My problem is that I love BBQ but don’t have the time to commit to slowly smoking a big piece of meat. My answer is to adopt a “sous vide” technique to cook the lamb through. Next day you can reheat on the BBQ and create a great smokey crisp top layer – a quick solution to the ‘midweek’ BBQ. The “sous vide” method in the instructions is simple and just requires heat proof ziplock bags, a large stock pot and a thermometer. No fancy gadgets here.
This recipe is full of flavour. Before you cook it over the BBQ, with hopefully some oak wood, it has already had 4 hours for the garlic, bay and anchovies to flavour the meat. This would also work great with a lamb leg, but preferably remove the bone, as it has less fat and you want to cook it faster on the BBQ to prevent the meat becoming dry.
Time: 4.5 hours the day before and 1 hour on the day
Serves: 5-8 people
Difficulty: Take your time
1Kg Lamb Shoulder
5 Bay leaves
5 Garlic Cloves
5 Anchovy fillets
Salt and Pepper
Day before
1. Peel the garlic. Cut a small incision in the lamb large enough to stuff inside a garlic clove, an anchovy and a bay leaf. Do this 5 times.
2. Place the lamb in ziplock bag, squeezing out any air.
3. Bring a cast iron lidded pot or a large stock pot filled with water to 75 degrees Celsius (167 degrees Fahrenheit). Place a small sturdy plate at the bottom of the pot.
4. Place the ziplock bag in the water. Add more water to cover if needed. Cover with a lid.
5. Either using a thermometer every 30 minutes or by using a digital thermometer regularly check the temperature of the water. Putting the hob off or on to keep the water between 70-80 degrees Celsius (158-176 degrees Fahrenheit).
6. Cook for 4 hours and before refrigerating over night.
On the day
1. Bring your BBQ to a good heat and if not using a gas BBQ add some oak wood chips or a log of oak to the fire. Salt and pepper the lamb.
2. Cook the lamb on the BBQ until the temperature of the lamb reaches 75 degrees Celsius (167 degrees Fahrenheit). Flip the lamb every 15 minutes until the temperature is reached.
3. Once the temperature is reached remove from the BBQ and wrap in greaseproof paper for 10 minutes to rest.
4. After resting pull the lamb from the bone and assemble around the bone on a plate.
Recipes from my kitchen, Edinburgh, Scotland 