Moroccan Barbecued Lamb Mechouie Recipes

GRILLED LEG OF LAMB MECHOUI RECIPE

Steps:

• Prep. Have your butcher remove the bone from the leg and cut off about 6-8" of the shank. Freeze the shank for later use. If you get the leg bone still in, you can cut off the shank with a saw and remove the bone with a filleting knife. Remove the thick fat cap, the thin silverskin membrane, and any tendons, sinew, and cartilage while you take the meat apart. I try to remove muscles intact and cut them up into large chunks. Inevitably you will end up with chunks of varying sizes. Group them according to size so you can cook each size for a different lenght of time. Or you can freeze one group for later. Put the meat in a nonreactive pan and cover all surfaces with charmoula. Marinate up to 24 hours if possible. An hour will do, but longer is better.
• Fire up. Preheat the grill as hot as you can get it. Sprinkle the ras el hanout on the meat generously, but not thick.
• Cook. Grill on one side until it releases from the grate easily and gets good grill marks. Roll it onto the opposite side and take the temp of several pieces immediately. Small pieces will cook fast, and grills have hotspots, so test many pieces. Use this Food Temperature Guide to decide when to take it off. I usually pull it at 125-130°F (52-54°C) for rare meat.
• Serve. Serve with couscous and harissa sauce on the side.

BARBECUED MECHOUI LAMB

Steps:

• Place the lamb in a non-aluminium container.
• Combine all the ingredients for the marinade and rub over the meat.
• Cover and refrigerate overnight or let stand for 2-3 hours at room temperature.
• Bring the lamb to room temperature, if refrigerated.
• Heat the oven.
• Remove the lamb from the marinade and sprinkle with salt.
• Cook the meat until rare, remove from the oven and allow a few minutes before carving.
• Sprinkle with a little chopped mint before serving.