Mike LangGrilling, Lamb

What's on the Grill #112

Mike LangGrilling, Lamb

Tunisian-Spiced Leg of Lamb

Tunisian-Spiced Leg of Lamb on the rotisserie! With White Death falling steadily across the Dayton area, what is my first thought upon leaving work? Grilling, what else! Since I am already stocked up on Wonder bread and milk, I had no reason to join my fellow man at the grocery store filling my shopping cart with items I could just as easily buy tomorrow when the world doesn't actually end because of frozen precipitation.

So, I stopped by to pick up some meat from the Aullwood Audubon Center. The center, which is connected to the Aullwoood Farm, keeps a steady supply of organic meat. Now here is where Zoë has a wee bit of a problem. You see the same lamb that she has admired in the petting area is probably related to the one I stuck on the grill tonight. That does not sit well with her. Much like when I grill duck, she is making sure there isn't a bow tie and sailor's outfit in the trash. Well she was working tonight and it wasn't like I was grilling the whole lamb...just part of the leg.

Besides the leg, I picked up some lamb chops, sausage, and a wonderful 2 pound ribeye. I can't wait for the ribeye.

Tunisian-Spiced Leg of Lamb

From Essentials of Grilling by William-Sonoma

1 Tablespoon ground coriander
2 Teaspoons ground cumin
Salt
1/2 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground gloves
1/3 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

1/2 bone-in leg of lamb (4-5 lb)
9 cloves of garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil

Cut the garlic into quarters. Take a sharp knife and make slits in the outside of the lamb. Insert the quartered garlic cloves into the slits. Mix together the rub ingredients and then spread evenly over the lamb. Allow the leg of lamb to sit at room temperature for approximately 20 minutes.

Prepare your rotisserie setup. Tonight, because of the snow, I used gas. Preheat the grill to indirect medium. Be sure to place a drip pan below the lamb. I used snow instead of water!

Snow = Water

Attach the leg of lamb to the spit and place on the grill. If you have an IR rotisserie burner, run it for the first 20 minutes to brown the skin. If not, just spin the leg with a grill temp around 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Digging in

My leg was only 2.5 pounds and as such needed only an hour. Even though I cooked it a little too long (by probably 20 minutes...duh!), it came out fine, just not as rare as I would have preferred. Spin the leg until the internal temp reads 130 degrees. Remove the leg from the grill and allow it to rest for 15 minutes. The meat should rise an additional 5-10 degrees.