There’s a lot going on in the yard this year – including a new fire pit! Soon enough the open pit will have it’s capstone and everything will be prettily landscaped about it ( maybe not too soon – we are doing the work ourselves….) but the itch to cook something over it before the final touches are done proved too much for me this past weekend. If you love cooking on just about anything – especially a wood fire – you know what I mean. Time for a garden party, a rustic one, one to celebrate the joy of having the most basic methods of cooking – fire in a hole in the ground. Time to load in some logs : hardwoods like the oak and birch we used are great and give a lot of flavor, avoid too many pitchy ones like pine. Burn down as many as you need to get a couple inches of glowing coals.
Of all meats available to try out the new (though unfinished) open pit, I couldn’t think of anything better than a leg of lamb.
To season a half-leg of lamb for fire-roasting: Mince together 2 tbsp. fresh rosemary with 3 cloves fresh garlic, 1 tsp. kosher salt and several grates of freshly ground black pepper with 1 tbsp. of olive oil. Use more of everything for a whole leg. Insert the mix into small incisions (made with a paring knife) all around the lamb and rub any that won’t go in the little holes over the lamb.
Let the fire cook down to gray coals on top of some glowing ones, place rack(s) several inches above the coals and have a small reserve of smoldering logs on the opposite side to supply fresh coals as needed for the 2 hour (approx.) cooking. Put the lamb onto the rack and turn frequently to cook and brown all over. If your lamb is turning black right off and being hit by flames, the fire is too hot – move some coals until it calms down a bit. I recommend taking the lamb off the rack before doing this – you don’t want to coat the meat with flying ash.
We were quite entertained through the cooking by some little birds that are anxious to get out of the house…..
………..being outside cooking, enjoying the fire and the garden is one of the very best things about summer!
If you are cooking the lamb without a rotisserie rack and need to prop up the leg of lamb for the cooking, by all means get creative with clean rocks or fire-proof bricks – they can take the heat and will help you out tremendously. It may not be pretty, but as I said – this was a rustic cooking event!
Lamb is best when no more than medium, preferably medium-rare though it is a very subjective issue. If you need to use a thermometer to check for doneness, cook until it’s 135° – it will continue to cook when it’s off the fire. Let it rest at least 15 minutes and you are good to go.
While there are few very specific directions here, I think you can get the basic idea of how to roast lamb over an open pit wood fire. While every fire is different it’s not as daunting a dinner as some might think, it’s fun and a great way to enjoy some outside time. Carve and enjoy,
throw some more logs on the fire and have a great evening.
Timeless Gourmet
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