Silence of the lambs - 3 legs 1 oven - Calling all cooks
September 16, 2014 3:15 PM   Subscribe

Dinner Party with fresh Leg of Lamb on the menu. Have 3 legs of lamb, each approx 3.5kg with only one oven to prepare for 16-18 guest with a 7pm start time. The oven itself is a standard one that can hold two legs (2 racks) but nothing more. Calling all Mefi chefs for help with this timing issue - any advice is appreciated.

Thanks for the help with this question. My google fu has failed trying to figure this one out as I know how to cook lamb, just not for almost 20 people at the same time without proper ovens. Are there alternatives in terms of precook and/or reheat to make sure all guests have medium rare to medium?
posted by Funmonkey1 to Food & Drink (8 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
Best answer: Do you have or can you borrow a slow cooker that might fight the third leg? Then you can finish roasting in the broiler.

An outdoor gas grill (BBQ) low and slow might be great if you have access to one.

Tip:

Take all three legs and let them come to room temp (hopefully slathered with herbs, garlic, and olive oil) before roasting. This will cut down on the roasting time. - be careful not to over cook them!

Finally, they'll shrink quite a bit with cooking. You might be able to cook them all in batches 3/4's of the way to done, then reheat (finish) them in the same oven (hopefully they'll all fit in together at this point.)

That's all I got. Sounds delicious!! Good luck!!
posted by jbenben at 3:23 PM on September 16, 2014


Best answer: Boned, rolled and tied might take less vertical height so a big enough roasting pan could handle a couple of them. Or yeah - precook in advance and finish on grill.
posted by leslies at 3:32 PM on September 16, 2014 [1 favorite]


I have cooked leg of lamb both in the oven and on the BBQ (rotisserie style). If you put a leg of lamb on the BBQ make sure you put a layer of tinfoil below as the drippings are highly flammable.

Cooking times for both oven and BBQ methods were near identical in my experience. That said, if you go the BBQ route I recommend getting a quality thermostat as the built in BBQ thermostat usually cannot be trusted.

Are these bone-in, or de-boned and tied?
posted by axismundi at 3:34 PM on September 16, 2014


Best answer: Butchers bone and roll these bad boys all the time.

I've smoked leg of lamb, boned and rolled. I sliced slits in it, stuffed with garlic cloves, slathered with olive oil and slid rosemary between the netting and the meat. SO FREAKING GOOD! (it was in a stack smoker, under the turkey but above the brisket.)

Another option is to borrow an oven. Have someone else cook the third.

Good luck with it!
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 3:52 PM on September 16, 2014


Yes definitely use a neighbors oven!
And bring them the leftovers, an excellent trade!
posted by littlewater at 9:09 PM on September 16, 2014


If alternatives are acceptable (as in, everyone still gets a portion of roast leg o lamb, but also something different), you could explore other preparations, especially things that could be made in advance and served cold, or even be reheated while the roast lamb is resting. I haven't made it myself, but if we were talking about pork, I would definitely suggest a nice pate, if that's something you can do (here's a recipe from the first page of google). Again, sausage could be another tack to take. Giving each guest a slice or two of roast lamb, a slice of pate, and a link of sausage could be a fun way to explore new and different flavors while still saying, hey, lamb!
posted by Ghidorah at 5:12 AM on September 17, 2014


(PS I think you've overcatered - so maybe you only need to cook two? 6 guests a leg, say it's only 2kg after boning, 350g meat each is muchos heaps).
posted by wilful at 5:48 AM on September 17, 2014


I have to second BBQ/grilling it.. Charcoal if you can, even.. De-boned, butterfly, then salt/pepper it and slap it on a hot grill for 5-6 minutes a side, then to the cool side of the grill (indirect heat) for 20-25 more minutes (turn once), and you'll be licking the plate clean.
posted by k5.user at 7:47 AM on September 17, 2014


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