Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 Leg of lamb (5-6 lb)*
3/4 c Balsamic vinegar
1/3 c Mint jelly
1/3 c Minced fresh mint leaves
Fresh mint sprigs (opt)
Salt
Pepper
sm Pocket bread**
* - boned and trimmed of surface fat
** - or regular pocket bread, cut in half crosswise
1. Lay meat boned side up. Slash about halfway through thickest
portions,
as needed, and pull meat, patting cut edges down, to make the
piece
relatively even.
2. Place lamb in a 9x13" pan. In a 1 1/2 quart pan over medium-high
heat,
stir vinegar with 1/3 cup mint jelly just until boiling. Stir
in mint and
pour evenly over lamb. Cover and chill 2 hours or up to a day.
Turn meat
over occasionally.
3. On firegrate in a barbecue, with a lid, ignite 50-60 charcoal
briquets.
When briquets are dotted with ash, in about 30 minutes, spread
them into a
single layer; scatter 10-12 more briquets over coals. Set grill
5-6" above
coals. Lift meat onto grill; reserve marinade. Put lid on barbecue
and open
vents.
4.Turn meat as needed to brown evenly; baste with marinade. Cook
until
thickest part of meat is done to your liking; for rare (140' on
a
thermometer) in center of thickest part, allow about 40 minutes
total.
Thinner sections will be well done.
5. Transfer lamb to a platter and let rest 5-10 minutes. Garnish
with mint
sprigs. Slice meat thin. Season to taste with mint jelly, salt,
and pepper.
Eat with knife and fork or tuck into pocket bread.
Turkey and chicken may be slow smoked but the skin is rubbery and not very good. They don't need a great deal of smoke flavor, so temperatures of 275º to 325º are ideal. Use lighter flavored woods such as cherry and apple.
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If you smoke a turkey at temperatures of 180º to 225º F., you need to brine it or risk making everyone very sick because the bird spends a lot of time in the danger zone (40º to 140º F.). At 250º F. and above the risk decreases dramatically. List members (starting with me) discovered that brined birds are moist and taste really good. Many of us have publicly declared that we will not cook another turkey without brining it first.
Some people are sensitive to salt and find that birds subjected to the full treatment are too salty for their tastes. To reduce the saltiness, add sugar, decrease salt, decrease brining time or soak the bird in fresh water for an hour prior to cooking. You can brine just with salt but since salt takes flavors in with it, why not take advantage. Sugar moderates the salty taste and helps keep the birds juicy. Most of the people who have commented that their birds were too salty did not use enough sugar. The garlic, ginger and maple flavors are very subtle but enhance the flavor of the bird. For safety, I would definitely recommend using the brine full strength when cooking below 200º F. At higher temperatures, you can cut the salt in half if you are salt sensitive.
Do not over cook! Brined birds cook faster so be careful and use a real thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast. Cook to 170º internal. There is no need to cook with the breast down because the bird will be plenty juicy.
Estimate how much liquid will be required to completely cover the bird(s).
for each gallon (which should cover one 16# whole bird or two
8# breasts), mix:
1 1/2 cups salt
1/2 cup molasses
1 1/2 T crushed or minced garlic (or garlic powder)
1/2 T onion powder
1/4 cup pepper
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 oz maple flavoring
I also usually throw in about 12 oz ginger ale. Alternatively, use 1/2 T ginger (ground, minced or whatever) in place of the garlic and onion.
Cover birds completely with brine and refrigerate overnight. In
the morning, remove from brine and drain while preparing smoker.
Smoke at around 275 (measured at grate level) to an internal temp
of 170 basting with butter every few hours to give you the golden
brown skin.
