I was looking for a recipe for a 5 1/2 pound boneless New Zealand Leg of Lamb that I had bought at Costco or Sam's Club, I don't remember which. I checked the forum, and came up with a tip or two, and I also checked Jamison's S&S for recipes. I also checked a third source and it was one of Wolfgang Puck's cookbooks (yep, the Hollywood guy). In a nutshell, I combined the tips, and a couple of different recipes and came up with something that was the best lamb either myself, my wife or some friends that we had over for dinner, had ever had. What I did is the following:
Marinade:
1 Cup Olive Oil
10 Cloves of Garlic Chopped(I use the preshelled kind from Sam's Club)
1/4 Cup Soy Sauce
1 Cup Apple Cider (Old Wolfgang recommends Pomegranate juice, but said to use cider as a backup if you don't have a bunch of pomegranate juice drinking liberals running around loose in your city and thus you can't find it at the store!)
3 Tablespoons of Sea Salt
A few shakes of ground pepper
Mix the above ingredients together and rub it into the leg of lamb, including using a baster to get the marinade into the cavities, but don't cut the string holding the roast together. Place the lamb in a gallon size ziplock bag, or equivalent, pour in the rest of the marinade and throw it in the fridge at least overnight.
The next day, pre-heat the smoker to about 200 degrees, and put in 2 hours of pecan and 1 hour apple pucks. Take the lamb out of the bag and put it, with the marinade particles still stuck to it, into the smoker and smoke the lamb until the internal temp is 140 degrees (about 3 - 3 1/2 hours).
Note: I put a round metal cake pan (like the kind you'd use two of to make a birthday cake) under the lamb to catch drippings for gravy, and it worked like a charm. I put the lamb on the second rack space from the top, and put the pan 2 rack spaces down. The flow of the smoke did not seem to be affected in the least.
When the temp hit 140 degrees, I took the lamb out, took it off the rack, and dutifully wrapped it in foil, then a towel, and put it in a cooler. (I actually put the whole thing in the microwave, <b>not</b> while it's running of course, it works just like a cooler).
I took the drippings from the pan in the smoker and put them in a sauce pan, added chopped onions and cooked until they were soft, added a bit of milk with corn starch in it to make a gravy.
When I served the lamb it honestly was the best any of us had ever had, and I've cooked lamb more than a few times! I served the gravy too, and it was also a hit as it had a perfect (not too strong) smokey flavor.
Good luck with this if you try it, and let me know if anyone has any suggestions for variations.
Indy
Hi Indy,
Thanks for this recipe, lamb is a favourite of mine and I am always on the lookout for different things to try.
This is next on the list![:D]
Manxman.
I hope that you like it as much as we did. My wife said that this was her favorite thing that I've ever smoked on the bradley, and we use it quite a bit. The meat was so good by itself, that we never even used the drippings that I went to so much trouble to collect!
Enjoy, and happy smoking in the UK
Indy
Thanks for the ideas, Indy--smoked lamb is definitely high on my list to try now!
John
Newton MA
SMOKED LAMB ROCKS!!![:p]
Just make sure you get a good cut with minimal fat, or trim it. That's where the flavor comes from that people that don't like lamb have decided that they don't like lamb. Bacon drip it to keep it moist & "It's a mouf full a joy"![;)]
I highly recommend you give it a go. You can also temper the gaminess with some chiles.[:p][:p]
Kirk
http://www.chezbubba.com
Ya think next time I check into a hotel & they ask "Smoking or Non?" they would mind?
Yo Indy,
Thanks for the heads up on the lamb, will definitely try it. I am new to the BS world and any help/advice like you have given is really appreciated. Will let you know how it works out.
Seabjorn
A-Ha! I thought we might hear from Seabjorn soon.
Now you all listen to me and be nice to Seabjorn. He is a wonderful cook who will add value to the already awesome info on this board.
OK....he's also my cousin. [:D]
I'm not a lamb eater, but I'm glad it all was good for you~~ [:D]
Olds
(http://www.susanminor.org/Rayeimages/gif/Launch47.gif)
Hot dang... I love lamb and this sounds like a great recipe!! I like how you used to more "fruity" smoke chips. I think that's a good balance in the flavor. I'm going to try that next week! I'll let you know how it goes :)
You won't be dissappointed. Be sure to keep an eye on the internal temperature. 140 degrees is just about right, and then foil, towel, cooler (or microwave -turned off of course) worked great for me.
Those New Zealand Boneless Legs of Lamb that they sell at Costco and Sam's Club are perfect and very easy to work with.
Smoke 'em if ya got 'em!
Indy
Reviving this with an additional question, how long in the cooler (micro)? Have a 4 lb bonless marinating for smoking tomorrow. Thanks for the help.
Hey!
We drink pomegranate juice and we're not liberals. If you've never tried it thought it's kind of thick and really tangy. (Great for margaritas or martinis) Has anybody tried it in a marinade? I think it's often used in Moroccan cooking. :-*
Jezziebella, I use Pomegranite molasas in marinades and salad dressings. Its a little thicker and perhaps a little more tart than pom juice. Adds a great dimension to anything you put it in.
Well, this turned out absolutley terrific! Used pom molasas instead of the cider because its what I had, smoked for about 4 hrs until 140 internal, wrapped in foil in 150 deg oven for additional 2 hrs. It was perfect medium to med rare, very juicy and tasted fantastic. Leftovers going on soft buns with some aioli and cambazola cheese, mmmmmm
I also did a boneless leg this way on Sunday using the pomegranate juice.
I only did 2 hours of smoke because I did not want to over power the lamb taste. Cooked to 140 and FTCed for 20 minutes while the corn on the cob was cooking on the grill. It turned out a nice pink color, juicy and very good. I had it for left overs the next day and I think it was better. It seems to be a nice blend of smoke a lamb flavor, it seemed to compliment each other. I will be making it again.
This is the 1st smoke that I have done in a month due to a very busy work schedule. In a week I plan on smoking about 40 lbs of pork butt for all the people at work.
Brad
car54;
Sounds real good to me. I've never used pom juice before. Did you just brush it on?
KARENCOOKS;
How did you use the pom molases? I'm not sure I could even find it up here. I love lamb on the grill but think it would be even better with a light smoke taste. You got me hooked with this one. Any suggestions you might have for me before I try it? Thanks, Patrick
Iceman, I just mixed it in with the marinade and let it sit over night in a vacuum bag. I did not use any of the drippings unlike karencooks.
Brad
I will try the Pom juice as soon as I get time. I love lamb :P :P :P.
I've made this a few times and it's awesome! I've got the whole family loving lamb now! Does anyone have any other lamb recipes for the 'ol Bradley that they have had good luck with?
I have a Jack Daniels Plum suace that is exelent with the lamb. It adds a sweet bite and compliments the rosemary...I'll see if I can dig it up...
Dig deep :D Sounds real good :P ;D
Quote from: ohioan on July 24, 2007, 05:49:35 AM
I have a Jack Daniels Plum suace that is exelent with the lamb. It adds a sweet bite and compliments the rosemary...I'll see if I can dig it up...
Yes, please do. Jack helps me out a lot on smokin.
I found the recipe...my younger brother has it and he is in the process of moving but he thinks he knows where it is. I told him to FIND IT!!! >:(
Thanks! I'm always looking for new ideas, and Lamb is a favorite at our house, as is pork, beef, salmon...... well, come to think of it, everything tastes pretty good smoked!
Ooo.. sound really good. I have a whole leg of lamb from Costco in the freezer. My spoiled dog was getting homecooked lamb and rice when we were working thru his food allergy problems but now he's back on dry food and I have leg of lamb. :)
Can't Find Pomegranate Juice. That stuff is all over the place here in California..oh yeah so are the Liberals. :D
Had to dig back in time to find this but it was worth the effort. Did this recipe on a leg of lamb, turned out fabulous! Then I took the leftovers and made Zueth's Irish Lamb Stew from the recipe site, served the stew with bacon/cheddar/thyme crusty bread. I've got to say it was BY FAR the best stew I have ever had. Mrs. Tailfeathers (who professes to dislike lamb) even had seconds on the stew. So thanks Indy and Zueth (if you're still around)(http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/03/vunepa3e.jpg)(http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/03/a6ytuzud.jpg)(http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/03/7uhyryhe.jpg)(http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/03/8aqezete.jpg)
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Now ya got me a hankerin for some lamb again.
I gotta tell ya, if your a lamb fan these two recipes are for sure among the best I have ever had. Marinated using Indy's recipe (I did use pom juice in the marinade) smoked to an IT of 140 using apple and alder for the first two hours. Pulled it at 140 and FTC for another hour. I was a little concerned that it would be to done for my liking but it was perfectly medium rare. I should have gotten some pics of the roast when finished smoking and when I sliced it after the FTC, the slices in the pic are cold leftovers out of the fridge and the other one is after marinating and before smoking. That made for a delicious meal, but the stew made out of the leftover is just over the top. Like I said, if you like lamb you have GOT to try these!
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I love lamb, my wallet doesn't these days though.