Grilled Leg Of Lamb Mechoui Food

MOROCCAN MECHOUI (SLOW ROASTED LEG OF LAMB OR SHOULDER)

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Trim excess fat from leg of lamb or shoulder, and make a dozen or more deep cuts into meat with tip of a sharp knife.
• Combine butter with garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, saffron, turmeric, and olive oil. Spread mixture over entire leg or shoulder of lamb, working some butter into incisions made with knife.
• Place lamb in a roasting pan, and proceed with one of the roasting methods below. Very Slow-Roasting Method: 7 1/2 to 9 Hours This is the preferred Marrakesh method. You can reduce the cooking time to 4 to 5 hours by using a 350 F/180 C oven temperature.
• Preheat oven to 250 F.
• Place lamb in a roasting pan and cover with foil, sealing edges tightly. Roast lamb, basting hourly and resealing foil each time, for 7 to 8 hours, or until juices run clear and meat is tender enough to pinch off the bone.
• Small pieces of lamb, weighing less than 4 pounds might finish cooking in 6 hours. Larger pieces might take closer to 9 hours.
• Remove foil and increase oven temperature to 475 F. Brown lamb, basting frequently, for 15 to 30 minutes, or until meat is well-colored.
• Transfer lamb to a platter and allow it to rest for 10 minutes before serving. If desired, pour juices over and around lamb. Serve dishes of salt and cumin on the side for dipping. Traditional Roasting Method: 3 to 4 Hours When short on time, this method also works well, but the meat won't be quite as tender as the above method. The lamb will, however, have more of a crisp crust, which some Moroccans find desirable.
• Heat oven to 475 F. Add 1/2 cup of water to pan, and roast lamb, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
• Reduce oven temperature to 325 F and continue roasting lamb, basting occasionally, for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or until meat is tender, juices run clear, and lamb has a dark, crisp crust.
• Transfer lamb to a platter and allow it to rest for 10 minutes before serving. If desired, juices can be poured over and around lamb. Serve dishes of salt and cumin on the side for dipping. Fast Roasting Method: 1 to 2 Hours
• Preheat oven to 475 F. Wrap exposed lower leg of the lamb in foil to prevent burning. Add 1/2 cup of water and a few tablespoons of olive oil to pan, and roast lamb, uncovered, for 1 to 2 hours, basting frequently, until lamb is well browned and juices run clear when a knife is inserted deep into meat.
• If meat has browned before juices are clear, cover meat with loose foil to prevent further darkening.
• Transfer lamb to a platter and allow it to rest for at least 10 minutes before serving. If desired, juices can be poured over and around lamb. Serve dishes of salt and cumin on the side for dipping.

GRILLED BONELESS LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Preheat a grill or grill pan. Place lamb on a shallow baking pan. Season both sides of the meat with salt and coarse black pepper. In a food processor, puree the garlic, mint, salt and pepper, then add the extra-virgin olive oil in a slow stream. Pour marinade over the lamb and rub into the meat. Place on grill and cook on 1 side for 10 minutes. Flip lamb, cover with aluminum foil and grill for another 10 minutes.
• Remove lamb from grill pan and let rest for 10 minutes for juices to redistribute. Slice and serve. Squeeze a wedge of lemon or grapefruit over the meat and enjoy. Reserve 1 pound of the meat for the next day's recipe, see below. Complete this menu with Baby Potatoes with Cumin and Watercress Salad with Lime Dressing.
• Set potatoes on a cookie sheet and drizzle them with just enough oil to lightly coat them, about 1 1/2 tablespoons. Toss potatoes with cumin seed and roast 20 minutes at 400 in a hot oven, then broil 5 minutes on high to brown edges of the cut potatoes. If you are making them with the above recipe for lamb, set the baking sheet with the potatoes in the oven along side the lamb on the same rack. Toss cooked potatoes with salt, to your taste, and serve.
• 1 bunch watercress, trimmed and coarsely chopped
• 4 sprigs fresh mint, chopped, 2 tablespoons
• A handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 heart of romaine, coarsely chopped
• 1 ripe lime, juiced
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, eyeball it
• Coarse salt and pepper
• Combine watercress, mint, parsley and romaine in a small salad bowl. Combine lime juice and sugar in a small dressing bowl. Whisk oil into lime juice in a slow stream. Pour dressing over the salad and season with salt and pepper, to your taste.

GRILLED LEG OF LAMB MECHOUI RECIPE

Steps:

• Prep. Have your butcher remove the bone from the leg and cut off about 6-8" of the shank. Freeze the shank for later use. If you get the leg bone still in, you can cut off the shank with a saw and remove the bone with a filleting knife. Remove the thick fat cap, the thin silverskin membrane, and any tendons, sinew, and cartilage while you take the meat apart. I try to remove muscles intact and cut them up into large chunks. Inevitably you will end up with chunks of varying sizes. Group them according to size so you can cook each size for a different lenght of time. Or you can freeze one group for later. Put the meat in a nonreactive pan and cover all surfaces with charmoula. Marinate up to 24 hours if possible. An hour will do, but longer is better.
• Fire up. Preheat the grill as hot as you can get it. Sprinkle the ras el hanout on the meat generously, but not thick.
• Cook. Grill on one side until it releases from the grate easily and gets good grill marks. Roll it onto the opposite side and take the temp of several pieces immediately. Small pieces will cook fast, and grills have hotspots, so test many pieces. Use this Food Temperature Guide to decide when to take it off. I usually pull it at 125-130°F (52-54°C) for rare meat.
• Serve. Serve with couscous and harissa sauce on the side.

GRILLED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• To a blender, add: the oil, vinegar, garlic, oregano, thyme, lemon juice, and Dijon mustard, season with salt and pepper, to taste. Blend until thoroughly combined. Pat the lamb dry and put it on a shallow platter. Season all over with salt and pepper. Pour half of the vinaigrette over the lamb, turning the meat to get it well coated. Marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Remove the marinated meat from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before grilling.
• Heat the grill (or large cast iron skillet) and oil it lightly. Remove the lamb from the marinade and grill for about 15 to 20 minutes per side for medium-rare. (Adjust the time accordingly for other degrees of doneness.) Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes.
• Toss the mache (or mixed baby greens), mint leaves, and scallions in a bowl and dress the salad with about 3 tablespoons of the reserved vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper. Slice the lamb into thick slices and serve with greens.

GRILLED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Combine marinade ingredients and place in a one-gallon resealable plastic bag. Unfold the lamb and examine how the butcher butterflied it. You may need to further cut it so the meat is of fairly uniform thickness. You may also have to cut it into 2 to 3 smaller, easier to handle portions. Add lamb to plastic bag and marinate in fridge for at least 2 hours.
• Place lamb on grill over well-heated coals or low-medium flame gas grill. Turn lamb 2 to 3 times while grilling and remove once degree of doneness is achieved (measure with instant-read thermometer). Allow meat to rest 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
• Serve with any/all of the following: 1. Reduced marinade (cook down while grilling meat); 2. Fresh garlic aioli; 3. Raspberry jalapeno sauce (recipe below)
• Serve this to someone who thinks they don't like lamb. It's a huge hit at our annual July 4th barbecue.
• Sweat the garlic, onions and peppers in the butter. Add preserves, stirring constantly until liquefied. Add wine and reduce to syrupy consistency.

GRILLED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Combine the yogurt, olive oil, lemon zest and juice, rosemary, salt, and pepper in a large non-reactive bowl. Add the lamb, making sure it is covered with marinade. Marinate in the refrigerator, covered, overnight or for up to 3 days.
• Bring the lamb to room temperature. Prepare a charcoal grill with hot coals. Scrape the marinade off the lamb, wipe the meat with paper towels, and season it generously with salt and pepper. Brush the grill with oil to keep the lamb from sticking, and grill on both sides until the internal temperature is 120 to 125 degrees for rare. This will take 40 minutes to 1 hour, depending on how hot the grill is.
• Remove the lamb to a cutting board, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 20 minutes. Then slice and serve.

GRILLED MARINATED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Combine oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper in sealable plastic bag. Add lamb and seal bag, pressing out air. Turn bag to coat lamb, then put bag in a shallow baking pan and marinate, chilled, turning bag over occasionally, at least 8 hours.
• Bring lamb to room temperature, about 1 hour, before grilling.
• Prepare grill for cooking over direct heat with medium-hot charcoal (moderate heat for gas); see Grilling Procedure.
• Remove lamb from marinade (discard marinade) and run 3 or 4 skewers lengthwise through lamb about 2 inches apart. Grill on a lightly oiled grill rack, covered only if using gas grill, turning over occasionally and, if necessary, moving around on grill to avoid flare-ups, until thermometer registers 125 to 128°F, 8 to 14 minutes total for medium-rare.
• Transfer lamb to a cutting board and remove skewers. Let lamb stand, loosely covered with foil, 20 minutes. (Internal temperature will rise to 135°F while meat stands.) Cut across the grain into slices.

GRILLED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Combine the yogurt, olive oil, lemon zest and juice, rosemary, salt, and pepper in a large non-reactive bowl.
• Add the lamb, making sure it is covered with marinade.
• Marinate in the refrigerator, covered, overnight or for up to 3 days.
• Bring the lamb to room temperature.
• Prepare a charcoal grill with hot coals.
• Scrape the marinade off the lamb, wipe the meat with paper towels, and season it generously with salt and pepper.
• Brush the grill with oil to keep the lamb from sticking, and grill on both sides until the internal temperature is 120 to 125 degrees for rare.
• This will take 40 minutes to 1 hour, depending on how hot the grill is.
• Remove the lamb to a cutting board, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 20 minutes.
• Then slice and serve.