Caribbean Style (Jerk) Grilled Leg of Lamb

The response at The Coconut Grove Festival was fantastic! People stopped by the ElectriChef tent and were asking what type of meat was causing the wonderful aroma coming from the outdoor electric grill.

Written by, Chef Paulette Bilsky

When we opened the lid and they found out it was lamb, they were anxious to find out when it would be ready. They were equally excited to find out the grill was electric! Once the rotisserie leg of lamb was finished, we sliced (after removing the trussing, of course) the lamb and served our “new lamb fans” as well as the die-hard lamb groupies. Most comments included, “This is the best lamb I ever ate,” “Are you sure this is lamb?” and “Can I try another piece!” My goal was met; I converted all those lamb haters into lamb lovers.

Related: See my other tasty Rotisserie leg of Lamb recipe from the CGAF here!  

My recipe was important because proper salting, seasoning and the use of lemon is very vital to help compliment the natural lamb flavor. However, the perfect sear and even grilling temperature by the electric grill provided the winning combination in making a perfect grilled leg of lamb. Over the next few days, I continued to create happy grilled lamb lovers with various international flavors. Here’s a Caribbean-style grilled leg of lamb recipe that was a crowd favorite:

CARIBBEAN STYLE (JERK) GRILLED LEG OF LAMB

By: Chef Paulette Bilsky

 

INGREDIENTS

• 4-5 pound leg of lamb (USA), boned and trussed*¹
• Marinade/sauce
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• Zest*² of one lime, optional
• 1 medium onion, rough chopped
• 1 red pepper or 4 ounces chopped pimentos
• 1 scotch bonnet pepper (stemmed & seeded)
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground all spice
• 1 tablespoons Kosher salt (coarse ground)
• 1⁄4 cup olive oil
  
  

Pro Tip: 1-2 tablespoons of Sriracha sauce, more or less depending on desired heat, can be added if you do not wish to use scotch bonnet pepper.

PREPARATION AND ELECTRICHEF OUTDOOR ELECTRIC GRILLING METHOD

• Cut excess fat from the leg of lamb. If you have the butcher truss*¹ the lamb, ask them to remove excess fat before trussing.
  
  

• Place all marinade ingredients in a food processor or small blender and blend until smooth. Remove about 1/4 of the marinade/sauce to use for basting*³.
  
  

Pro Tip: If using the scotch bonnet peppers, be careful to wash hands thoroughly, as peppers can cause severe burning on exposed skin and eyes.

• Place trussed leg of lamb, on a large ceramic plate or cutting board. Drizzle the marinade/sauce mixture over the leg of lamb, then gently massage the lamb to make sure marinade is all over the meat.
  
  

• Remove from refrigerator to allow it to reach room temperature, about 30 minutes.
  
  

• Place lamb into a 2-gallon resealable plastic bag and place in refrigerator at least 1-2 hours or up to 24 hours.
  
  

• Remove two of the grill racks on the left side of your ElectriChef Electric Grill. Set the grill temperature to 550ºF degrees and prepare the rotisserie accessories.
  
  

• Just prior to placing lamb on the rotisserie skewer, (spit*⁴) wipe away excess marinade/sauce from the lamb. Leave some of the marinade but remove enough to prevent dripping. Discard the plastic bag.
  
  

• Place lamb just left of center on the rotisserie skewer or spit making sure it is balanced and secure.
  
  

Pro Tip: By putting the lamb in this location, you have allowed room on the right third of the grill to place other food on the grate while the lamb is on the rotisserie.

• Turn on the rotisserie and close the lid of the grill for about 15 minutes checking occasionally for flare ups due to dripping. If flare-ups occur too often, carefully use a water spray bottle or pour a small amount of water on flare up. Removing excess fat from the lamb will help minimize flare ups. . The flare ups will help create a flavorful crispy crust on your lamb, but it should not be overly charred.
  
  

• After about 15 minutes or desired exterior crust on your lamb, reduce the Electric Grill temperature to 425ºF degrees. Grill for an estimated 40 minutes to 1 hour additional cooking time depending on your preference of internal temperature. During this additional time, you can baste* the leg of lamb with the extra marinade/sauce. Doing this will help to continue adding flavor to the grilled lamb. This is completely optional but will help add a deep Caribbean flavor to the lamb. Internal temperatures: Medium rare: 145ºF; Medium: 160ºF; Well done: 170ºF.
  
  

Pro Tip: The internal temperature of the lamb will increase during the resting period so make sure you move the lamb from the grill 5-7 degrees below the desired temperature.

• Allow the grilled leg of lamb to rest*⁵ for 10- 20 minutes and remove the trussing prior to slicing.

Cooking Terms:

Trussing*¹ is the process of taking butcher’s twine and tying meat such as lamb. The purpose of tying the meat is to keep it in a uniform shape, which helps it cook evenly.

Zest*² is prepared by scraping or cutting from the outer, colorful skin of unwaxed citrus fruits such as lemon, orange, citron, and lime. Zest is used to add flavor ("zest") to foods.

Baste*³ means to pour sauce or juice over (meat) during cooking in order to keep it moist.

A spit*⁴ is a long solid rod used to hold food while it is being cooked over a fire in a fireplace or over a grill. This method is generally used for cooking large joints of meat, such as a leg of lamb. In medieval and early modern kitchens, the spit was the preferred way of cooking meat in a large household.

If given the time to rest*⁵ the meat will lose less juice when you cut it, resulting in a juicier and tastier cut of meat. The time taken to rest will depend on its size, but a leg of lamb is best rested for 10 to 20 minutes before carving. Steaks or chops should stand for 5 minutes (but no less than 3) before serving.

What's next? Doesn't that recipe sound delicious? Check out Chef Paulette's other roasted lamb recipe and tell us what you think of them!