First leg of lamb on the BGE

ponder

I am fairly experienced with lamb. We raise our own here, sometimes processing ourselves as well when we have the time....the one below is ours, but we had it processed off the farm, so I had to cut out the aitch bone... I usually do leg of lamb over an open fire on a manual spit...just in the oven in bad weather. But this will be my first time trying one on the BGE.....garlic, rosemary, thyme and parsley-all from our garden...EVOO and sea salt and cracked black pepper. Wrapped and put in fridge overnight...Plan is to follow @nolaegghead‌ 's instructions and do it raised direct at 350 and turning often until IT is 135...good excuse for me to use my brand new flame boss and thermapen I got this week...EDIT: wow, sorry about the horrible pics...did I say I also got a bunch of Belgian lambec this evening...of which there are none left...'pparently I needa quit drinking and postin...

hapster

Looks awesome! Only done lamb once, wish the family liked it more.

ponder

hapster said:

Looks awesome! Only done lamb once, wish the family liked it more.

Thanks @hapster ...little blurry around the edges though...and the pictures stink too

hapster

ponder said:

hapster said:

Looks awesome! Only done lamb once, wish the family liked it more.

Thanks @hapster ...little blurry around the edges though...and the pictures stink too

)

Mine too... I use my daughters old Fisher Price camera

NPHuskerFL

@ponder‌ I haven't done any lamb. Don't think I'd get the clan to eat it. But, maybe I can get some chops or something for myself. That looks absolutely sinfully delicious even in the raw state. I'll watch for your competition pics :-)

ponder

@NPHuskerFL‌ Thanks, I hope it turns out as well as some of the others I have done in the past. I'll post pics of the cook as I can...I have to say I am kinda nervous about just putting it on the grate and walking away...normally I am slowly turning it by hand and keeping a close eye on it...but some of the others I have seen on here looked great. I think I will pull at 130 in the thicker part of the leg...I like mine pink/red, but not everyone does. Hopefully by pulling at that temp there will be enough done medium to satisfy everyone's tastes...if not I guess I can put it under the broiler for a couple of minutes. As far as I am concerned, lamb is done once you wipe its butt and throw it across the fire. I feel comfortable doing it that way when we process ourselves, because I know *exactly* what that lamb had in its diet, I know that it was hormone and antibiotic free, and I know how sanitary everything was when it was processed. If you want to get the clan to try lamb, start off with lamb shanks in the slow cooker or the oven, braised in red wine...there several great recipes on YouTube for braised lamb shanks...the one by working class foodies is good, and is basically what I do with them but I use 1/2 bottle of red wine, replacing the other half with beef stock.

NPHuskerFL

@ponder‌ You don't need to convince me. I'm drooling here =P~ Naw I'll just make for myself and low and behold somebody will ask...can I taste it. If they like it cool. If not nothing is wasted. B-). Please take some good money shots.

HDumptyEsq

Leg of lamb - my very favorite meal in the universe.

It looks amazing. Good advice on the shanks - my butcher gets the rear leg shanks (usually only the front, thinner and smaller ones are at Publix or Fresh Market). They're from a farm in Chattanooga.

I have a shoulder with the 'best end' of neck in the freezer. Coming out next weekend. I'm working this weekend at a classic car auction so I'll be pooped.

johnmitchell

That looks great..I am also a big fan of Lamb..Your mix of herbs is exactly what I do..Enjoy..

ponder

OK, so I'm going to try posting the cook as I go...been so busy this morning getting everything ready for my daughter party that I have taken shots when I can...if they are blurry, forgive me as I am still suffering from last nights 1:30 AM lambic indulgence while grill cleaning...not sure if it's the iPhone or me that's at fault...I'm using the flame boss for the first time...without the meat probe on the ribs (baby backs and lamb ribs on the side) turbo at 350. When I get to the lamb I'll take more pics. (Note, the Egg therm reads 350, while the flameboss is reading 280 at the grate...so I'm just watching the egg therm and adjusting the flameboss temp as needed to keep it solid 350 on the egg...

ponder

May have overdone it just a smidge on the wood chunks

ponder

Claimed down after putting on the flame boss and fiddling for temp

ponder

Ribs are on...yes, I know it is overloaded, but the lamb ribs are very thin, and when they are done I will rearrange the baby backs...right now I just need to get it all to temp...feel free to criticize, ball break, suggest or advise anytime...

ponder

Sorry, forgot the pic...

johnmitchell

That looks impressive..

ponder

@HDumptyEsq‌ next time I go to Nashville to hit Froogal McDoogals for a beer run I'll let you know and bring you a leg of our lamb...milk and grass fed only

ponder

Ribs are foiled now. Don't have the room or the time to do them separately, so am doing them in a large roasting pan. Sauced, apple juice, water and apple cider vinegar in the bottom...they will stay in there until done via toothpick and break test...then I'll sauce again and put back on until I get the color and bark I want. Have to say ay this point that the flameboss hasn't impressed me much...I can hold better temps on my own...but then again I haven't let it come to a steady state yet..just using it to control airflow at this point...I think it's just the question of where I should be paying attention to the temp...at the grate or at the dome...

ponder

I'll be more impressed with it if it holds temp while doing the leg of lamb...

NPHuskerFL

@ponder‌ Salivation sequence initiated. B-)

ponder

Now that things have settled down a bit, the egg therm is reading 358 and the flame boss 350 at the grate...will see how steady it stays as I get ready for the lamb cook...

ponder

Ponder's way of doing ribs. First, plan to do more than you should and get enough ribs to overload the Egg. Second, buy a bunch of gadgets you have never used before and plan on using them on the day of the important cook. Third, read through ten different ways to do ribs...choose one, then promptly ignore it. Get everything set up, forget to buy foil, forget to buy beer. Go to store for beer. Fire up the coals, drink beer. Get impatient with waiting for egg to stabilize, go ahead and put ribs on figuring it'll all be OK in the end. 5 minutes later, decide you should have waited. Spend next hour fretting and drinking. Stop fretting and again figure everything will most likely be OK. Check ribs, realize you probably screwed up, drink a beer while figuring out what to do. Decide to just roll with it, take ribs off before they're burned on the outside (but still undercooked and tough as shoe leather). Think of how to fix this while drinking a beer. Decide to crutch. Decide it would be better in a pan covered with foil to get them all done at once...add liquids. Think of adding beer, but decide you'd rather drink it. Realize that your gadget actually does work after forgetting it was on until you trip over cord. Think "hey...this might work out". Check ribs every 30 minutes for doneness. Forget to burp egg...Realize that arm hair is overrated anyway. Swat those two flies that are always flying in tandem. Miss several times until you realize that when you close one eye, the second fly disappears...open and close eyes for several minutes in wonder at this, then swat fly. Drink a beer in celebration of a successsflll hunt. Cechk ruibs again. Write down all the awesome insights you are having while looking at the egg and wondering why you were so stressed over this. Wonder how you stop spelling bananananana...forget to put on oven mitts. Check ribs again. Burn hand. Put oven mitts on, take our ribs...figure you should raise the foil as little as possible to conserve heat. Put face next to foil. Raise foil. Scald left eyeball. Dance around briefly. Check ribs. Think they are done. Realize they are not. Put back in foil and decide tomgomahead and cook burgers on nannother grillll...try to take pictures and don't cause you can't figgure out howta turn camera around on iPhone...slack off a bit on the beer because you may need more later...decide you have plenty and open another one...eventually pull the ribs...they're pull off the bone cleanly done, but not fall off the bone...good enough for today...now onto the leg of lamb

NPHuskerFL

) Hilarious!

johnmitchell

Hell if that is just cooking the ribs ..I can't wait to read the Lamb cook.. )

Very Funny..done that been there..You win the T shirt..(wait a minute what T shirt)..

ponder

Put leg of lamb on grate at 350. Take picture of flameboss. Wonder who got their damn feet in the picture...forget to take picture of leg going on grate...open grate, take picture, close grate. Realize camera was turned wrong way around from earlier burger cook, take another picture...turn leg often...wait until temp of @130 reached per Thermapen and pull leg...Unlike the ribs, I didn't have any trouble with the leg of lamb...by this time company had arrived for the party ( everyone liked the ribs "delicious" was said several times, so I am probably just being to hard on myself). The leg went on at 350 at the grate, 380 dome. Placed on 6 double stacked bricks to bring the grate up closer to the dome...both to aid cooking and to compare accuracy of the egg thermometer. Used meat thermometer on the flame boss and also used Thermapen in several areas. Pulled the leg at 133 IT per Thermapen ( flame boss reading was130). Put in foil and allowed to come to ambient temp. I won't carve this until tomorrow at the church meal, at which time I'll take more pics and upload. Using the flame boss on this was a breeze...once it came to temp it stayed there, rock solid...drank some mead I made 6 years ago with the meal today...it's really starting to shape up. Figure another 3 years of aging in the bottle and it'll be awesome

R2Egg2Q

Um, I think the Ponder Ribs cook method might have a little too many steps to really become popular . End result does look good though! Leg of lamb looks great too.

hapster

Beautiful...

HDumptyEsq

@ponder. I just got in a little while ago and scrolled thru the posts.

Your offer sounds wonderful and I'd be a fool to say "No".

I'm sure I could think of a way to reciprocate.

Thanks a million.

ponder

@HDumptyEsq‌ Not a problem at all! We just took 2 in yesterday, so it'll probably be ready for us Monday. I have to be in either Murfreesboro or Franklin on Friday for a meeting at corporate. I'll know Monday which place I am supposed to go. If it's going to be in Franklin and that's a good day for you, I can bring it with me. I have a cooler and ice packs that will keep it frozen until I can meet up with you....I'll also bring a bottle of the mead I made with honey from my hives. It's been aging for 6 years now, and is pretty drinkable, although you could wait another couple years and it would be better I'm sure

NPHuskerFL

@ponder‌ absolutely out-freaking-standing!

HDumptyEsq

@Ponder. I'm around all week so say the word and I'll meet you wherever you suggest.

anzyegg

The food looks awesome and a great read.... I'll have to try the lamb, looks scrumptious!!!