Lamb in the smoker?

[theakston]

For Easter I like lamb. Heck I like it any time. I was thinking of doing a whole leg in the Weber Smoky Mountain, but I've never tried that before. Is this a bad idea?

Has anyone tried this? What kind of temps / length of cooking do you go for? Long and slow smoke or hot and fast roast (for a medium rare).

Brine or not?

[Brittany]

My book, Sublime Smoke suggest a paste applied the night before. Medium rare is 30 minutes per pound at 225 to 250 degrees. If you would like the paste recipe I will pm it to you.

Charlie

[col klink]

I've smoked many legs of lamb in my day and I can definitely recommend it.

I like to marinate mine in rosemary, garlic, ground pepper, mustard, olive oil, lemon juice and usually another fresh herb or so -- ideally overnight.

I smoke mine at the lowest temp I can keep the fire going and still get smoke, that way the meat can get the most exposure to the smoke, and thus the most flavor before it reaches medium rare. If you can, leave the bone in since bone heats up more slowly.

I give a more complete recipe in my Inaugural Pacific NW Smokeout thread.

Make sure to have a digital temp probe!

[Jaybert41]

I think that smoked lamb would be a great idea for Easter- Go For It! The fat in the lamb will take really well to the smoke and give a nice counterpoint to the gaminess of the meat. It sounds great!

[maggiethecat]

I know this is eGullet blasphemy -- but... for Easter, (and maybe anytime) the delicate flavour of good lamb shouldn't be interfered with by anything more sultry and smoky than, oh, rosemary or mint.

Smoke, while a wonderful thing, overpowers lamb. (I'll stand in the corner.)

[markf424]

I've never had lamb smoked before, and would love to try it, but I am going to have to cower behind maggie in the corner here and uneducatedly and inexperiencedly (yes, that's right - I said inexperiencedly) say that I would steer away from it for Easter. Call me a traditionalistic (this one checks out) food conservative, but I'd go with the safe bet on a holiday.

[Jaybert41]

I agree with the sentiment of the pervious posts about not discounting the subtlety of Lamb by masking it with smoke. However I think that if the smoking is done carefully it can make for an exceptional experience. Again, because of the fat present in the lamb it will take smoke more readily than say a chicken breast, if you are so inclined I would opt for a cold smoke for about twenty to thirty minutes and then proceed to cook the leg in the oven. A little bit of smoke applied gently can add a bit of mystery, subtlety and "meatiness" to many cuts of meat. It must be done with a deft hand though...

[handmc]

I smoke lamb @ 200 in my smoker. I use apple wood and an occasional stick of hickory.

A nice rub and I spray of apple juice, maple syrup and red hot every 15 min until it hits 180 internal.

Some baked beans and slaw.

Add some spoon bread.

Yum

[col klink]

I know this is eGullet blasphemy -- but... for Easter, (and maybe anytime) the delicate flavour of good lamb shouldn't be interfered with by anything more sultry and smoky than, oh, rosemary or mint.

Smoke, while a wonderful thing, overpowers lamb. (I'll stand in the corner.)

No need to move out of the way!

I certainly understand your concerns, but if you get a good leg of lamb it should be almost gamey and thus should take to the smoke well. In my experience (with a wood smoker which is smokier than coals and chips), I can never get enough smokiness in my lamb. When I smoke lamb, it's for around an hour and a half at around 175 - 200 F.