Moroccan Barbecued Lamb Mechouie Recipes

MECHOUI - MOROCCAN STYLE BBQ

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.Trim of excess fat from lamb cut and discard. Sprinkly kosher salt over meat. Place in roasting pan. Combine remaining ingredients to make a rub. Massage the ribs with the spice mix. Cut half of the butter into chunks and rub on after the spices.
• Cover with aluminum foil, like a tent. Cook for 2 1/2 hours, basting ever 30-45 minutes.Increase temperature to 375 degrees, remove foil, baste and allow leg of lamb to cook for 3 hours, or until skin is golden brown. Continue to baste and add more butter each hour as needed. Remove from oven and serve!

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.

MOROCCAN MECHOUI (SLOW ROASTED LEG OF LAMB OR SHOULDER)

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Trim excess fat from leg of lamb or shoulder, and make a dozen or more deep cuts into meat with tip of a sharp knife.
• Combine butter with garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, saffron, turmeric, and olive oil. Spread mixture over entire leg or shoulder of lamb, working some butter into incisions made with knife.
• Place lamb in a roasting pan, and proceed with one of the roasting methods below. Very Slow-Roasting Method: 7 1/2 to 9 Hours This is the preferred Marrakesh method. You can reduce the cooking time to 4 to 5 hours by using a 350 F/180 C oven temperature.
• Preheat oven to 250 F.
• Place lamb in a roasting pan and cover with foil, sealing edges tightly. Roast lamb, basting hourly and resealing foil each time, for 7 to 8 hours, or until juices run clear and meat is tender enough to pinch off the bone.
• Small pieces of lamb, weighing less than 4 pounds might finish cooking in 6 hours. Larger pieces might take closer to 9 hours.
• Remove foil and increase oven temperature to 475 F. Brown lamb, basting frequently, for 15 to 30 minutes, or until meat is well-colored.
• Transfer lamb to a platter and allow it to rest for 10 minutes before serving. If desired, pour juices over and around lamb. Serve dishes of salt and cumin on the side for dipping. Traditional Roasting Method: 3 to 4 Hours When short on time, this method also works well, but the meat won't be quite as tender as the above method. The lamb will, however, have more of a crisp crust, which some Moroccans find desirable.
• Heat oven to 475 F. Add 1/2 cup of water to pan, and roast lamb, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
• Reduce oven temperature to 325 F and continue roasting lamb, basting occasionally, for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or until meat is tender, juices run clear, and lamb has a dark, crisp crust.
• Transfer lamb to a platter and allow it to rest for 10 minutes before serving. If desired, juices can be poured over and around lamb. Serve dishes of salt and cumin on the side for dipping. Fast Roasting Method: 1 to 2 Hours
• Preheat oven to 475 F. Wrap exposed lower leg of the lamb in foil to prevent burning. Add 1/2 cup of water and a few tablespoons of olive oil to pan, and roast lamb, uncovered, for 1 to 2 hours, basting frequently, until lamb is well browned and juices run clear when a knife is inserted deep into meat.
• If meat has browned before juices are clear, cover meat with loose foil to prevent further darkening.
• Transfer lamb to a platter and allow it to rest for at least 10 minutes before serving. If desired, juices can be poured over and around lamb. Serve dishes of salt and cumin on the side for dipping.

MOROCCAN-STYLE BARBECUED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Mix the butter and oil in a bowl, then stir in the spices, thyme, garlic, lemon zest and juice. Add the harissa, 1 tsp salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper, and mix well.
• Put the butterflied lamb (see step-by-step guide) in a large shallow dish and spoon over the marinade. Using your hands, rub it all over the meat. Cover loosely with foil or cling film and leave to marinate for at least 2 hrs, or overnight in the fridge.
• Light the barbecue, adding plenty of coals. When it is ready, add the lamb, fat-side down, and cook on a fairly high heat for 5 mins until well browned. Turn over and cook for another 5 mins to brown the other side.
• Move the coals to the sides of the barbecue to reduce the heat under the meat and cook more gently for 30-40 mins, turning occasionally. This timing will give you pink meat.
• Remove the meat to a large board and cover tightly with foil. Leave to rest for 10-15 mins.
• For the sauce, fold the harissa, a little salt and the coriander into the yogurt. Cut the lamb into thick slices and serve with the sauce and couscous, if you like.

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.

MOROCCAN BARBECUED LAMB / MECHOUIE

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the grill to medium-high.2. Open out the butterflied leg of lamb on your work surface so the inside is up and season with salt and pepper. Set aside while you prepare the spice butter.3. Combine the butter, garlic, mint leaves, coriander, paprika, and cumin in a food processor and process to a smooth paste.4. When ready to cook, spread about one third of the butter mixture over the inside of the lamb. Spread about 1 tablespoon more over the outside surface of the lamb. Arrange the lamb, outer side down, on the hot grate and grill, turning with tongs, until cooked to taste, 15 to 20 minutes per side. If the lamb starts to burn, lower the heat to medium (if gas) or move the lamb to a cooler section of the grill (if charcoal). Every 5 minutes, spread the top with some of the remaining spiced butter.5. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. Melt the butter in a small, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons vinegar and the mint and bring to a boil, then stir in the chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until richly flavored and slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and taste for seasoning, adding salt or vinegar as necessary.6. Transfer the lamb to a cutting board and let stand for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve the lamb with the sauce and tiny bowls of salt and cumin on the side for seasoning.Serves 8