I did 2 boneless leg of lamb over the weekend. One was an East Indian marinated lamb and the other was a dry brined PBC beef seasoned lamb. Both turned out really well although I need to tweak the Indian lamb a little bit. Here are some notes on the cooks.
The 4.84 lb lamb was wrapped in twine originally so I removed the twine and applied the masala (recipe below) inside the lamb as well as on the outside. It was then re-twined and placed in zip lock bag to go in fridge. The next day I took it out approx 30 min before going into the smoker. I wanted to take it out earlier so it could come to room temp but went shopping and didn't get a chance . Thus, it sat out approx 30 min before going in pbc. Got a full basket of KB going using lighter fluid, hung the lamb after 20 min passed, and tossed 2 handfuls of hickory chips on coals, vent in "closed" position, both rods in. Meat temp was 52 going in and pbc was 415. PBC settled in the 330's for the cook and lamb was taken to 145. Total cook time was 2 hrs and 20 min.
The flavor was definitely there and everyone was very happy with the cook. However, for the next cook I will modify the recipe below and add 1 or 2 more chili's, a couple more garlic cloves, and one more tsp of black peppercorns. The lamb was cooked for a birthday party so there was a bunch of other Indian dishes that went very well with the lamb.
The second lamb was 4.46 lbs and I removed the twine as well for that one. After opening it up I dusted it with the PBC beef rub and a little bit of salt inside and outside. After I had re-twined it I forgot to put the rosemary inside so I was stuck just putting some on on the outside. Last time I made leg of lamb I had fresh rosemary this time I didn't have any and it was hard for it to "stick" to the meat. I should have shoved it in but I didn't. Either way it went into the fridge uncovered. I took out both lamb at same time so it sat almost 3 hours before going in PBC. After I removed the first lamb I moved around the coal bed a little bit and dropped in 3-4 pecan chunks. Lamb was hung and measured 59 while PBC was 261 with vent "closed" and both rods in. PBC settled in the 270's and lamb was taken out at 142 deg for total cook time of 1 hr 50 min. After I removed the second lamb I had a pretty decent size coal bed left. If I had to guess it would have given me another 2 hours of cook time.
the second lamb was cooked pretty good although i could have been heavier with the beef/game rub. also, i won't use dried rosemary again. fresh is always better and the other modification is remembering to put it inside the leg before putting twine back on! I was pleased with both cooks, especially the Indian one, because it was an experiment!
sorry its a little blurry
jason
lamb masala created by my aunt
.5 cup chopped fresh mint
half a "bunch" cilantro
12 garlic cloves with peel
1.5 inch ginger root with skin on
3 serrano chili's
3 tsp black peppercorn
2.5 inch long cinnamon stick
15 cloves
salt to taste
combine all in blender with a little bit of water. blend to a paste type texture
