Lamb Archives - Smoked Fine Food

Mediterranean Stuffed Lamb Breast – from Gordon Ramsay

Time to get my personal prejudices on the table – I have never enjoyed watching Gordon Ramsay on the television – but I really do like some of his recipes! There you are – all out in the open! This recipe is a perfect example! We have modified it very slightly to cook on the Big Green Egg. Additionally, as I really don’t think it benefits at all from the addition of chilli flakes, these have been omitted from our cook. The recipe below includes chilli as on option. We have included a link to Ramsay’s original recipe and YouTube video (1).

I really love working with these secondary cuts of meat that need to be cooked slowly and in doing so can take on such bold flavours. In addition they are often relatively inexpensive – this is a real case in point. The recipe was based round a 750g rolled lamb breast. It was picked up at our local supermarket reduced from £4.70 to £2.29!! A true bargain – though even at full price it would have been excellent value!

The first thing to do was unroll the piece so that we could add additional flavours to the inside of the joint. The roll had been made up from 2 separate pieces, again illustrating the versatility of this cut.
It was laid out on a cutting board and seasoned generously with salt on both sides. This was followed by the dried oregano, lemon zest and anchovies. The ingredients for the dish gave it a very Provençal feel. From our experience chilli is not used to any great extent in Provence and so we omitted the chilli flakes that were suggested in the original recipe.

So time to re-roll the meat. We used some small elastic poultry bands to hold it together. These work so well on small cuts of meat like this as well as on poultry! If you don’t have any to hand, then a conventional butcher’s string tie at each end and one in the middle would be fine.

We did the first part of the cook in one of our handless Tefal pans. This could be done directly on the BGE or on a conventional hob. The pan was heated and some olive oil added. The lamb was then rolled around the pan until it took on some good colours all over. As the outer layer shrinks a little as it cooks, the inside seems to squeeze out of the middle as in the picture. Don’t worry about this as it will largely correct itself in the second part of the cook. Whilst the meat browned, the onions were cut into large chunks (as it was going to be a slow cook and we don’t want them to disappear into the cooking sauce). The meat was set aside, a little more oil was added, and the onion put straight into the same pan to fry with the partially crushed garlic. The capers were then popped in with the onions and cooked through, followed by a little more lemon zest. The pan was then deglazed with white wine and a good squeeze of lemon juice. The final addition was the tinned tomatoes which were gently crushed and stirred into the mix. The rolled lamb was then placed on top and we were ready to go.

If cooking indoors this needs to be covered with a lid or a foil top to prevent too much liquid loss. It can then be placed in the oven on 170C for 2 – 2.5 hours. We were cooking in the Big Green Egg which had been set up for indirect cooking at around 140C. Cooking in the EGG this way we usually leave the dish uncovered. Very occasionally the liquid may need to be topped up a little with some water.

At this temperature I would expect to cook for 3-4 hours until the meat core temperature was between 88-93C. At this point the meat would be very tender but not quite at the stage you might have for pulled lamb. It is however perfect for slicing.

After about 3 hours – the lamb was lifted out and the sauce stirred to check on the consistency. It really didn’t need any more liquid so the lamb was popped back in and left to complete the cook.

When the core was around 90C the meat was removed and allowed to rest prior to carving. At this point the final consistency of the sauce can be checked.

When ready to serve, carefully remove the bands or butchers string and carve into generous slices. These can be served directly on the sauce. We also added some French beans from the garden – well it is a Provençal dish!!

We will be doing it again ……………

………………… do give it a go!!

References (1) Gordon Ramsay’s Braised Stuffed Lamb’s Breast – https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VaWYE8dvDGk

Mediterranean stuffed lamb breast

March 18, 2024

Servings: 2-3

Prep: 30 min

Cook: 4 hr

Total: 4 hr 30 min

Difficulty: Reasonably straightforward

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Slow braised lamb belly flavoured with anchovies and cooked in a rich Mediterranean sauce

By: Mark

Ingredients

1 lamb breast (around 750g)
Salt
1/2 tsp dried oregano
(1/2 tsp chilli flakes - included in the original recipe but not here)
1 lemon, zested and juiced
15g anchovies
Olive oil
2 onions, sliced thickly
3 garlic cloves, smashed but not crushed
1 tbs capers
1 handful black olives
1 glass white wine
1 tin plum tomatoes

Directions

Step 1 Unroll the lamb breast and lay it out on a cutting board. Season generously with salt on both sides. On the inside surface add the dried oregano, lemon zest and anchovies. (if you wish to add chilli flakes add these here too), Re-roll the meat and tie or use small elastic poultry bands to hold it together.
Step 2 Put a frying pan on your heat source (Kamado or hob). Add some olive oil and roll the lamb around the pan until it takes on some good colours all over.
Step 3 Cut the onions into large chunks. She meat aside, add a little more oil and the onion put straight into the same pan to fry with the partially crushed garlic. Add. the capers and cook through, followed by a little more lemon zest.
Step 4 Deglazed the pan with white wine and a good squeeze of lemon juice. Add the tinned tomatoes and gently crush and stir into the mix. Place the rolled lamb on top and we were ready to go.
Step 5 If cooking on a Kamado like the BGE set up for indirect cooking at around 140C. (If cooking indoors this needs to be covered with a lid or a foil top to prevent too much liquid loss. It can then be placed in the oven on 170C for 2 – 2.5 hours.)
Step 6 On the BGE, leave the dish uncovered and cook for 3-4 hours until reach a core temp of between 88-93C. After around 3 hours, lift out the lamb, stir the sauce and check on consistency. Add water if necessary. Once the core reaches around 90C remove the meat and allow rest before carving Check the final consistency of the sauce and modify if necessary.
Step 7 When ready to serve, remove the bands or butchers string and carve into generous slices. Serve directly on the sauce.

Hot smoked, Lamb, Slow cooked, Tomatoes

Slow Roast Leg of Lamb – from Marcus Wareing

We have quite a number of successful ways of cooking lamb leg. Our regular ‘go to’; Greek lamb and roast potatoes – is a particular favourite, but this Easter we wanted to try something slightly different. We had came across a recipe from the delightful Marcus Wareing – from his book ‘Marcus at Home’. He opens by saying “you really shouldn’t rush the cooking of a whole leg of lamb, and the secret to getting tender meat that’s infused with plenty of flavour is to baste frequently.” Music to my ears!!!

There is nothing revolutionary about this recipe, but it is simple, considered and perfectly balanced. The final texture and taste of the meat, and the contrast with the sherry infused meat juices is exceptional! The technique for the slow cooking is as you might expect, around 4hrs – so not ‘low and slow’ but cooked at 150C (the advice in the recipe for a conventional oven was 160C or 140C if with a fan. So we allowed a good 5 hours so that we were under no pressure when it came to serving.

The Big Green Egg was set up in indirect mode and allowed to come to temperature (150C) and stabilise. The lamb was sat on a trivet of quartered onions. It was covered in a paste made from rosemary, thyme, garlic, lemon zest, paprika, sea salt and olive oil. The lamb was put into the BGE and cooked for an initial 45 minutes. After which time the lamb was gently taking on a little colour and releasing juices into the roasting dish.

We poured 250ml of sweet sherry over the meat being careful not to disturb the paste then set it back on its cooking journey for another 3 hours. Other than basting the meat with the mix of sherry and meat juices every 45 minutes it could just be left to its own devices. (If the mix of sherry and meat juices starts too dry up just add a little water too it to rehydrate it – if cooking on the Minimax where the dish is close to the platesetter add 100ml water before the sherry)

After 3 hours and 45 minutes the core temperature of the lamb was at 86C and we were around 90 minutes away from eating.

So the meat was fully cooked but to a core temperature less than one would use if you were cooking pulled meat. We simply closed off the vents on the Egg, and allowed the residual heat to do a little more cooking, and then as it cooled further to act as a warming drawer as the meat was allowed to rest.

When the rest of the meal was ready, the lamb was carved and plated. Some of the lamb fat/oil was poured off the cooking liquor and the jus was served in a small jug. We could have been very Chefy and passed the jus – but the little fragments of meat, herbs and onion were far too good to discard!!

I have to say the combination of flavours of the jus and the taste and textures of the lamb we’re quite exceptional…………..

………….indeed this may have been the best lamb dish I have ever eaten!

Footnote: whilst the combination of the gently soft meat and the sherry enriched jus was exceptional when served hot – the lamb, served cold the following day was every bit as good

Attributions: This recipe comes from Marcus Wareing’s “Marcus at Home” ISBN 978-0-000-818447-6. The only modifications are those undertaken to cook in a Big Green Egg rather than a conventional oven.

Slow roast leg of lamb - Marcus Wareing

April 14, 2023

Servings: 6

Prep: 15 min

Total: 4 hr

Difficulty: Straightforward

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A beautiful herb and lemon infused roast lamb with a sherry enriched jus

By: Mark

Ingredients

2 Large onions, quartered
1 leg of lamb approx 1.8KG
3 garlic cloves peeled
2 tbsp chopped rosemary
1 tbsp thyme leaves
Grated zest of one lemon
2 tsp of sweet paprika
1 tsp sea salt
3 tbsp olive oil
250ml sweet sherry

Directions

Step 1 Set up the Big Green Egg in indirect mode and allowed to come to temperature (150C) and stabilise.
Step 2 Sit the lamb on a trivet of the quartered onions in a casserole or roasting dish.
Step 3 Make a paste initially with the garlic and salt and to this add the rosemary, thyme, lemon zest, paprika, sea salt and olive oil. Cover the lamb evenly with the paste. Place the lamb in the Big Green Egg and cook for 45 minutes
Step 4 After 45 minutes gently pour 250ml of sweet sherry over the meat taking care not to disturb the paste. (esp if cooking on a MiniMax add a little water before adding the sherry). Continue cooking for another 3 hours basting the meat with the mix of sherry and meat juices every 45 minutes.
Step 5 After a total of 3 hours and 45 minutes the core temperature should be around 86C (adjust the time accordingly until this temperature is reached). Close off the vents on the Egg, and allow the residual heat to continue cooking and to then keep the meat warm as its rests
Step 6 Pour off some of the the lamb fat/oil serve the jus in a small jug then carve the lamb and serve with your choice of vegetables

Lamb, Roast, Slow cooked

Braised Lamb Neck and Chickpea Ragù

This dish is based on a dish from Angela Hartnett and Cafe Murano. The original meal was described as “slowly braised lamb neck served with a light chickpea ragù. The vegetables from the lamb braising liquor adding to the richness of the base of the ragù”. The original recipe also added smoked paprika and fennel seeds, before simmering with tomatoes and chickpeas. We did not include those here but I am sure they would work well.

Trying to reproduce something similar, we started by soaking dried chickpeas overnight the following morning these were slowly simmered until nearly cooked (you could use tinned chickpeas to avoid this step). The cooking proper started with a small handful of lardon in one of our Tefal Ingenio handless pans. The lardon were gently cooked to release some of their fat. To this was added a simple soffritto of onion, carrot, celery and a chopped garlic clove. A little olive oil was added and the vegetables coloured.

Once well coloured the soffritto was set aside into the casserole that we were using for the majority of the cook. Back in the first pan, over a medium high heat, we then added the lamb neck fillets which had been generously seasoned with salt and pepper. These were rotated in the pan until all the surfaces were beautifully coloured.
The lamb was then added to the soffritto in the casserole. The pan was deglazed with the red wine so as not to waste any of the tastes built up in the Tefal pan. It was heated until all the alcohol had been boiled off. The wine was then added to the casserole along with one tin of tomatoes, gently crushed, and a little tomato purée. Although not absolutly necessary we also added a little concentrated chicken stock at this point. The Big Green Egg was then reconfigured to an indirect setting and the temperature stabilised at around 140C. The lamb was slowly braised for around 2 hours until it began to soften.

The meat was removed from the braising liquid and the cooked chickpeas were stirred through the ragù. This chickpea ragù was brought back to temperature and a sprig of thyme was added together with the lamb. This was then slowly cooked for a further hour or so. At this point everything was ready to eat – but we find the taste of these dishes is so much better the following day. Therefore, the BGE was then shut down and the whole thing was left overnight to cool (night-time temperature 4C).

The following day the ragù was reheated (meat above 70C). There were about 4 portions with perhaps a little ragù left over.

We found that a 360g ragù plus 2 lamb fillets worked well for 2 of us. The additional ragù was put into a dish and was used later with some Trofie pasta to make a light lunch.

The lamb ragù works well on its own as shown here (which is how it would be eaten in Italy) or with a simple green salad

Do give this a go ……………..

………………….. it is a great dish!

Variations: Although not yet tried, I suspect the addiction of fennel seeds and a little smoked paprika would work well as in the original description

Braised Lamb Neck and Chickpea Ragù

March 31, 2023

Servings: 4

Cook: 3 hr 30 min

Total: 3 hr

Difficulty: Relatively straightforward

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A rich braised lamb dish served on a hearty chickpea ragù

By: Mark

Ingredients

4 Lamb neck fillets
100g Lardon
1 onion
1 carrot
1 stick of celery
1 garlic clove, chopped
2 tins Chickpeas (or 200g of dried chickpeas)
1 tin of tomatoes gently crushed
1 tsp tomato purée
A little concentrated chicken stock (optional)
Olive oil
Red wine
Salt and pepper
Sprig of fresh thyme
(optional - smoked paprika and fennel seeds)

Directions

Step 1 If using dried chickpeas, soak overnight and the following morning slowly simmer until nearly cooked (If you are using tinned chickpeas you can avoid this step).
Step 2 Add the lardon to the pan and gently cook over medium direct heat to release some of their fat. Add the soffrito of finely chopped onion, carrot, celery with some olive oil until it takes on a little colour. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute. Once cooked, set aside into a casserole dish.
Step 3 In the same pan add the lamb neck fillets seasoned with salt and pepper. Rotated in the pan until all the surfaces are beautifully coloured.
Step 4 Add the lamb to the soffrito in the casserole. Deglaze the original pan with the red wine and keep on the heat until the alcohol had boiled off. Add the wine to the casserole along with the tin of tomatoes, gently crushed, and the tomato purée. If you are going to add chicken stock, do it at his point
Step 5 Reconfigure the Big Green Egg to an indirect setting and let the temperature stabilise at around 140C. Braise the lamb casserole mix for around 2 hours until it begins to soften.
Step 6 Remove the meat from the braising liquid. Add and stir through the cooked chickpeas and a large sprig of thyme. Reintroduce the lamb back into the casserole and continue cooking for a further hour or so.
Step 7 At this point the dish is ready to eat, or can be left overnight for the flavours to intensify. If reheating the following day make sure the meat is heated to above 70C.
Step 8 Remove the lamb and serve the ragu onto warm plates. Divide each fillet into 2 and serve 2 pieces of each portion of ragù
Step 9 Any left over ragu makes a great dish in its own right or can be served with a short pasta

All Italian Inspired, Beans, Italian Inspired Dishes, Lamb, Pasta and Ragù recipes, Slow cooked, Tomatoes

Lamb Shawarma

This was a dish we cooked before the Covid-19 crisis hit Europe – and it is a reminder of those ‘heady days’ when we could just go out to buy meat, herbs or spices rather than having to think of the social consequences of doing that. We are still publishing this one though as if you have something suitable in the freezer you may just want to give it a go (with this herb and spice mix – or your own variation of what ever you have to hand in the cupboard!!) Also as this whole lamb shoulder was cooked in 3 sections – if there are only a couple of you in the house you may want to scale down the recipe accordingly – and perhaps just use one of the thirds!!

So how did this one come about?

“What would you like to eat when you come up next week Sam” we said to our eldest daughter. Without pausing for a breath the answer was Lamb Shawarma. It is always a nice challenge to cook a ‘request dish’ – and we have cooked a lot of chicken Shawarma (see recipe here) Suggesting chicken as an alternative didn’t gain any traction with Sam, and so Lamb Shawarma it was to be! Shawarma is a dish of Middle Eastern origin. The meat is traditionally cut into thin slices and stacked in a cone shape and then roasted slowly on a vertical rotisserie or spit. The word Shawarma is perhaps a corruption of the Turkish word to rotate or revolve as the traditional spit does.

We were pondering the cut of lamb to use when Sam also asked if we could use a Yotam Ottolenghi recipe as she had had it some time ago and loved it. Interestingly, the recipe is all over the internet and seems to stem from a cookbook by Ottolenghi & Tamimi called Jerusalem. The original recipe uses a leg of lamb on the bone (as most people don’t have a vertical rotisserie) and a spicy herb mix sometimes referred to as Lebanese spice mix which works with so many things – We have modified the mix slightly as I am very sensitive to paprika – but I have given the original proportions in the recipe section. This mix is also supposed to work well with chicken which we can confirm and although we have not tried it yet: fish and vegetables!

With the help of the team from ‘Charlotte’s Butchery’, namely on this occasion Charlotte’s brother Jamie we spent some time deciding which cut of lamb to use as we were cooking on the Big Green Egg and we also had a Shawarma Spike which we had had made for us some time ago specifically for use on the EGG.

We wanted to get closer to a traditional Shawarma and not use whole bone in joints. We also know that getting hold of a suitable spike to cook with on the BGE is not straightforward. Therefore we wanted something that was ‘Shawarma like’ in the form of a vertical pile of meat – but something that could reasonably be done with or without a special spike!
Jamie suggested using a whole rolled shoulder of lamb but cut into sections so each section could be marinated all over with the spice mix. We took that one stage further by also slashing into the sides of the meat cylinder so we could push the spice mix in there too.

Clearly we could have just unrolled the shoulder, added the spice mix and re-rolled the joint. But we wanted to see if this easier method would work for those people not enjoying the idea of tying their own meat joints!

So once we had decided on the meat and cut it into 3 cylinders the next thing was to make the spicy marinade mix. The first 8 ingredients in the list (black peppercorns, whole cloves, cardamom pods, fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, star anise, cinnamon stick) were added to a cast-iron pan and dry-roasted on medium-high heat. This was done for a minute or two, until the spices begin to pop and release their aromas. The important thing here is to make sure they don’t burn.

If you don’t have any of these – do a bit of googling for substitute suggestions – or just leave it out. It will still be fine, just a little different! Then we added the nutmeg, ginger, and paprika and tossed this with the rest for a few more seconds to heat them. The whole mix was then put in a spice grinder (small food processor) and blitzed the mix to a powder. All that was left to do was add this powder to a bowl and to stir in all the remaining ingredients, apart from the lamb and the water (sumac, salt, fresh ginger, garlic , fresh coriander, lemon juice and peanut oil).

The marinade was then massaged into all the surfaces of the meat and it was left in a covered tray to marinade overnight. Clearly if you are making a smaller Shawarma then just marinade the amount of meat you need (but do remember this works really well cold too)

The following day the Big green egg was set up to cook indirectly at between 150-160C (the original recipe suggests 170C and that would be fine too and give a shorter cooking time – but we weren’t in any hurry!! If you are using a Shawarma spike we have found it helpful to add half an onion to the spike first to lift the meat off the base. The base can become hotter than you perhaps want even when cooking indirectly. (If you are cooking with out a spike then I would suggest stacking 2 or 3 pieces on top of each other in a roasting tin and pushing a skewer through the pieces from the top to hold it together.) The whole thing was topped off with the remains of the squeezed lemon on the top.

All that was left to do therefore was wait and enjoy the aroma coming from the EGG! Every hour or so we basted the meat stack with the juice collecting in the roasting dish, to which we had added a little water to prevent burning. Once the outside had developed that lovely crusty brown colour we loosely wrapped the top with foil just to make sure the spices didn’t burn while we waited for the core temperature to rise to the mid to high 80sC. We were wanting soft cuttable, but not pullable lamb!!

Once we got to the core temperature the lamb was removed and allowed to rest for at least 10 mins. We actually wanted to keep it warm for longer before we served it – so we wrapped it in foil, covered it with some clean tea towels and put it into an empty ‘cool box’. This way were were able to let it rest for more than an hour until we needed it (the larger the mass of meat the longer you can keep it warm in this way!!).

When we were ready to eat the meat was carved – this was made so much easier with the Shawarma being in 3 distinct sections. Each being taken out of the cool box and carved when needed.

It was served on a cutting board with a green salad. Eaten with a flat bread and some freshly made humus and a squeeze of fresh lemon was perfect!!

Footnote: – This is a great dish served hot as above, but is also fantastic served cold. Indeed some of the team thought it was better cold than hot! But there is only one way for you to decide which you prefer!!

Lamb Shawarma

April 17, 2020

Servings: 8

Cook: 6 hr

Total: 7 hr

Difficulty: Relatively easy

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A slow cooked Shawarma using boned lamb shoulder which you can cook with or without a Shawarma Spike

By: Mark

Ingredients

2 teaspoons black peppercorns
5 whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon cardamom pods
1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 whole star anise
1/2 cinnamon stick
1/2 whole nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1 tablespoon sumac
2 1/2 teaspoons Maldon salt
1 ounce fresh ginger — grated
3 cloves garlic — crushed
Big bunch of coriander — chopped stems and leaves
Juice of a lemon
Good plug of oil, rapeseed or groundnut oil works well
Rolled boned shoulder of lamb
A little water to add to the roasting pan to prevent lamb juices burning

Directions

Step 1 Take the rolled whole shoulder of lamb and cut into 3 cylinders that can be stacked vertically. Also ‘slash’ into the sides of the cylinders so that they can absorb more of the marinade
Step 2 Mix the first 8 ingredients in the list (black peppercorns, whole cloves, cardamom pods, fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, star anise, cinnamon stick) and add to a cast-iron pan and dry-roast on medium-high heat for a minute or two. The spices will begin to pop and release their aromas. Don’t let them burn. Then add the nutmeg, ginger, and paprika and tossed this with the rest for a few more seconds. Put the whole into a spice grinder (small food processor) and blitzed the mix to a powder. Add this powder to a bowl and to stir in sumac, salt, fresh ginger, garlic , fresh coriander, lemon juice and oil.
Step 3 Massage the marinade into all the surfaces of the meat and leave in a covered tray to marinade (ideally) overnight.
Step 4 The ext day light the Big Green Egg and set up to cook indirectly at between 150-160C (Can also be done at a higher temp as suggested in the original recipe e.g. 170C to give a shorter cooking time – adjust accordingly)
Step 5 If you are using a Shawarma spike add half an onion to the spike first to lift the meat off the base. The base can become hotter than you perhaps want even when cooking indirectly. (If you are cooking with out a spike then stack 2 or 3 pieces on top of each other in a roasting tin and push a skewer through the pieces from the top to hold it together.) Top off with the remains of the squeezed lemon on the top.
Step 6 Once the temperature in the BGE has stabilised introduce the shawarma and leave to cook. Every hour or so baste the meat stack withe the juice collecting in the roasting dish. It may be wise to add a little water to the dish to stop the juices burning.
Step 7 Once the outside has developed that lovely crusty brown colour loosely wrap the top with foil just to make sure the spices don’t burn
Step 8 Cook till the core temperature reaches around 85-88C if it goes much higher the the lamb will ‘Pull” whereas the plan is to cut the meat but this is a matter of personal taste
Step 9 Remove from the heat and allow to rest for at least 10 mins – it can be rested for much longer if wrapped in foil, covered with tea towels and placed in a coolbox. Carve when ready to eat and serve with a green salad and flat breads

Hot smoked, Lamb

Greek Lamb and Roast Potatoes

The idea of Greek lamb and roast potatoes takes me back to Athens in 2004 when we were invited to a friend’s wedding there. Michalis was working on his PhD with me in the UK and very kindly invited Jackie and I to his wedding which was a spectacular affair! Before the wedding though we had some time with Michalis and his family. On one day before the wedding his mum cooked lamb and roast potatoes – and they were very special – soft roast potatoes full of meat juices and hinted with lemon, perfectly reflecting the meat – fabulous! When we found a recipe that looked as though it was going to deliver something along the same lines I was excited – that it came from the pen of a 2 star Michelin Chef (Tom Kerridge) even better!
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Hot smoked, Lamb

Tag: Lamb