Easter Lamb Smoke


 
R

Richard Marquez

TVWBB Fan
I've been asked to smoke some Lamb for Easter (I believe a leg but not sure yet). Never done Lamb before so hoping for some advice from the more experienced here. Has anyone ever used the recipe listed under the Cooking Topics? Or perhaps a recommended recipe that you've tried before? Between my family we spend a lot of time giving each other grief and my Cousins inparticular will have a field day with me if I don't get this right. It's what we do :p

They've already had my pulled pork, brisket & Pepper Stout Beef - all have been very good - so the bar is raised to say the least. Help a BBQ brother out! :)
 
Hey Richard a friend of mind smoked a leg of lamb a while back, didn't write everything down but said he used a simple salt/pepper/rosemary/mint combo for a dry rub. he said you can find the temp to smoke it readily online, around 20/25 mins per lb for med rare, 25/30 mins per lb med 30/35 mins per lb for med well/well. He said he ended up cubing it and dipping in homemade tzatziki sauce. Hope this helps.
 
Zac_Callier said:
Hey Richard a friend of mind smoked a leg of lamb a while back, didn't write everything down but said he used a simple salt/pepper/rosemary/mint combo for a dry rub. he said you can find the temp to smoke it readily online, around 20/25 mins per lb for med rare, 25/30 mins per lb med 30/35 mins per lb for med well/well. He said he ended up cubing it and dipping in homemade tzatziki sauce. Hope this helps.
Click to expand...

Thank you Zac, appreciate the response. Yes every little bit helps at this point. I'm leaning toward going with the reccipe in the Cooking Topics section but worried about "honey" being a good mix with lamb. Was hoping someone has tried this before and could provide some feedback.
 
I have been doing lamb for Easter for several years. I tried the smoker once or twice but I prefer it on the Weber Kettle Rotisserie (plus the smoker usually has a big ham on it). The key to lamb is do not overcook it. It is best at medium rare. It tends to dry out at higher temps. Usually the ends will be a little more done than the middle so you can satisfy picky eaters that don't like medium rare.

For the smoke wood I use a few chunks of lilac and mulberry or sand cherry. Here are a couple of recipes I like:

Leg of Lamb to die for

5.2 lb. boneless leg of lamb
Marinate with Martini Mash:
1 1/2 T herb de province
1 onion minced
4-5 cloves garlic
Combine with a couple of Tablespoons of both Olive Oil and Gin.

Rub, bag and refrigerate for 8-12 hours. Rest at room temp for 30 minutes. Remove from bag and straight into smoker with mash covering lamb. Smoke at 320º for 2.5 hours-internal temp. 130 for med-rare. Rest 30 minutes before carving. Turn meat once.
_____________

Leg of Lamb-Herb Roasted
Ingredients:
1 (5 lb.) boneless leg of lamb
6 cloves garlic, cut in half
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
1-2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
3 tablespoons fresh minced rosemary
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

Directions:
Preheat smoker to 325 F. Cut small slits in the lamb and insert garlic pieces into these slits.

Combine remaining ingredients and rub thoroughly over and into the meat. Marinate overnight if desired. Smoke for 20-25 minutes per pound (approximately 1 3/4 hours) or until meat thermometer registers 140-145 F. for medium-rare. Allow to stand 15 minutes before carving.
 
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Mark Dawson said:
I have been doing lamb for Easter for several years. I tried the smoker once or twice but I prefer it on the Weber Kettle Rotisserie (plus the smoker usually has a big ham on it). The key to lamb is do not overcook it. It is best at medium rare. It tends to dry out at higher temps. Usually the ends will be a little more done than the middle so you can satisfy picky eaters that don't like medium rare.

For the smoke wood I use a few chunks of lilac and mulberry or sand cherry. Here are a couple of recipes I like:

Leg of Lamb to die for

5.2 lb. boneless leg of lamb
Marinate with Martini Mash:
1 1/2 T herb de province
1 onion minced
4-5 cloves garlic
Combine with a couple of Tablespoons of both Olive Oil and Gin.

Rub, bag and refrigerate for 8-12 hours. Rest at room temp for 30 minutes. Remove from bag and straight into smoker with mash covering lamb. Smoke at 320º for 2.5 hours-internal temp. 130 for med-rare. Rest 30 minutes before carving. Turn meat once.
_____________

Leg of Lamb-Herb Roasted
Ingredients:
1 (5 lb.) boneless leg of lamb
6 cloves garlic, cut in half
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
1-2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
3 tablespoons fresh minced rosemary
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

Directions:
Preheat smoker to 325 F. Cut small slits in the lamb and insert garlic pieces into these slits.

Combine remaining ingredients and rub thoroughly over and into the meat. Marinate overnight if desired. Smoke for 20-25 minutes per pound (approximately 1 3/4 hours) or until meat thermometer registers 140-145 F. for medium-rare. Allow to stand 15 minutes before carving.
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That's awesome! Thanks Mark, now I have some options!
 
First of all, I've managed to miss this post.
I've a made a leg of lamb for Easter for at least thirty years, long before I got a smoker. Mark says it all. I prerfer to omit the garlic pockets, and use chrushed fresh garlic covering the outside instead.
I would use the rottisserie, and drop the smoke wood. Smoked hot lamb is not something that everybody prefers, myself included. The first time you try that, I'd do it when you don't have guests for dinner.
You will get some smoke flavor and a smoke ring from the coals alone.
Remember to use a clean pan to catch the drippings, so you can make a nice sauce. If you want, you can cut up a couple of unions and some carrots and place in the drip pan together with a cup of water. Discard them before making the sauce, they will make the drippings taste even better.
 
Geir Widar said:
First of all, I've managed to miss this post.
I've a made a leg of lamb for Easter for at least thirty years, long before I got a smoker. Mark says it all. I prerfer to omit the garlic pockets, and use chrushed fresh garlic covering the outside instead.
I would use the rottisserie, and drop the smoke wood. Smoked hot lamb is not something that everybody prefers, myself included. The first time you try that, I'd do it when you don't have guests for dinner.
You will get some smoke flavor and a smoke ring from the coals alone.
Remember to use a clean pan to catch the drippings, so you can make a nice sauce. If you want, you can cut up a couple of unions and some carrots and place in the drip pan together with a cup of water. Discard them before making the sauce, they will make the drippings taste even better.
Click to expand...

Done deal...I'm going with the following (and I agree about the spread of crushed garlic opoosed to inserting in slits)

Leg of Lamb-Herb Roasted
Ingredients:
1 (5 lb.) boneless leg of lamb
6 cloves garlic, cut in half
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
1-2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
3 tablespoons fresh minced rosemary
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

So if I'm doing two 5 lb'rs I basically double the ingredients? 6 garlic cloves too much for one leg?
 
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Richard,
Check out the Recipe Forum with a search for lamb.
There are several good ideas in there.
 
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Doubling the recipe will give you plenty for two legs. The crushed garlic will work fine. I think I have done that too. If you use boneless legs, be sure to unroll and spread the marinade inside and then roll it back up. I will probably use the same recipe this year (although I'll probably add a little gin like in the other recipe).

Good luck,

Mark
 
Thanks to all for your help and pointers on this. The lamb was a great success, everyone really enjoyed it (including me). I didn't want to overpower with too much smoke so only used 2 chunks of peach wood which turned out to be perfect! The Leg of Lamb-Herb Roasted recipe was tasty and complimented the lamb and smoke flavor nicely. It was a pot luck dinner and there was LOADS of food, including chicken, ham & corned beef brisket, but the two 5lb lamb legs cleared out quickly! Sorry no pics, things were moving rather quickly and I was pressed for time early on. The cold Stella's really helped though :cool:
 
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