Leg of lamb. How? Share your recipe!

[arbitrary]

This worked out pretty well when I asked you guys about stew and pot roast recipes. So I figured I'd do it again about leg of lamb. Something I have no clue about.

I'm not the biggest fan of lamb. I've tried it four times; liked it twice (stew & shoulder meat) & hated it twice (rack). My wife loves it, always. We're having some friends over on sunday. Everyone decided to make an event out of it do up a leg of lamb.

I'm sure I'll find some stuff online to help, but I'm curious if TB has anything. Our local butcher will trim it up for us, american lamb and will be about 11-14lbs.

How should I prepare it, what spices, marinade, rub, etc...?

Thanks!

[BurningSkies]

Beyond a standard roasting, you could braise it effectively (either in red wine or maybe a nice Guinness).

My favorite way (and I've only done this once)...well, here's a story.

My friend John and I enjoy doing some day long BBQ and inviting friends over to enjoy at the end of the afternoon. It allows us to drink lots of coffee in the morning and lots of booze staring at 11am.

Saturday AM, we hit the Halal market down the street and asked for a leg of lamb, knowing it would be the freshest, local, and safely processed. We're told the lamb shows up in an hour. An hour later, we show back up and the guy say 'YOU ones who want lamb leg?" we say yes, and he walks out of the back room holding a lamb carcass by the legs. A whole skinned lamb. We pick one of the back legs, and moments later hear a band saw.

Once we get home, we rub the lamb down with Garlic (Lots of it, about a head's worth) and fresh rosemary. We seal the leg up with a couple pints of Guinness and let it sit in the refrigerator for the next 24 hours.

Sunday morning, we get the charcoal and smoking wood ready, and do a slow smoke with low heat (around 225*), for about 1.5 hours per pound. A couple hours in we wrap the leg in a double layer of foil to keep it moist.

Smoked BBQ Guinness leg of lamb for dinner, sort of the consistency of brisket, and it was pretty mild, not having a strong lamby taste, but still recognizable. Tender, tasty, and rich. Served with roasted potatoes and onions, etc.

[fdeck]

My family prepared it pretty simply, roasted. The only embellishment is to cut little slits in it, every couple of inches over the entire surface, and insert a sliver of raw garlic into each slit.

But the killer app is what you do with the leftovers: Shepherd's Pie. Slices of the lamb at the bottom of a large baking dish, then the gravy, and topped with a layer of mashed potatoes. Into the oven until the potatoes barely start getting brown on top.

Shepherd's Pie is the meal that I always requested for my birthday.

[Roscoe East]

I had a recipe called "Lamb You Can Eat With A Spoon". I found it maybe 15 years ago, made it once for a party...it was AMAZING! Super delicious, and it really was so tender you could eat it with a spoon. I'll poke around in my files & see if I still have that recipe.