# Leg of Lamb Score - Cooking Suggestions?



## Preacher Man (Feb 5, 2019)

I just got back from Albertson's and found a leg of lamb with a sale by date of today. So I went to the butcher counter and asked if it could be discounted like their other cuts of meat that had to be sold today.

She slapped at 50% off sticker on that bad boy!







Now I've got to figure out how to cook this thing. I've never even tasted lamb before.

Steve Rachlen has a recipe for mutton sandwiches I'm thinking about, but I'm open to suggestions from all y'all.


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## SonnyE (Feb 5, 2019)

Haven't had Lamb in like a million years.
But I do remember that Mint Jelly was a great side to have with it.
Glad you got such a great score. Hope you like it!


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## motocrash (Feb 5, 2019)

Doner Kebab/Gyro meat! Mmmm


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## SecondHandSmoker (Feb 5, 2019)

I've been suggesting to my wife about smoking a leg of lamb as well.

I would like to give chile's recipe a try. 

https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/baaad-to-the-bone.279357/#post-1872934


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## fivetricks (Feb 5, 2019)

Wow. What a score.

SonnE you and I agree on so many things, but mint jelly is so 30 plus years ago  haha sorry. Couldn't help it.

Lamb and smoke may be the best pairing of any animal. Please to search the lamb forum for TONS of LOL (leg of lamb) threads. It will definitely have a different taste to it than other more traditional proteins, but it is outstanding. I suggest trimming the larger concentrations of fat down as far as possible. A little lamb fat goes a long way.

I also suggest that you save any and all lamb fat trimmings for futher use in sausage or just rendering down and using as cooking oil. You won't be disappointed either way.


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## SmokinVOLfan (Feb 5, 2019)

Nice score! I did one in the oven over the holidays. Obviously wish I would have had the time to smoke it though. Great cut of meat with so much flavor. Don’t think you can go wrong as long as you get the temp right.


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## HalfSmoked (Feb 6, 2019)

For sure mint is good with lamb but also garlic is an excellent supporter of lamb. Inject with a garlic butter like Tony's.

Warren

Warren


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## chef jimmyj (Feb 6, 2019)

It's Boneless. It can be as simple as a paste of garlic, rosemary, thyme or any herb you like, pureed with olive oil, spread in the middle of the meat and re-rolled and tied. Spiedies are an Upstate NY favorite. Marinated lamb kabobs eaten on crusty Italian Rolls. The Gyro or Donner is a great flavor. Jamaican Lamb Curry, smoke the lamb to 140, then cube it and simmer until tender in the sauce. Mexican lamb Birria or Barbacoa.
Indian and Pakistani food uses lamb in a whole variety of dishes. Can be prepared like the Curry. Too many to list...JJ

*Spiedie Marinade/Sauce*

1/2Cup Olive Oil

1Cup Red Wine Vinegar

1/2Cup Worcestershire

2T Minced Garlic

1/2tsp Dry Basil

1tsp Dry Oregano

2tsp Dry Parsley

1/2tsp Gran. Garlic

1tsp Gran Onion

1/2tsp Red Pepper Flake

1T Salt

1T Sugar

2tsp Black Pepper

1Cup Red Wine

Combine all, Mix well and Divide in half to use for Marinade and Sandwich Sauce.

Makes about 3Cups total.

Cut 4-5Lbs Meat, any, in 1 inch cubes. Add 1/2 the Marinade/Sauce and Marinate for at least 24 hours or up to 3 days.

Place on Skewers and Grill to desired doneness.

Serve on Italian Bread with additional Sauce


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## dls1 (Feb 6, 2019)

When I do a leg of lamb, I keep it fairly simple. I prepare a paste with a generous amount of minced garlic, rosemary, and anchovies. I cut small slits throughout the surface of the meat and push in the paste. Apply a liberal amount of salt and pepper cook it to an IT of 120F-125F, maximum. When done, foil and rest for 30 minutes. While the roasts rests, I put the cooking juices in a sauce pan, add some white wine and a little reserved paste, and simmer for 15 minutes.

When ready, slice and serve with the jus on the side.


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## schlotz (Feb 6, 2019)

Here is the recipe from Malcom Reed that I've done a couple of times. Latest smoking note at the bottom. Both tries were quite successful. 







*Smoked Leg of Lamb - boneless *

Recipe By: Killer Hogs - Malcom Reed
Serving Size: 6

Ingredients:
- 5 lbs leg of lamb, boneless
- 1 Tablespoon Thyme, fresh finely chopped
- 2 Tablespoons Rosemary, fresh finely chopped
- 4-5 clove Garlic Cloves, Chopped, minced
- 2 Tablespoons Course Sea Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Course Ground Black Pepper
- - - -
Mopping Sauce
- 1 cup Red Wine Vinegar
- 1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
- 1 teaspoon Sea Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Course Ground Black Pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon Rosemary, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon Thyme, chopped
- 2 cloves Garlic Cloves, Chopped, minced

Directions:

1. Once you remove the lamb from the packaging & netting, rinse it under cool water and blot dry with paper towel. Lay it out on a large platter or cutting board and brush the entire outside with Olive Oil.  Liberally sprinkle the salt and pepper on all sides.  With boneless cuts you can really get access to a lot of meat surface. This allows more areas to build flavor with the seasonings. If you’re doing a bone-in leg, you may want to cut slits into the meat, so the flavors can penetrate it. Combine the herbs and garlic in a small bowl and sprinkle over the outside as well.  Once again, get as much as you can in the area where the bone was removed. Since the pre-pak netting was removed the roast will spread out, so you’ll need to shape it back into a roast after seasoning. I use 4 pieces of Butcher Twine to tie the leg into the shape of a roast. This will help it cook evenly while it’s on the smoker.


2. Once seasoned and shaped, let the leg of lamb hang out in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours. This gives the herb mixture time to work on the meat. One hour before placing it on the smoker remove the roast from the refrigerator and let it come to room temp.

3. Fire up the smoker with cherry BBQr’s Delight pellets to 275º.  Once at temp add the lamb.

With lamb you want to use a mild wood. Anything in the fruit family will work just fine, but be careful with harsher woods like hickory or oak. They can easily overpower the lamb and give it a foul taste. Remember you want the lamb flavor to be the star not the wood. Flavors used here accent the natural taste of the meat.

4. Baste every 45-60 min with mop to keep the lamb from drying out during the cooking process,

5. You’ll want to keep a close eye on the internal temperature with lamb. It’s easy to overshoot the target temp. Leg of Lamb is best served med. rare to medium 140-145º.

6. Pull at 140-143º.  Should be around 2h:15m.

7. Crucial: let it rest 15 minutes on the cutting board before slicing.

Notes:

12/14/18:  Only rested in fridge for 3 hours. OT 48º. Using mix of cherry & apple pellets. Smoker set to 275º. Bone in weight 5.22 lbs. I did de-bone the leg, butterfly, sprayed w/ grape seed oil, seasoned with garlic paste, finely chopped fresh thyme & rosemary plus salt & pepper. Placed in smoker with IT 50º.  At 144º IT put under broiler on high ~ 4 min to brown, still other areas showing IT of 134-138º (rolled thickness was not even). Rested 20 min, cut into, a very nice rare to med-rare.

Matt


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## smokinstubbs (Feb 9, 2019)

That's way to dam rare for lamb! Why don't you just eat it raw?


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