Where to start? Somehow I suspect that the following method - fat is good, flame is good - is going to get me in trouble with some of you. But since this was the best lamb roast I’ve ever eaten in my life, I will forge ahead and tell you how we did it. The lamb roast was succulent - crusty, flavorful char on the outside, pink and tender on the inside. Many recipes call for trimming off the excess fat from the lamb roast. I did that once to a prime rib roast and have never forgiven myself. Later I learned from my dear mother that “excess fat” was anything more than an inch thick in her book. The fat is needed to make the lamb tender and tasty. Trim it if you must, but leave some on. Note that the more fat on the lamb roast, the more likely you’ll have flare-ups when you grill. Flare-ups are okay as long as they are controlled and don’t get out of hand. The charring of the outside of the lamb, especially the fatty side, produces amazing flavor. By the way, it used to be that people were worried about char grilling being carcinogenic. Turns out if you marinate the meat in an acid-based marinade first, you negate the cancer-causing elements. (Grillers everywhere rejoice.)
In this recipe we sear the lamb first, on both sides, grilling on high heat for a short amount of time. Then we cook the lamb on lower heat until it is cooked through. In our book, the only way to eat lamb is medium rare or rare. There is nothing more depressing than dried-out, over-cooked lamb. For this reason it is essential that you use a meat thermometer to test the internal temperature of the roast.
Finally, some people take offense at the very idea of using mint jelly with lamb. I wouldn’t have lamb without it. Homemade mint jelly is fantastic with lamb. And if we’re out, I’ve been known to chop up some fresh mint leaves just to go with the lamb. So, to each her own when it comes to the jelly. What is your favorite way to prepare leg of lamb?
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