Can you skip the "brine" step for lamb shoulder?

WhatFor

Thu, Sep 14 2023, 8:50 am

I found the below when searching for a lamb shoulder recipe. It honestly looks a bit much for me, so I'm not sure if I'm going to do it anyway, but if I did, can I skip the brining step (and shave off 24 hours)?

I asked because someone once told me that when you're adapting a non-kosher recipe that calls for brining, you don't need to brine because kosher meat is salted. And despite the fact that this looks like it could have been written for a kosher audience, it's very quickly clear from the intro that this isn't, so I'm assuming it was written with non-kosher meat in mind. Does that really make a difference?

If you're experienced at prepping delicious meat, any other tips on how you'd shave time off of the below? I have an instant pot if that would help.

Also accepting recommendations for any easy but delectable lamb shoulder recipe.

Ingredients
1/4 cup kosher salt
2 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon allspice berries
1 head garlic, halved crosswise
1 cup dried chickpeas
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 bone-in square-cut lamb shoulder (about five pounds)
1/2 cup pomegranate molasses
persian rice, optional

Directions
Combine the salt with the sugar, fennel seeds, peppercorns, allspice, garlic and about 2 quarts water in a large pot. Bring to a rapid boil, stirring to dissolve the salt. Remove from the heat and allow the brine to cool completely.
Combine the chickpeas with the baking soda in a large bowl and cover with water by several inches. Let soak overnight.
Put the lamb shoulder in a large (6- to 8-quart) container and pour the brine over the lamb. (Ideally, the lamb shoulder should be submerged, so weight it with two plates. But if that's impractical, cover the lamb with a clean cloth that's saturated in the brine.) Refrigerate the lamb shoulder in the brine overnight or up to 48 hours.
Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. Place a rack on a baking sheet. Drain the lamb and pat dry. Put the lamb on the rack and roast until well browned on the exterior, about 30 minutes. (Or sear the lamb over a medium-hot grill for 15 minutes until well browned on all sides and nicely charred in places.) Lower the oven to 300 degrees F.
Transfer the lamb shoulder to a large roasting pan. Mix the pomegranate molasses with 8 cups water in a bowl and add to the pan. (The liquid should come about halfway up the shoulder; add water if needed.) Drain the chickpeas and add them to the liquid. Place a sheet of parchment paper over the lamb and cover the pan tightly with foil.
Braise in the oven until the lamb shreds easily with a fork and the chickpeas are tender, about 5 hours. Let the lamb cool in its braising liquid in the refrigerator overnight.
The next day, preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. Roast the lamb, uncovered, spooning the braising liquid over the lamb every 5 minutes, until the lamb is hot through and glazed with the liquid, about 30 minutes. Serve with crispy Persian rice if you like.

Notes:
Pomegranate molasses is the juice of pomegranate seeds mixed with sugar and reduced to a thick syrup until it’s almost candy-like, at once very sweet and very sour from the astringency of pomegranates’ natural tannins. It is an important ingredient in Middle Eastern cooking, especially Persian cuisine. I add it to slow-braised meats, like the lamb shoulder, but it can be used straight from the bottle — as a sauce for ice cream, drizzled onto grilled chicken livers, or poured directly into your mouth.

Read More: https://www.thedailymeal.com/r.....ecipe