Am kicking myself. I bought a shoulder of NZ lamb from the supermarket, about 15 quid. It was plastic wrapped, and when I unwrapped it, there was a pretty funky smell. Now, I know that meat wrapped in plastic often has that slightly funky, sulphurous odour, but this was quite pungent. Maybe I should have rinsed it (but I don't really wash meat after reading articles about the risk of spreading germs etc), but I definitely should have paid a few more pounds and got something from the butcher section. The shoulder just doesn't look that appetising. Perhaps it will taste fine, but a lesson learned, especially as I went to the trouble of brining it, then cold- and hot-smoking it π