I’m going to my friends’ Lamb Fest again this weekend, and I’m looking for a new recipe. This time I would like to sous vide the boneless leg of lamb
before the BBQ, cool it down, and then throw it quickly on the BBQ to sear the exterior and then serve it–cuts down on BBQ time there, plus ensures a more
even cooking of the interior if I sous vide it first.
There’s pretty basic leg of lamb sous vide recipes, but I’m curious if anyone has an especially killer sv lamb leg recipe.
Thanks,
Bruce
i do lamb leg steaks SV all the time, but i take apart the muscles and remove all the connective tissue. you end up with a great mix of varied sizes and muscles each with their own flavor and texture.
salt and pepper before, add herbs and garlic and a tiny bit of olive oil. cook to medium.
Yaacov–That sounds like an interesting idea, but for this BBQ I’ll want to keep the leg whole rather than separating the pieces. There will be so many other lambs on the grills that it would be challenging to work with if broken up into multiple pieces, and I just want to sear it briefly post-SV.
Bruce
How about a couple of racks? Take off the fat cap then remove the bones from the meat and SV the rolls
And separate the bones leaving the in between meat on the bones (BBQ spice rub) for a very quick grilling of lamb ribs.
The loins will need to be processed a bit to get rid of the silver skin & the chain meat (just like a tenderloin) Here you can have some fun with the seasoning. I tend to leave the meat alone (besides S&P) and have a sauce for draping over the slices at service. This has worked for me at a dinner party when I get to do the plating but at a buffet
All bets are off on how the guests serve themselves. If I had to shed an hour off the prep time I might just remove
The fat cap and SV the racks and then at the event remove the racks from the bag, dry them, slice into portions and color them up on the grill. If I could, I’d bring the racks warm and not try and reheat them on the grill.
I would try racks another time when it’s a smaller group of folks. But this is a huge Lamb Fest, so even a couple of racks just won’t go very far…
Bruce
you can just break it down into smaller pieces instead of individual muscles. and leave it at that. it’ll be great either way.
OK, I’m thinking of doing something a little different; let me know what you think.
First, I would marinate the leg of lamb (after trimming major fat or silver skin) in a Korean kalbi sauce. After marinating, then sous vide. After SV, take to the BBQ to do a final sear.
After the final sear, slice very thin. Place into lettuce with some relatively mild kimchi and serve as a Korean lettuce wrap with the lamb & kimchi.
Bruce
the kalbi sauce may break down the meat too much, especially in a SV cook, resulting in a mealy texture.
I disagree with this based on experience and data from the Food Lab. The problem would be too much acid and too much time that would create the texture issue Yacoov suggests. Kalbi does not contain a majority of acid, it is mostly soy and sugar. To enhance the kalbi aspect I would recommend draining the sous vide liquid afterward to reduce and then glaze the lamb.
Well, it’s an experiment, for sure. I think what I would do is drain off almost all of the marinade pre-SV as well and begin a glaze reduction at that point.
Bruce
Well as a data point I did Momofuku 72hr sous vide short ribs in a kalbi marinade and they were the bomb.
Lamb and pork behave differently in sous vide. I’ve generally been happier with pork than with lamb when using the sous vide though admittedly I’ve only tried the latter a few times and I may have been off in temp or timing. They were earlier experiements before there was so much information out there.
One thing I’ve found is that lamb doesn’t seem to need as long of a marinade. It can overseason the meat.
i think it depends on the cut and the desired texture. lamb leg is very lean internally, beef short ribs are very fatty internally, so you’re going for a very different end texture.
jay - i think you’re a fan of dickson’s; ask for a very thick lamb leg steak next time (1.5 inches at least) and take apart the muscles and sous vide with whatever herbs you like. finish in a hot pan and then douse with great oil, lemon juice, and fresh herbs (parsley, mint, etc.). it’s a great and fairly cheap dish.
as for kalbi/galbi - the tradional recipes (including food lab) call for pear puree because of its role in breaking down the muscle fibers. something you’d want in long cooked short ribs and what you would not want in lamb leg.
Browned racks headed to the SV. Seasoned with S&P butter and some HdP & mustard
If it is the boned and rolled leg, then I would open flat and trim out the interior gristly bits season with garlic and rosemary and sous vide. Re-season with herbs de Provence and a light brushing of olive oil. Then grill flat at a relatively high heat. Finish with an drizzle of really peppery olive oil containing PSRT* and lemon peel.
*AKA my Simon and Garfunkel blend
thanks Yaacov! what temp do you use?
131F for lamb leg steaks, about an hour depending on the thickness. just looking for cooked through gently
great patina on that sheet pan!
Did the prep yesterday, and ended up with three large segments. I’ve changed my idea about the presentation. After grilling, I’ll still serve in lettuce, but instead of kimchi (which some people dislike), I’ve made the pickled carrots and daikon radishes that you can find in banh mi sandwiches. I’m hoping the slightly sour pickled veggies will pair nicely with the sweet and spicy lamb…
Bruce
Now you got me thinking about green papaya salad. That would be a really great accompaniment for those that like it spicy.