I might be crying uncle on pork products now. I will be back to them but for now I think I have had enough pork for a lifetime. So when we wanted to make something good Dr. Food suggested this recipe and we ran with it. It is a Stuffed Leg of Lamb. What is it stuffed with? Pork! No, just jokin.
I just so happen to have most of a lamb left in my freezer. The best lamb ever. You know how I feel about Leyden Glen Lamb (waving to Kristen, Mark and Julia). If you are new to this blog I will tell you that I am crazy about these guys.
Since we were smoking this leg of lamb in the smoker Dr. Food decided to throw in a bacon and a pastrami. We also threw in a turkey breast to smoke for lunch meat.
This pastrami was an experiment. We had bought a corned beef that had been in the freezer. We thawed it and dried it out a bit then we smoked it (after I rubbed pastrami magic stuff on it. Well, not really magic. Just some spices.) Haven't tasted it yet but will let you know when we do if it is any good.
So leg of lamb is rubbed with garlic and oil mixture. It then sat overnight.
I was lucky enough to receive a sampler of Cypress Grove cheese. Man o man is it good. I used the Ms. Natural in this dish. The stuffing for the lamb was spinach, goat cheese, and pinenuts.
We stuffed the boneless leg of lamb and then tied it up. Well, we had a "discussion" how to tie it up and well...nevermind. It wasn't pretty.
After we got it secured we seared the outside of it.
Did I ever tell you I have 2 cats? I actually do. This is Jasmine. She is old. She kills lots of mice and brings them to the door. Most the time she has eaten most of the mouse. She is really obnoxious but I love her. The other cat is not so old but she weighs 100lbs and is really dirty. She annoys me too but I feel sorry for her. Dr. Food is nice to both of them even though they annoy him too. Ok, I got off the subject again.
So the smoker is loaded. From the looks of that photo so was I... but I wasn't.
Fast forward...
Bacon out of the chamber!
Um...this is either the pastrami or the lamb. Meat is meat and I don't know which one this was. Hey, this blog is free don't complain. You get what you pay for. You are stuck with my memory.
Here is the stuffed lamb. I know this for sure on this one. That is corn (har har).
Dr. Food quit rolling your eyes. I know you are reading this and rolling your eyes at me because you think I ramble and don't make sense and that the people reading this won't know what the hell I am talking about. YOU married me didn't you? See? I make sense.
Luscious Leg of Lamb
From: Smoke & Spice, by C.A. Jamison & B. Jamison
Printable Version
LUSCIOUS PASTE
10 garlic cloves 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
5-pound to 5 1/2-pound boned leg of lamb
FILLING
1 tablespoon olive oil 8 ounces mild goat cheese [we used feta]
1/2 medium onion, chopped (we used more) `1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced 1/4 cup dried currants or chopped raisins
1/3 cup pine nuts or chopped walnuts 1 teaspoon anchovy paste (optional) [we omitted, Marty hates anchovies!]
1 1/2 pounds spinach, cooked, drained, and chopped
LUSCIOUS MOP (OPTIONAL)
2.1/2 cups beef stock 1 teaspoon anchovy paste (optional)
1/2 cup red wine vinegar 2 tablespoons olive oil
Serves 6 to 8
The night before you plan to barbecue, prepare the paste. With a mortar and pestle, or in a mini-food processor, crush or mince the garlic with the salt. Add the olive oil in a stream until a thick paste forms. Rub the paste very lightly over the lamb. Place the lamb in a plastic bag and refrigerate it overnight.
Prepare the smoker for barbecuing, bringing the temperature to 200 degrees F.
Remove the meat from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
To make the filling, warm the oil over medium heat in a small skillet. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until softened. Add the pine nuts and continue to cook for another minute or two. Spoon the mixture into a bowl. Add the spinach, cheese, parsley, currants, and the anchovy paste, and blend well. Spread the filling evenly over the lamb. Roll the meat up snugly from one of the long sides. totally enclosing the filling. Tie as needed with kitchen twine to secure.
If you plan to baste the meat mix together the mop ingredients in a sauce-pan and warm the mixture over low heat. [Note: we mopped.]
Warm a heavy skillet over high heat and sear the lamb quickly on all sides. Transfer the lamb to the smoker. Cook for 35 to 40 minutes per pound, until the internal temperature o fhte meat is 145 degrees F, rare to medium-rare. Baste the meat with the mop after 30 and 60 minutes in a wood-burning pit, or as appropriate for your style of smoker.
Remove the lamb from the smoker and let it sit for 10 minutes. Slice the lamb and serve it warm.
