Trying a Lamb Leg Roast

MWS · June 15, 2005, 03:06:12 AM

I picked up a boneless lamb leg roast today. Now what[?]....Has anybody smoked a boneless lamb leg roast and can you offer up some advice. I did a search of the forum but didn't get any firm answers to questions such as what internal temperature should I try for (specifically boneless) and the wood etc. I thought I would try Pecan, but my big question is internal temp. I haven't cooked a lamb in 20 years. Yikes. I would have prefered a lamb shoulder roast because I know I can remove it when the internal temp reaches 185F. In other words, treat it like pork butt....but for the leg, I'm not sure. Any help appreciated..

P.S. I wonder, is a boneless lamb leg roast a different cut from a bone in leg of lamb? I know, it sounds like a stupid question, but, is the roast from a different part of the leg. Hmmm, maybe it is a dumb question, how big could a lamb leg be.....

Mike 

"Men like to barbecue, men will cook if danger is involved".
-John Wayne

Cold Smoke · June 15, 2005, 06:04:16 AM

Hey Mike, I smoked a boneless leg of lamb a few months back- just so you know- my lamb cooking experiments have been limited. This is what I did (best of my recollection)- Jed Clampett talk... I marinated in EVOO with lots of fresh crushed garlic, pepper, rosemary and coarse sea salt. Then tossed into the BS with pecan for three hours of smoke time incl. approx 4 hrs cook time. I think it was approx 160 degrees. I pulled and let sit for 20 minutes or so and I would say it was like medium rare - very good tasting.[:p] I had a a few critics who were reluctant to try lamb but thought that it was very tatsy and palatable and tender and nice flavor and nice smokiness and......you get the point...

Bone in or out- nice marinade and pull at right temp after good smoke dosage and all will be fine!!

Good luck!!

Cold Smoke

nsxbill · June 15, 2005, 06:42:52 AM

Don't hold back on the rosemary...wonder how you could use some mint jelly along the way too!

Bill

There is room on earth for all God's creatures....on my plate next to the mashed potatoes.

Chez Bubba · June 16, 2005, 02:44:20 AM

I like lamb at 155-160, just shy of medium-rare but not rare. Beef, I like rare, bloody-style, just warm, 135-140.

Personally, the mint jelly would be best used as a lubricant on the inside of the ziplocks to put the scraps into the garbage. But I understand I'm a freak of nature with the sweets thing.

Kirk

http://www.chezbubba.com
Ya think next time I check into a hotel & they ask "Smoking or Non?" they would mind?

MWS · June 16, 2005, 04:06:47 AM

Thanks much for the advice guys...Chez I'm with you on the mint jelly. [xx(]

Mike 

"Men like to barbecue, men will cook if danger is involved".
-John Wayne

MWS · June 16, 2005, 05:15:33 AM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by mws
 
P.S. I wonder, is a boneless lamb leg roast a different cut from a bone in leg of lamb? I know, it sounds like a stupid question, but, is the roast from a different part of the leg. Hmmm, maybe it is a dumb question, how big could a lamb leg be.....

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

It turns out I have the center cut from the lamb leg (lamb leg roast) as compared to the traditional leg of lamb (Shank lower half).

Mike 

"Men like to barbecue, men will cook if danger is involved".
-John Wayne

psdubl07 · June 17, 2005, 05:32:26 PM

I love lamb but have not tried it in the Bradley yet.

Depending on how you like your meat, I would suggest not going to 185 as that would be way too done for lamb.

Cold Smoke's suggestion for preperation sounds good, I would possibly add some good dijon or grainy mustard and serve it w/ a big Tempranillo.

Be sure to let us know how it turns out!

P.S. I'm w/ Chez on the Mint Jelly too. [xx(]

MWS · June 17, 2005, 06:42:37 PM

Hey Paul,

I'm going to marinade the lamb roast (3.5 lb) in red wine, olive oil, lemon and fresh (from my garden)rosemary, summer savory, oregano and thyme. In the morning I'm going to rub on some dijon and rosemary (thanks for the suggestion Paul). I will use pecan (3 hrs) and cook to an internal temp of 155F (medium, slightly pink in the middle). I did a Google search and found good advice on my particular cut. I can hadly wait. Now that the lamb cook issues have been layed to rest, I will need to think about the side dishes. I had to do a google search to find out what Tempranillo is (red wine indigenous to Spain). I will certainly have some red wine on hand. Maybe I will do some lemon potatoes, roasted savory carrots......I better get out the mediteranian cook book.

Mike 

"Men like to barbecue, men will cook if danger is involved".
-John Wayne

Chez Bubba · June 18, 2005, 04:13:48 AM

Eat Mikey, eat![:D]

http://www.chezbubba.com
Ya think next time I check into a hotel & they ask "Smoking or Non?" they would mind?

psdubl07 · June 18, 2005, 10:55:18 PM

Mike, can't wait to hear how this turns out!

Since you're in B.C. you may be able to find Abacela Tempranillo, one of my faves.
http://www.abacela.com/wine.html

MWS · June 21, 2005, 05:06:30 AM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by psdubl07
 Mike, can't wait to hear how this turns out!

Since you're in B.C. you may be able to find Abacela Tempranillo, one of my faves.
http://www.abacela.com/wine.html
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

It turned out great. I smoked it with 3 hours of pecan then pulled it from the smoker @ 155F, about 5 hours. The lamb was a medium to medium rare. Just a bit pink in the center still. I highly reccomend it if you like lamb. Thanks for the wine tip, I'll look for it next time I shop for wine.

Mike 

"Men like to barbecue, men will cook if danger is involved".
-John Wayne

Chez Bubba · June 22, 2005, 12:50:55 AM

Since nobody brought it up, I thought I would mention that hte people who don't like lamb because of it's flavor are generally not liking the flavor in the fat.

If you have a "lamb-hater", trim it as lean as you can, then do the bacon drip thing (BDT[:D]) to keep it moist while smoking. They'll be absolutely astonished.

Kirk

http://www.chezbubba.com
Ya think next time I check into a hotel & they ask "Smoking or Non?" they would mind?

BigSmoker · June 22, 2005, 07:15:12 PM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Chez Bubba

If you have a "lamb-hater", trim it as lean as you can, then do the bacon drip thing (BDT[:D]) to keep it moist while smoking. They'll be absolutely astonished.

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Lamb fat is definitely NFG[}:)][:D]...
I like BDT[:D][8D]

Jeff

Some say BBQ is in your blood, if thats true my blood must be BBQ sauce.

Cold Smoke · June 25, 2005, 07:56:14 PM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">BigSmoker Posted - 22 Jun 2005 : 19:15:12
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lamb fat is definitely NFG...
I like BDT

Jeff

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

I've been using NFG for years- it's a good one[;)]- Never used when talking about smoked food though.[;)]

I like the BDT too, Kirk.[:D] Good new addition to the collection.

Cold Smoke