Sous Vide Recommendations On A Bone-in Leg Of Lamb

Money_Hillbilly

Any experience with a bone-in leg of lamb?  I did one a few months ago by scoring, coating with dry mustard, dropping in the bag with fresh rosemary and thyme @135 for 24 hrs.  I coated it heavily with a course rub and seared on the egg.  Very happy with the mustard addressing the gaminess but I thought it was a little mushy or over cooked.  Planning another one for Saturday thinking about lowering the temp to 133 and shortening the cook time to 18 hours, then sear on the egg.  Thoughts?

fishlessman

going from memory, 131 for 10 hours was too mushy for me. it was boneless though. actually after that experience, i wouldnt do it again.  i might try 120 for under 4 hours with the sear but thats more a water bag method. i like lamb bloody red

caliking

I would try even less time, maybe 8-10hrs? It'll take a third time to dial it in, depending on what you think of the results.

I first tried a rack of lamb x 24hrs and thought it was tasty, but it was too soft. I now SV x 2-3hrs, and the results are way better. Of course, a bone-in leg is a bigger/thicker cut, so it will likely take longer than 2 hrs. 

fishlessman

i think the texture is already good with lamb up to medium rare. have taken lamb to the pull stage in the egg before, it might be better if sous vide at a high temp say 165/175 for a long period if you like pulled lamb....you would have to like it though, thats some nasty flavor

Money_Hillbilly

@caliking @fishlessman The mustard really removes the gaminess normally associated with lamb.  I am very happy with the flavor I just need to work on the texture.    I prefer med-rare lamb but legs can be chewy hence the need for a little longer SV time.  I just need to dial it in knowing it’s probably a best judgement guess.  I just know 24hrs was too long for me.  One of my buddies is a foodie and he said it was the best lamb he had ever tasted.  I thought it needed work.  

fishlessman

Money_Hillbilly said:

@caliking @fishlessman The mustard really removes the gaminess normally associated with lamb.  I am very happy with the flavor I just need to work on the texture.    I prefer med-rare lamb but legs can be chewy hence the need for a little longer SV time.  I just need to dial it in knowing it’s probably a best judgement guess.  I just know 24hrs was too long for me.  One of my buddies is a foodie and he said it was the best lamb he had ever tasted.  I thought it needed work.  

one thing i would change is get rid of the bone, it doesnt really add to the flavor and it does not cut properly off the bone with the grain direction and the bone in there. boneless or cube up the bone in lamb for kabobs, more rub surface and charred bits and medium rare is key for me.  lamb takes flavor well so maybe and over night with the rub in the fridge and a short sousvide at your preferred doneness temp will be enough with the smaller pieces. even a ribeye steak gets mushy in a 4 hour bath

MediumRarely

Money_Hillbilly said:

Any experience with a bone-in leg of lamb?  I did one a few months ago by scoring, coating with dry mustard, dropping in the bag with fresh rosemary and thyme @135 for 24 hrs.  I coated it heavily with a course rub and seared on the egg.  Very happy with the mustard addressing the gaminess but I thought it was a little mushy or over cooked.  Planning another one for Saturday thinking about lowering the temp to 133 and shortening the cook time to 18 hours, then sear on the egg.  Thoughts?

I have done a few SV legs of lamb over the past ten years (my SV time horizon). First couple with bone in (by far my fav with traditional cook), but switched to boneless early on due to SV time vs. meat texture. Basic approach as follows:

• Butterfly boneless leg of lamb
• Smear a mixture of flavor along with S&P all over the inside surfaces.
  
• Reassemble leg with twine.
• SV @131F to 133F for 4 to 6 hours (max). I have observed negative texture impacts (mushy??) at longer times. Just me.
  
• Remove leg from bag, save juices for sauce. Dry leg and place into freezer unwrapped for roughly 30 min to one hour. Fire up Egg, prepped for HEI cook.
• Make a glaze of something (balsamic vinegar is a go to) combined with the lamb jus.
• Sear LOE all over AQAP.
• Slice, serve on bed of something, drizzle with glaze.
  

OK, this has now whet my appetite. May have to do one this weekend. Film@11.

Sweet100s

Last time I did sous vide leg of lamb, it was 137 for 18 hours. 
I thought it was too mushy.  But family felt it made great tacos.

I read somewhere that if going beyond 3 hours, sous vide temp should be 135 or above for safety.   

I might decrease it next time to 6 hours based on @MediumRarely ‘s post.

Money_Hillbilly

I wound up going @133 for 6 hours and I was happy with the results.  I tried to get a money shot but they were hitting the platter as fast as I carved.

MasterC

Looks delicious, nice cook

caliking

That was a great looking leg to start off with, and looks like you nailed it. 

And, I'm also impressed by your vac sealing skills