Leg of lamb on a grill?
ra...@vt.edu
Any good tips or suggestions? I'm probably going to be doing
one this year for Christmas, but have never done a whole leg
on the grill before.
Bill Ranck
Blacksburg, Va.
Tutall
You might want to use Google Groups and search this group for Louis
Cohen who used to post here quite abit about grilling and BBQing lamb.
I've grilled other cuts of lamb successfully, lamb and grilling go
really well together. Good luck.
Pete C.
I don't think LOL is amenable to low and slow smoking without drying
out, so I'm thinking rotisserie. IR burner if you have it otherwise
medium direct radiant heat. A little mild smoke couldn't hurt. Probably
a pretty simple seasoning rub w/ salt, pepper, garlic and not a lot
else.
ceed
> I don't think LOL is amenable to low and slow smoking without drying
> out, so I'm thinking rotisserie. IR burner if you have it otherwise
> medium direct radiant heat. A little mild smoke couldn't hurt. Probably
> a pretty simple seasoning rub w/ salt, pepper, garlic and not a lot
> else.
LOL needs rosemary. It's a must in my opinion. I grew up in a country
where lamb is much more in use than in the US. It was rosemary all the
way. It still is for me every time lamb is being cooked. Hard to get good
lamb around here though.
--
//ceed
Kent
<ra...@vt.edu> wrote in message news:hg8ljf$hhn$1...@solaris.cc.vt.edu...
the world.
Always do "bone in"; the bone maintains the moisture, and like standing rib
roast, adds something subtle to the flavor you can't quite define.
Always buy an American Lamb. They are larger; they have nicer more delicate
taste than lambs from either Australia or New Zealand.
Lamb must be cooked rare. I roast ours very slowly to 120F or so, and rest
it afterwards.
I cook the lamb on a "Weber 22" indirectly in the middle of the grill with
coals off to both sides.
Do not use a rotisserie. You don't need to. The bar, or shaft, overcooks the
center of the lamb. Getting a bone in leg and a rottisserie shaft coupled is
a negative event. You really don't accomplish anything.
Preparation:
The night before or the morning of, remove the fat and the connective
tissue, or "fell", that holds the lamb together. Make many stabs in the meat
.75" in depth, and add sprigs of fresh rosemary and slivers of garlic into
the meat. Let lamb sit at room temp. for several hours prior to cooking.
Salt with sea or kosher salt, and rub with cooking oil.
Prepare grill medium temp., about 350F, with drip pan under the center
of the grate. Place lamb on grate fat side up.
After 15 minutes reduce the grill temp. to about 300F, for slow
indirect cooking. After about 30 minutes, turn the lamb 90 degrees to one
side for about 20 minutes, and then to the opposite side for about 20
minutes. I sometimes add a small amount of wood at the beginning, sometimes
not.
When the lamb reaches an internal temp. of 120-125F near the bone,
remove and rest in a warm place for 20 minutes.
You should always have, or try to have a bottle of aged burgundy or pinot
noir with this dish.
We haven't done one for a couple of months; maybe it's time.
Kent
Pete C.
Rosemary is acceptable. Mint is never acceptable however.
ridg...@novoicenet.com
I've done LOL several times on the grill. I usually butterfly the leg,
rub with Emeril's rustic rub and rosemary, and slowwww cook it till
med rare. YUM!
Kent
<ridg...@novoicenet.com> wrote in message
news:7hkhi5944h60as6mj...@4ax.com...
whole bone in leg. It's kind of like comparing a standing rib to a thick
sirloin.
ra...@vt.edu
> <ra...@vt.edu> wrote in message news:hg8ljf$hhn$1...@solaris.cc.vt.edu...
> > Has anyone done a whole leg of lamb on a grill or in a smoker?
> > Any good tips or suggestions? I'm probably going to be doing
> > one this year for Christmas, but have never done a whole leg
> > on the grill before.
> >
> I've done lots of leg of lamb on the grill; it's one of the great dishes in
> the world.
I like lamb, and so does my wife, just don't cook it often.
It's hard to justify a whole LoL for the two of us, but since
this is for a family holiday dinner it's a good excuse to go
for it.
> Always buy an American Lamb. They are larger; they have nicer more delicate
> taste than lambs from either Australia or New Zealand.
There is a market near me that does halal meats, and the guy who
runs it does his own butchering. I talked to him about it yesterday
to find out how much lead time he needed. Clearly, this will be
American lamb. I'm going to get a smaller cut from him this week
to see how it works out. If it's good I may become a regular.
> Lamb must be cooked rare. I roast ours very slowly to 120F or so, and rest
> it afterwards.
Wow, I like lamb rare, but 120 seems a little too rare. Are you sure?
> Preparation:
I have saved and printed your preparation advice. It sounds good, thanks.
Bill Ranck
Blacksburg, Va.
ceed
Nope, no mint for me with LOA, but I do sometimes use Lingonberries to go
with it.
--
//ceed
ceed
> Always buy an American Lamb. They are larger; they have nicer more
> delicate
> taste than lambs from either Australia or New Zealand.
What? I agree that the US is great doing beef and chicken and even pork
here is good. But lamb, no. I have never in the ten years I've been here
gotten real good local lamb. The best I've gotten was going to the local
farmers market who had some available. It was locally organically raised
lamb. Pretty good. What I normally get is from New Zealand. It tastes more
like what I am used to from Scandinavia than anything from here in the US.
--
//ceed
ViLco
>> Always buy an American Lamb. They are larger; they have nicer more
>> delicate
>> taste than lambs from either Australia or New Zealand.
> What? I agree that the US is great doing beef and chicken and even
> pork here is good. But lamb, no. I have never in the ten years I've
> been here gotten real good local lamb. The best I've gotten was going
> to the local farmers market who had some available. It was locally
> organically raised lamb. Pretty good. What I normally get is from New
> Zealand. It tastes more like what I am used to from Scandinavia than
> anything from here in the US.
Ever had a "pre-sal�" lamb? They're incredible, I had it only once in a
nearby restaurant who got it's first michelin star with last year's edition
of the "red" guide, as it's called because of it's red cover.
They're from the northern coast of France, and are called pre-sal� (salted
meadow) because the lambs graze on the seashore during low tide, after the
high tide has left marine salt on the ground. A specialty which is hard to
find here.
--
Vilco
Don't think pink: drink ros�
RegForte
You haven't looked very hard.
Colorado lamb: A culinary star
http://www.denverpost.com/food/ci_5682099
--
Reg
Kent
<ra...@vt.edu> wrote in message news:hgb164$jba$2...@solaris.cc.vt.edu...
gradually reduced to the 120F-125F. If your fire is on the cool side and the
lamb is roasting very slowly, I'd go to 125F. If the grill is warmer than
that, which is usually the case, and the temp. seems to be rising fast, I'll
stop at 120F.
I just checked Julia Child's master recipe in her "The Way to Cook" book,
published in 1989, which is my next step when the Joy of Cooking doesn't
have what I want. For Julia 120F is very rare, 125F is rosy rare, 130F is
pinky rare. At that point juices start to drain to your drip pan. She
stresses resting after cooking to bring the internal temp. up 5 degrees. She
does, and I have placed the leg in a cooled warming oven[125F] to rest
longer, if you need to. I have to turn the warming oven on and off to make
sure it's not too hot and not further cooking the lamb.
Cheers,
Kent
BTW, if you don't have Julia's "The Way to Cook", it's available at a good
price.
http://www2.shopping.com/xPO-Book_The_Way_to_Cook_Julia_Child_Jim_Scherer_Brian_Leatart
It's one of the greatest of all cookbooks, from a writer who remains
somewhere a dear friend.
Tutall
> BTW, if you don't have Julia's "The Way to Cook", it's available at a good
> It's one of the greatest of all cookbooks, from a writer who remains
> somewhere a dear friend
Toast! And here's to wishing you were closer.
Omelet
"Pete C." <aux3....@snet.net> wrote:
> > LOL needs rosemary. It's a must in my opinion. I grew up in a country
> > where lamb is much more in use than in the US. It was rosemary all the
> > way. It still is for me every time lamb is being cooked. Hard to get good
> > lamb around here though.
>
> Rosemary is acceptable. Mint is never acceptable however.
I do SO agree with that! I know mint is "traditional" for lamb but I
never did get that. Ruins a perfectly lovely flavored meat imho.
--
Peace! Om
"Human nature seems to be to control other people until they put their foot down."
--Steve Rothstein
Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>
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ceed
> In article <4b284a35$0$9359$ec3e...@unlimited.usenetmonster.com>,
> "Pete C." <aux3....@snet.net> wrote:
>
>> > LOL needs rosemary. It's a must in my opinion. I grew up in a country
>> > where lamb is much more in use than in the US. It was rosemary all the
>> > way. It still is for me every time lamb is being cooked. Hard to get
>> good
>> > lamb around here though.
>>
>> Rosemary is acceptable. Mint is never acceptable however.
>
> I do SO agree with that! I know mint is "traditional" for lamb but I
> never did get that. Ruins a perfectly lovely flavored meat imho.
No one mentioned the obvious: Garlic! I stuff cloves in along the bone
before roasting. Or maybe it isn't obvious to everyone? :)
--
//ceed
Pete C.
Um, hello? I mentioned garlic in my first post.
Pete C.
Omelet wrote:
>
> In article <4b284a35$0$9359$ec3e...@unlimited.usenetmonster.com>,
> "Pete C." <aux3....@snet.net> wrote:
>
> > > LOL needs rosemary. It's a must in my opinion. I grew up in a country
> > > where lamb is much more in use than in the US. It was rosemary all the
> > > way. It still is for me every time lamb is being cooked. Hard to get good
> > > lamb around here though.
> >
> > Rosemary is acceptable. Mint is never acceptable however.
>
> I do SO agree with that! I know mint is "traditional" for lamb but I
> never did get that. Ruins a perfectly lovely flavored meat imho.
My theory is that the mint with lamb idea was cooked up by some lamb
producers in order to mask the wonderful flavor of lamb to try to sell
it to those with less discerning palates.
ceed
Sorry! Such a long thread. And btw, I said garlic with a "!" ;)
--
//ceed
Omelet
ceed <cdposte...@yahoo.com> wrote:
Uh, Garlic is a given for _any_ roasted meat. ;-D
Omelet
"Pete C." <aux3....@snet.net> wrote:
Or maybe to go with mutton... <g>