best leg of lamb ever!!

mad max beyond eggdome · March 2010

so i broke from tradition yesterday for passover dinner....instead of my traditional 'jewish' brisket, i went with a leg of lamb (my parents don't get any good lamb in the building they live in and were thrilled at the prospect of having some). . .as i mentioned the other day, i went to my local lebanese butcher and picked up a fresh butchered, local raised hunk-o-lamb (from the shank all the way to the hip!). ..weighed in at 8 1/2 pounds. ...butcher trimmed it up very nicely . .

for the treatment, rather than the typical greek style oil/vinager/rosemary, richard down in florida turned me on to middle eastern seasoning mixture called 'zatter'. . .when i asked the lebanese butcher for some, he gave me a look like "how do you know about zatter?". ...and when he asked me how i planned to use it and i said i was going to rub the leg of lamb with olive oil, then the zatter, then roast it outside in a ceramic cooker with a charcoal/wood fire, he simply smiled and nodded with a look of knowing approval ....i had 'passed the test'!!

so thats what i did...took 2 1/2 hours indirect at 350 dome temp. . .a single big chunk of cherry. ...no extra basting of any kind ....best hunk of lamb i've ever eaten in my life. ..every one loved it at the table. . .i know where i'll buy my lamb from now on!!! . ...

p.s. sorry, no finish pics, had to get it plated for the sedar and forgot!!

AZRP · March 2010

Do you think it was the quality of the meat or the treatment, or a little of both? Looks fantastic! -RP

Mark0525 · March 2010

I bet it was good. What is zatter?

Hoosier · March 2010

Interesting post and thanks for sharing. I googled it and it looks like it is actually "zatar"? Is that it? We've got a Penzy's near by and I might swing by to see if they carry it.

Photo Egg · March 2010

Must have been great. This is far from your first leg of lamb.
Darian

mad max beyond eggdome · March 2010

i've done lots of lamb...but its always been the new zealand stuff from the grocery, and always with a more traditional oil/vinager/rosemary treatment ....this one was very special!! . ..

mad max beyond eggdome · March 2010

i'd say it was a combination of the two ...the meat was very high quality ....almost no grease in the drip pan at all ...very lean and flavorful, not gamey at all!!...and tender and juicy . .and the zatter just added to the overall flavor....

eenie meenie · March 2010

Max, looks as if everyone had a wonderful Passover seder.

At 350 indirect for 2 1/2 hours did most of the meat come out rare? I've never tried zatar, looks as if it has a bit of cumin in the mixture.

Our local Lebonese grocer will butcher lamb however you request and they now have the spring lamb, even better.

Thanks for sharing.

mad max beyond eggdome · March 2010

Spice, Zaatar, Mid Eastern

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup sumac
2 cups roasted, ground sesame seeds
1/2 cup dried ground thyme
2 Tbs dried leaf oregano
2 Tbs dried leaf marjoram
2 Tbs dried leaf savory
1 Tbs salt, or to taste (optional)

these are the ingredients. ...very earthy smell and taste

Ross in Ventura · March 2010

I bet it was very tasty Max

Ross

[Deleted User] · March 2010

I swear, Lamb on the Egg is the best! The best ever for me was the bone -in LOL,

but the stuffed Boneless LOL was equally fantastic!

boneless

After Easter look for sales. I found my Bone-in LOL for $1.99/lb and it was absolutely fantastic!

I wish I could get fresh...

lowercasebill · March 2010

wow does that look good ,,

zatar

eenie meenie · March 2010

Thanks for the recipe Max. I don't know how I could confuse the look of sumac with cumin, must have been deceived by the ground sesame seeds. Sounds like a good spice mixture to try.

Spring Chicken · March 2010

Now you've got me want'n Lamb done that way.

By the way, the "Girls" have been asking about you.

I told them you were on another secret mission. They love intrigue and the men who do it.

Spring "Leroy Had A Little Lamb. He Ate It" Chicken
Spring Texas USA

Serial Griller · March 2010

Thanks Max..Looks great! Did you use a shoe horn to fit that in the egg?

Desert Oasis Woman · March 2010

:laugh: great job, Mad Max! Will have to put this high up on the "must EGG" list :woohoo:

mad max beyond eggdome · March 2010

rebecca, if you have a lebanese butcher, chances are he also sells the zatter. ..go for it!!

mad max beyond eggdome · March 2010

that it was ross!! ...best lamb i've ever eaten. .

mad max beyond eggdome · March 2010

penzeys may carry it. .. yeah, i've seen a couple of spellings for it. ...but you may need a middle eastern market. .. .

mad max beyond eggdome · March 2010

geez, thats expensive!!. .. i paid $4.5o for about a 1 pound bag!!. ..if you want some let me know and i'll bring you a bag to salisbury!!

mad max beyond eggdome · March 2010

go for it big boy. .. and tell the girls i'm operating incognito, a wolf in sheep's clothing!!

mad max beyond eggdome · March 2010

as you can see, it was the perfect fit ...its like they butcher lambs with the large egg in mind. .

mad max beyond eggdome · March 2010

most definitely. ... the egg works magic on lamb!!

thirdeye · March 2010

Several years ago Richard sent me a bag of the same stuff. I was pretty nervous for the first 24 hours after the arrival. Heheheee.

mad max beyond eggdome · March 2010

LOL. ..yeah, makes you wonder if you are going to end up on an FBI list!!

FrankC · March 2010

Hey Max, what temp did you take the LOL to? I've got a boneless one that I'm doing for Easter...also found the zatar at the local penzey's!

fc

mad max beyond eggdome · March 2010

i took mine to around 150 internal.. .nice and pink inside. ...probably should have pulled it a little sooner, but i had 4 senior citizens at the table that didn't want it rare, so i had to go with their preference...i'd say pull it around 140 would be best ...i also let mine rest tented for about 30 minutes prior to carving. . .very little juice ran that way .. .. it was very moist even though it was medium done . . ..

Richard Fl · March 2010

But have you ever tried it? LOL

Ripnem · March 2010

Or just real hungry after you eat. :P

fishlessman · March 2010

if you take that zaatar and add oil in a shaker its good drizzled on hummus tahini, for bread dipping, drizzled on drycured meats like proscuito with a squeeze of lemon, made into a paste and spread on pita bread and heated up until warm, or zaatar pita chips. its a pretty good usable spice. tha halal markets usually get their lamb from local farms around here, always good, not sure about their delivery system being too sanitary though :laugh:

fishlessman · March 2010

for special occasions, put these underwater motion lights in your hookah when smoking your zaatar :laugh:

http://gbakery.com/product_info.php?products_id=479

best leg of lamb ever!!

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