Leg of Lamb

ab ovo

I saw TNW post about doing a leg of Lamb. I, like most of you, have been appointed the Easter day cook. My question is would you cook the leg of Lamb direct at 325 or indirect at 325? I assume that if I cook it to 140 internal it will be medium... right?[p]Thanks

BobS

ab ovo,
I have had good luck with prime rib, by putting my metal rack in an aluminum pan and setting the pan on the grill. It is technically indirect, but it does not get the protection of a plate setter.[p]I cook my spatched chicken direct at 325 and up, so I think you could go either way and be successful. If you go indirect you probably do not even need to flup the leg, but probably would want to watch it closer and flip it if you went direct.

The Naked Whiz

ab ovo,
I've done it direct on a raised grid at 325ish. I give it a turn once during the cook. I've also opened the leg up and cut it through the big muscle (see Alton Brown's show on doing leg of lamb on a charcoal grill for a visual) to lay the thing out flat. Then you can sort of grill it and get it done faster. usuallly, though, I tie it up and roast it whole. Leg of lamb is such dark meat, I don't know that you can tell the difference from looking at it between the different levels of doneness, lol. But 140-145 internal seems to be just like me and the wife (yes, the wife who....) like it. I think this next one I'm going to try doing the crust a la Jacques Pepin and go for the French look. Good luck. Leg of lamb is hard to screw up, I think. It is very moist. [p]TNW

ab ovo

BobS,[p]This is a good point about the aluminum pan. This might be the method I use. It seems to get the best of both worlds.[p]Thanks

ab ovo

The Naked Whiz,
Thanks for the scoop. I guess it is time to get my elevated grid setup done . The cook sounds really easy. I will probably do a Greek twist to it. The local newspaper had a recipe for leg of lamb done on a grill. My only worry is that the leg is too big for the egg.[p]Thanks

Flashback Bob

ab ovo,
Is it Bone-in or boneless?
there's been a lot of discussion lately about cooking lamb and I think most have been boneless.[p]From the little I know, boneless sounds easier. [p] Last weekend, I unrolled mine, stuffed it with spinach, feta and garlic, rolled it up and tied it. roasted it at 350-375 indirect for about 90 minutes and pulled it off at a hair over 140.
Afterward, I saw a recipe where you basically roll it out flat and cook it like a steak. I may try that next time!

fishlessman

ab ovo,
325 for bone in, a little hotter for boneless. sear ir first and direct works well with lamb. if you dont over cook it then it wont be tough. i would pull it off at 130/135 max, i like it more rare and 122/127 works for me. lamb cooked to medium is like prime rib cooked well done to me, it looses all the sweat flavor and starts to taste like mutton to me.

stike

Flashback Bob,
i find that a bone-in leg of lamb isn't any more 'difficult' than boneless, and for easter, i think it's nice to have a roast on the table next to the requisite ham. i do them indirect (bone-in), usually starting with a high heat (500 or so) and very quickly bringing it down. gives me a nice start to a crust without any grill marks or char. makes it seem less like something "off the grill" and more like a roast almost as a centerpiece. flavor is great either way, don't get me wrong.[p]but don't be scared off by bone-in if you think it's harder than boneless.