Portland Foodie

I grew up in a family that never ate lamb. I'm from Oklahoma, and that translates into beef, beef and more beef. Once I reached adulthood, I had the opportunity to try lamb and discovered I liked it. But once I started cooking it at home, I found I LOVED it. The bottom line is that lamb is one of those meats that really needs to be cooked correctly in order to be enjoyed. Fortunately, it's not at all difficult to cook.

The American Lamb Board is hosting a contest for the best lamb recipies and offered me a butterflied leg of lamb in exchange for a recipe and a post about my experience.  Last week, I grilled that leg of lamb...it was phenomenal! It was super simple, too...see below for the recipe.

2 cups strongly brewed coffee (cooled)

2 cups red wine (Chianti or Pinot Noir work well)

¼ cup molasses ½ cup balsamic vinegar

2 Tbsp finely ground coffee

2 tsp cinnamon

3 garlic cloves, outer peel removed and smashed

2-3 tsp salt

1 leg of lam, boneless and butterflied

Add and mix together all of the above ingredients in a large container. Remove lamb from package and add to marinade fat side up. Do not trim fat. Cover and refrigerate for 24-48 hours.

Use a chimney starter to light coals. When coals are ready, prepare charcoal grill using indirect heat method by adding the majority of coals to half of the grill, leaving the other half empty. If you are using a gas grill, light only half of the burners.

Before grilling, take lamb out of the refrigerator and out of the marinating liquid. Remove garlic cloves and pour remaining liquid into small saucepan and reduce over medium heat. Let lamb come to room temperature (about 20-30 minutes) before grilling. Once the liquid has reduced, it can be used as a basting sauce. Use a brush to apply during the last 15 minutes of cooking.

Place lamb on grill, fat side down, on the side that has no coals. Flip every 10-15 minutes until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meat reads 130 degrees. Depending upon the size of the leg of lamb and the temperature of your grill, it can take between 30 minutes to an hour for the lamb to reach medium rare. Remove lamb from grill and place on cutting board. Tent with foil and let rest for 20 minutes. Carve thin slices against the grain. Serve.

TIPS: Don't overcook lamb, it's best served medium rare. Also, don't remove fat from the lamb, it helps the meat stay moist and flavorful.

Grilling chicken can either be a challenge or an amazing success, dependent upon a couple of variables. One is using a brine solution and the other is grilling over indirect heat.

Really, Fall is my favorite time to cook outside. The weather is beautiful...not raining as often as spring, and the heat isn't the blast furnace that summer often is.

Here's how I made my last chicken on the grill. I started with 6 leg and thigh sections. I created a brine solution made of enough water to cover the chicken and about a 1/4 cup of salt. Then I immersed the chicken in the solution and put the container in the refrigerator overnight.

The following morning, I drained the chicken and patted it dry. In another container, I created the marinade. I use about 1/3 cup of olive oil, 2 tbs of molasses, 1 inch ginger, sliced, 4 cloves of garlic, smashed, 1/4 cup of tamari, and pepper. Sometimes I add pineapple slices and a bit of pineapple juice.

After letting that marinate during the day, I start the grill outside. I use hardwood briquettes, not gas, because that is my preference. I get the briquettes ready in a chimney starter. When those are ready, I place a rectangular pan in the center of the bottom grate of the grill. I add the hot briquettes around the pan, creating indirect heat. Then, I place the chicken on the grill, only over the pan portion.

Use a grill thermometer to keep track of how much heat your grill is producing. Initially, the heat was at about 375 degrees, and over the course of an hour and a half or so, it went to 300 degrees. Use a meat thermometer to ensure the thickest part of the chicken reaches 170 degrees.

Grilling chicken in this way makes it so tender and juicy! It is really my favorite...tell me about yours...

New, greener possibilities for grilling! I was just thinking about this earlier in the week...nice to know someone else is, too! Found this here...