Garlic-Roasted Leg of Lamb for a Charcoal Grill
By America's Test KitchenPublished on August 22, 2007
Time
2½ hours, plus 2 hours brining
Yield
Serves 8 to 10
Ingredients
Lamb and Brine
¼ cup kosher salt (or 2 tablespoons table salt)¼ cup sugar 12 medium cloves garlic, crushed5 - 7 pound boneless leg of domestic lamb with sirloin muscle removedGarlic-Parsley Paste
2 medium heads garlic, outer papery skins removed and top third of head cut off and discarded1 tablespoon olive oil 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves 4 teaspoons vegetable oil Kosher salt and ground black pepperBefore You Begin
Look for rolled, boneless leg of lamb wrapped in netting, not butterflied and wrapped on a tray. The desirable cut is the shank end, which is the whole boneless leg without the sirloin muscle attached. If only bone-in or semi-boneless leg is available, ask your butcher to remove the bones for you. Plan on spending about 30 minutes trimming the lamb of fat and silver skin. This advance work is well worth the effort; your roasts will present elegantly and have a much cleaner flavor. (That said, even 10 minutes of trimming will improve the taste dramatically; see instructions below.) If you opt for the 30-minute trim, you will have enough meat scraps left over to make the Roasted Garlic Jus. The lamb can be trimmed, brined, rubbed with paste, and tied, then stored overnight in the refrigerator (do not season the meat). Allow the lamb to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before proceeding with the recipe.
Instructions
- Combine salt, sugar, and crushed garlic with 2 quarts water in large bowl or container; stir until salt and sugar dissolve. Prepare lamb as shown through illustration 4 (see below, "Preparing the Lamb"). Submerge lamb in brine, cover, and refrigerate for 2 hours.
- While lamb brines, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Place garlic heads cut side up on sheet of aluminum foil and drizzle with olive oil. Wrap foil tightly around garlic; place on baking sheet and roast until cloves are very soft and golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes. When cool enough to handle, squeeze garlic head to remove cloves from skins. Mash cloves into paste with side of chef's knife. Combine 2 tablespoons garlic paste and parsley in small bowl. (Reserve remaining paste for Roasted Garlic Jus, if making; see related recipe.)
- Remove lamb from brine and pat dry with paper towels. Finish lamb preparation (illustrations 5 and 6). Season each roast with salt and pepper.
- About 20 minutes before grilling, light large chimney starter filled with charcoal (6 quarts, or about 100 briquettes) and burn until fully ignited, about 15 minutes. Empty coals into grill; build modified two-level fire by arranging coals to cover one-half of grill, piling them about 3 briquettes high. Position grill grate over coals, cover grill, and heat until hot, about 5 minutes; scrape grill grate clean with grill brush.
- Grill lamb directly over fire until browned, 3 to 4 minutes; using tongs, rotate one-quarter turn and repeat until all sides are well browned, 12 to 16 minutes total. Move lamb to cooler side of grill, positioning roasts perpendicular to fire. Cover grill and cook 7 minutes for smaller roasts to 15 minutes for larger ones.
- Remove cover; using tongs, rotate roasts 180 degrees so side facing fire now faces away. Replace cover and continue cooking until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of each roast registers 125 degrees for medium-rare or 130 to 135 degrees for medium to medium-well. (Roasting time will range from 6 to 15 minutes more depending on size of roasts; begin checking after 5 minutes and transfer each roast to platter as it reaches desired temperature.)
- Transfer roasts to cutting board; tent loosely with foil and let rest 15 minutes. Remove twine; cut roast into 1/4-inch-thick slices and serve.
Time
2½ hours, plus 2 hours briningYield
Serves 8 to 10Ingredients
Lamb and Brine
Garlic-Parsley Paste
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Lamb and Brine
Garlic-Parsley Paste
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Lamb and Brine
Garlic-Parsley Paste
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
For a grilled leg of lamb recipe without the gristle or gaminess, plus great garlic flavor, we started with a meaty, boneless shank end. We separated the meaty loaves to create tidy mini-roasts from which we diligently trimmed away all visible fat and gristle, thus eliminating gamy flavors and making the roast very easy to carve once roasted. Next, we introduced garlic and herb flavors to our grilled leg of lamb recipe with a seasoned brine. We added even more garlic flavor by rubbing a roasted garlic paste onto one side of the lamb.
Before You Begin
Look for rolled, boneless leg of lamb wrapped in netting, not butterflied and wrapped on a tray. The desirable cut is the shank end, which is the whole boneless leg without the sirloin muscle attached. If only bone-in or semi-boneless leg is available, ask your butcher to remove the bones for you. Plan on spending about 30 minutes trimming the lamb of fat and silver skin. This advance work is well worth the effort; your roasts will present elegantly and have a much cleaner flavor. (That said, even 10 minutes of trimming will improve the taste dramatically; see instructions below.) If you opt for the 30-minute trim, you will have enough meat scraps left over to make the Roasted Garlic Jus. The lamb can be trimmed, brined, rubbed with paste, and tied, then stored overnight in the refrigerator (do not season the meat). Allow the lamb to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before proceeding with the recipe.
Instructions
- Combine salt, sugar, and crushed garlic with 2 quarts water in large bowl or container; stir until salt and sugar dissolve. Prepare lamb as shown through illustration 4 (see below, "Preparing the Lamb"). Submerge lamb in brine, cover, and refrigerate for 2 hours.
- While lamb brines, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Place garlic heads cut side up on sheet of aluminum foil and drizzle with olive oil. Wrap foil tightly around garlic; place on baking sheet and roast until cloves are very soft and golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes. When cool enough to handle, squeeze garlic head to remove cloves from skins. Mash cloves into paste with side of chef's knife. Combine 2 tablespoons garlic paste and parsley in small bowl. (Reserve remaining paste for Roasted Garlic Jus, if making; see related recipe.)
- Remove lamb from brine and pat dry with paper towels. Finish lamb preparation (illustrations 5 and 6). Season each roast with salt and pepper.
- About 20 minutes before grilling, light large chimney starter filled with charcoal (6 quarts, or about 100 briquettes) and burn until fully ignited, about 15 minutes. Empty coals into grill; build modified two-level fire by arranging coals to cover one-half of grill, piling them about 3 briquettes high. Position grill grate over coals, cover grill, and heat until hot, about 5 minutes; scrape grill grate clean with grill brush.
- Grill lamb directly over fire until browned, 3 to 4 minutes; using tongs, rotate one-quarter turn and repeat until all sides are well browned, 12 to 16 minutes total. Move lamb to cooler side of grill, positioning roasts perpendicular to fire. Cover grill and cook 7 minutes for smaller roasts to 15 minutes for larger ones.
- Remove cover; using tongs, rotate roasts 180 degrees so side facing fire now faces away. Replace cover and continue cooking until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of each roast registers 125 degrees for medium-rare or 130 to 135 degrees for medium to medium-well. (Roasting time will range from 6 to 15 minutes more depending on size of roasts; begin checking after 5 minutes and transfer each roast to platter as it reaches desired temperature.)
- Transfer roasts to cutting board; tent loosely with foil and let rest 15 minutes. Remove twine; cut roast into 1/4-inch-thick slices and serve.
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