Our friends who say they don't like lamb, like this dish! That's how good of a cook Mark is.
Dry Rub:
Oregano
Sage
Rosemary
Thyme
Salt (Kosher)
Pepper (Freshly
cracked)
Cinnamon
Nutmeg (fresh
ground - never powdered or dried)
Allspice
Fennel Seeds
(crushed)
About equal parts
of the above, except for the Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Allspice & Fennel - go with
about 1/2 the amount of those compared to the others. Toss together make
up the rub.
You'll
also need an apple and an orange; quartered.
Trim as much of the
outer layer of fat off of the leg of lamb as you can. Save the fat in a
container in the fridge.
Sprinkle the rub liberally
over the surface of the leg of lamb. With the palm of your hand, press
the rub into the flesh of the lamb, just enough so that it sticks to the flesh.
(Sometimes I have Marvina sprinkle
while I rub so that I don't return my hands into the container or rub since I
always make too much.) If possible, do this the night before you are
going to smoke the lamb.
Place the lamb in a
plastic zip lock bag and put the quartered fruit in the bag. If you don't
have time to let this sit overnight or for at least a few hours, don't bother
with the fruit. The advantage of using the fruit is that the moisture from
the fruit helps the rub to penetrate the surface of the meat.
When ready to
smoke, rub the surface of the lamb very lightly with extra virgin olive oil.
Just before putting the lamb on the grille, put the fat on your hot
charcoal. This will smoke heavily and this is what you want. That
fat flavor will penetrate the meat before the meat is sealed.
I'm sure you know most
of what I'm writing below, but I'm writing it all out anyway so that I (hopefully)
don't miss anything.
I use hickory wood
to burn while smoking - after the fat is burned off. Mesquite works just
as well. The good hardwood charcoal is fine. If you use the
charcoal, I suggest augmenting it with hickory or mesquite wood chips, soaked
for at least 1/2 an hour in water before using. I only replenish
the wood chips for about the first hour or two, every 20 minutes or so,
so that the meat doesn't get too smoky in flavor. It’s up to you.
Just don't use briquettes. To me that's too strong of a flavor and
destroys the flavor of the meat.
I keep the temp low
- in the 200-250 range and a normal leg of lamb (about 5 lb.) takes about 5
hours. Be sure to use a meat thermometer and be sure to pull the meat off
when it is 170 degrees; which is about 10 degrees cooler than the "lamb"
setting on the thermometer. Never, never, ever cut into your roast to see
if it’s done. If you do, the juices will run out and you will create a
dry meat. Let the meat sit for at least 15 minutes. The temp will come
up a bit and the juices will set.
The above technique
works for any meat you want to smoke. You
may want to change the seasonings used for your rub, depending on what you are
smoking. Different meats also have different done temperatures.
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