccoli flowers (or any season flowers from the farmers market), optional
*Doenjang, Gochugaru, Gochujang and perilla leaves can be found in any Asian market.
Directions
Make the Marinade:
Mix Greek yogurt, salt, Asian pear, and 3 pinches of gochugaru together in a large bowl.
Yogurt’s lactic acid and calcium help tenderize the meat by breaking down proteins as well as the enzymes in the whey. An enzyme called calpain from Asian pear helps tenderize meat.
Trim away any large pieces of fat from your American lamb shoulder, and remove any of the additional blood lines or connective muscle. *You can ask your butcher to do this as well.
Cut the American lamb shoulder into 1.5 to 2-inch cubes and place in marinade. Let lamb marinate in the fridge for at least 6 hours.
Make the Garlic Confit:
Place the garlic cloves in a small saucepan. Add enough olive oil to just cover the cloves. Bring to a simmer over low heat and simmer until golden brown and easily able to smash with a knife or fork, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.
Make the Ssamjang:
Mix together the doenjang, gochujang, chives, garlic, chiffonade perilla, green onion, sesame oil, chopped walnuts, Asian pear and 4 pieces of the garlic confit.
Mix well until a paste-like texture is formed.
For the Pickled Biquinos Peppers
Place Biquinhos in a heat proof jar.
Bring water, vinegar, salt and sugar to a boil over medium heat. Boil until sugar and salt are dissolved. Carefully pour boiling mixture into the jar over the peppers and let sit until cooled.
To Serve:
Trim the stems of lettuces and place into cold water with ice to crisp up the leaves.
Bring your marinated lamb out and wipe off any excess marinade. Place 3 to 4 pieces of marinated lamb onto skewers. Repeat until all of the lamb is skewered.
Place a large frying pan or griddle over medium-high heat.
Once the pan is hot, add the neutral oil. Place the lamb skewers and green onion whites onto the hot pan and cook each side until golden brown and delicious, about 4 to 6 minutes per side.
Take off the heat and let rest for 5 minutes once each side is a dark brown.
While your meat rests, pull out and dry your lettuce leaves from the ice bath. Once lamb is rested, cut into slices and sprinkle with Maldon salt.
Line up your lettuce cups, place ssamjang sauce onto leaves, and place lamb skewer slices on top of the sauce. Place your Biquinhos peppers and top with any other condiments, herbs or flowers.
USDA recommends the following time and temperature parameters
Ground Lamb
Internal temperature of 160°F
All Other Cuts
Internal temperature of 145°F, with a 3 minute rest
How to Cook American Lamb
Visit our Lamb Cooking Time & Temperature page for recipe inspiration and tips on preparing the perfect lamb.
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