Recipes

BASIC SMOKED NEW ZEALAND LEG OF LAMB

Robin asked me to supply a truly Kiwi food item uniquely suited to our Traeger smoker, so here goes. Remember, this was originally written for a Traeger, not a pure charcoal smoker, and the prep includes a marinade time, which I recommend as overnight at minimum. I have since modified this for smoking in a Lang, a BGE and a Weber kettle, and I think this works on a Holland gas BBQ as well, with some modification of the cooking times. You'll get the best result if you keep your smoker temperature at about 225° F throughout the smoke, but if you're doing this on a gas or briquette burner, use the internal temp of the meat as your primary guide. New Zealand lamb is best when it is served fresh, or thawed completely and cooked at medium-rare, or around 145° F, to medium, around 160°F. If you have a smoker with a computerized temp controller, this is the easy part.

Ingredients
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup dry white wine (Sauvignon Blanc from Washington State, Bordeaux, SoCal, Australia, South Africa or (best) New Zealand)
1 teaspoon sea salt (I use kosher, it's less 'salty')
1 teaspoon pepper (a medley is best)
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 tablespoon minced garlic
5 - 6 lbs leg of lamb, fresh or thawed

Smoking wood:
hickory wood chunks or chips

Directions
Stir together in a cool basin the olive oil, vinegar, wine, salt, pepper, herbs and garlic until blended. We will discuss cooked and strained marinades and injections in another area. Place the lamb in an appropriately high sided dish such as a Ri\ubbermade storage container; or a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag inside a bucket or similar item, to prevent spillage and spousal wrath. Now, pour the olive oil mixture over the lamb, cover or seal the meat, and chill it 4 - 6 hours minimum in the refrigerator, turning occasionally. I will prepare this the day before, and marinade it overnight. I find 12 hours is best for American lamb, longer for South American, New Zealand  or Australian import (because it is usually frozen longer).

Remove the lamb from the marinade, and let it come to room temperature, covered. Inject the meat and apply seasoning or a rub if you so desire. Wrap the meat in plastic wrap and let it sit for 30 minutes while you prep the smoker.

Pour the marinade into your water pan, and place the pan in the smoker. If you have a fill line on the pan, add water to the depth of fill line.

Prep your smoker. If you're using a gas or electric smoker, you can soak a couple cups of wood chunks/chips in water for at least 30 minutes. Drain the wood chunks, and wrap them in foil so you can place them onto the grill or on the hot coals if you're using a kettle barbecue. For a gas smoker, pre-heat the smoker on medium for about 30 minutes with the wood chips in the chip tray and the water bowl filled with marinade and water. On a charcoal smoker, prepare a fire in the burning chamber; let it burn 15 to 20 minutes to get good coals. On a Traeger, simply open the cooker, turn on the fire on "smoke setting" and allow it to fully ignite. Once the initial smoke has cleared, set the electronic control to 225° F, before closing the lid and allowing it to come to temperature.

Place the unwrapped lamb on a food rack; put a drip pan under it, load it in the smoker or the cooker, and cover/close. In the Traeger, I insert a temp probe into the largest area of the meat, trying to avoid the bone, and check the smoker temp has reached 225° F. I fill the hopper with a half bag of hickory pellets, and leave things to cook. If you have a smoker with a DigiQ DX II controller or something similar, set your meat temp to 145° F, and your pit temp to 225° F. Try to maintain the smoker at about 225° F temperature.

Cook the lamb 4 - 5 hours or until the meat thermometer (inserted into the thickest portion of lamb) registers 135 - 150°F, depending on your taste. Check the fire as needed - add pellets (or charcoal), and wood chunks, and water to the smoker as required. Removing the smoked leg of lamb from the smoker or grill when its internal temperature reaches a temperature 5 to 10 degrees under your target done temperature will allow the cooking process to complete slower, and ensure that the meat has a chance to rest, absorb juices and tenderize. At that point, we take it off the heat, cover it loosely with tin foil, and monitor it. The temperature rises another 5 to 10 degrees while the meat rests for 20 - 30 minutes (a must-do step) before you attempt slicing and serving. The result is a lamb leg that is moist, tender and full of flavor.