Leg of Lamb on the Kettle for Easter Dinner Questions

I would do a reverse sear on it. Cook it to your desired temp then sear. How do you like your lamb done? One other thing to do is keep rotating it during the cook so one side is not exposed to the heat more than the other.

Ignore that(Edit:ndon't ignore Bryan, altho I sometimes do...:razz: ignore the advice about boning making it cook evenly), even boned it won't cook evenly and that's not a bad thing.
It gives diners a variety and the charred, well done and rare bits are all delicious with lamb.
People can't seem to get their head around the difference between lamb and beef.

Lamb contains a lot of fat and cooks well done and stays delicious, unless the cook screws up and dries it.
Cook it with the bone in.
Get it off to rest when the thick part hits 120f and do not carve for 40 minutes.
Carve straight toward the bone.
Bon appetite!

Well, I sure knew that Buc was going to pop in here....

martyleach said:

Well, I sure knew that Buc was going to pop in here....

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That's just what my wi.............oh.........never mind...

buccaneer said:

That's just what my wi.............oh.........never mind...

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Isn't that just the way it works.....

I have used Phrasty's recipe several times now.
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/sh...ad.php?t=98634
I skip the Scotch Bonnets and cook at 300 degrees to 130 degrees internal.

The last time, It hit 130 degrees in about 2 hours. Brought inside, where it rose to 137 degrees.

JamieK said:

what is the major difference between a reverse sear and a sear first. I have always been told that the sear first will help lock in the juices.

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Read this article that talks about the merits of sear-first and reverse sear.

http://www.seriouseats.com/2009/12/the-food-lab-how-to-cook-roast-a-perfect-prime-rib.html

It is about beef and cooking in the oven, but it was what first convinced me to do prime rib with a REVERSE sear (in fact, this guy pulls his roast when the inside hits his temp, cranks the oven, then puts the roast back in for the final, quick sear). When I did it the other way, I always had delicious prime rib, but it was brown on the outside for the first inch or so, and then medium rare in the middle. With the reverse sear you can get that pink-all-the-way-through look that many people love.

You can adapt the same principles to your lamb cook.

JamieK said:

Thanks for the tips guys, what is the major difference between a reverse sear and a sear first. I have always been told that the sear first will help lock in the juices.

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TV chefs all over the world say that "Lock in the juices"...but it's a myth.
Don't worry about it, you can't lock in juices.
Cooking at low temps is better only because it is a very easy way to get it right, and if we were talking rib eye steaks there is a difference between sear first or last, but with the leg it is not a factor.

The only thing is, if you are using the kettle to sear on, you will get instability for a while because the lamb fat will drip into your fuel.
You could sear in the kitchen and then use the kettle indirect, or reverse sear at the end.
Going to be delicious either way!

If it's your first, use none!

If not, I like cherry and apple, then hickory and haven't tried pecan yet.

Yep... 2 times Buccs is correct. Cook it bone in and don't worry about "sealing" it. Meat seals itself once the exposed surface reaches about 150F, which happens very fast. It's also the reason why you get a smoke ring around the outside of any meat. The better smoke rings are formed through the smoke penetrating at a lower temperature for a longer time.

For a first timer using a kettle you dont need to worry about a forward or reverse sear. Put it in at 350F indirect. Put the lid on and leave it alone for at least an hour.

If you want to monitor the IT, use a Maverick ET732, but it's not really necessary.

You will find that the lamb has coloured up really well in that hour.

Here's ome of my progress shots on my Performer. This was a first time smoke on that unit.













That might be a little rare at the bone for you, but me and Frank Sacco like 'em Pink on the inside... for very different reasons. Not sure how you swing...:shocked:

But that aside, get the IT to about 120 - 125 and rest that 40 mins. That part is critical as lamb really does spill it's guts moisture wise if you slice it too soon.

As you can see, the colour is perfect on this lamb.. no searing at all.

Thanks for the PM.

Enjoy!

Cheers!

Bill

buccaneer said:

Ignore that(Edit:ndon't ignore Bryan, altho I sometimes do...:razz: ignore the advice about boning making it cook evenly), even boned it won't cook evenly and that's not a bad thing.
It gives diners a variety and the charred, well done and rare bits are all delicious with lamb.
People can't seem to get their head around the difference between lamb and beef.

Lamb contains a lot of fat and cooks well done and stays delicious, unless the cook screws up and dries it.
Cook it with the bone in.
Get it off to rest when the thick part hits 120f and do not carve for 40 minutes.
Carve straight toward the bone.
Bon appetite!

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Nice, now I'm being ignored by banned members.

^^^ound:

JamieK said:

I bought a 5lb bone in leg of lamb for Easter dinner, and was planning on cooking it on my kettle. Was planning on searing all sides then roasting indirect at around 350-325.

I read somewhere that a bone in leg of lamb doesn't cook even which can lead to dry meat, does anyone have any suggestions, or should I just Butterfly so it cooks more even.

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I just remembered asking a similar question. Here is that post, for what it's worth.
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?p=2015047&posted=1#post2015047