What is Sumac Spice?
According to Pacific Spice Company, Sumac spice is:
“Native to the Middle East, sumac has been used throughout the region for centuries in a plethora of ways.
In ancient Greek and Roman times, sumac was used to dye wool and tan leather. It was also used in alternative medicine for its believed antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. Today, this celebrated spice is still believed to benefit digestion in alternative medicine; for this reason, sumac berries are commonly juiced and made into a pungent drink to settle the stomach and relieve digestive issues.
In Rome, sumac was used in cooking as a way of adding a citrus-like quality to food. The Romans used it in the same way westerners use lemon or vinegar to flavor food. For a long time, the spice was also used in Europe to add tartness to dishes until Europeans gained access to lemons.
Today, sumac is still a household ingredient in Middle Eastern cooking and is used, both in its fresh form as a berry and in its dried form as a powder, for its natural sour flavor.”
Getting into the Recipe
Listen closely cause this is how you create amazing things, flavours and little fans from within the kitchen!!
Take your favorite cut of lamb and spice it up!! We use boned rolled forequarter (shoulder) as it slow cooks much better than meat on a bone (doesn’t dry out as the shoulder has more fat in it).
It’s really simple yet adds so much flavor!
And guess what….you can choose any spices that you enjoy there no rules but I personally have a favorite and it’s as simple as SUMAC! And a sprig or Rosemary!
But the catch….slow cook at 150degrees 2 hours in the oven before you add your veggies! This tenderizes the meat and it literally just falls apart when carved!
Now to get the spices to stick we melt a teaspoon of coconut oil and add your spices (depending on size of lamb on how much spice you need but there no hard and fast rule) I tend to use about a tablespoon of spices.
So….you’ll need:
- A bowl for mixing
- 1 Teaspoon coconut oil (melted)
- 1 Tablespoon of spice of choice, (I use Sumac Spice)
Combine ingredients in bowl and rub (spread) over lamb. Try to cover all the exposed surface area of the lamb!
For extra flavours and zing I add a sprig of fresh rosemary (you could equally add a drop of rosemary essential oil to your rub).
Cook for two hours at 150 degrees and then a further hour at 220 degrees with the veggies.
Will be browned and fall apart when carved (now you know it’s ready).
Bon Appetite!
