I Love Grilling Meat March 2019
March 2019
MEAT Insider
LAMB Challenge
We’re out on the Lamb And We Have Ham !
A lot of people tend to categorize lamb and mutton as the same meat. While they do come from the same animal, they are very different. Lamb, for instance, is from any young sheep from 3–5 months old. Sheep are considered fully grown after one year. Meat cut from the older animal is referred to as mutton. Some people also refer to goat meat as mutton. Lamb and mutton have different textures and flavors and will cook a little differently. This month is all about lamb (though you will find some ham mixed in — but more on that later). Lamb is a very tender meat. In fact, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a cut of meat as tender as a leg of lamb. And because it is so tender, it can be fragile, so you will want to roast it with care. But don’t let that intimidate you! Roasting lamb is about as easy as it gets. You simply add the desired marinade, herbs, and spices, and roast it. When it comes to flavor, lamb will taste different depending on what it was fed when it was alive. Grass-fed lamb tends to be a little subtler. Grain-fed lamb, on the other hand, usually has a stronger taste — and it’s not always to everyone’s liking. Lamb is one of those meats that you either love or hate, and a lot of it can come down to the flavor. Nowadays lamb producers try to keep the flavor consistent. They really have it down to an art. But you can always talk to your butcher or meat specialist to find a cut that has flavor closer to what you’re looking for. And, if you do have a cut with a stronger flavor, a marinade and some herbs and spices will help balance that flavor. Of course, you can’t go wrong with a marinade either way. It’ll add good flavor on its own to complement the tender meat. Once you have it marinated, you can turn your attention to the grill. You want to get it up to 350 F. A good wood I like to use is maple.
Mesquite is also a good choice. It’s another easy way to give your leg of lamb a little more flavor.
Now, when you roast your leg of lamb on a 350 F grill, it’ll go quick. Because it’s already so tender before it hits the grill, you won’t have to sit around and wait long for it. Once it reaches an internal temp of 145 F, it’s done. If you want it a tad rare, you can pull it at 140 F. Then, you let it rest for a few minutes and you’re ready for one delicious dinner. If you’ve never had lamb before, it’s worth trying, especially because it is so easy to roast. And it’s okay if it’s not for you. As I said, it’s one of those meats that can go either way for people.
With Easter coming up next month, I want to touch on ham. A lot of people will be putting ham on the dinner table, so I want to
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share a recipe that takes a little time to prepare (you’ll find the recipe on page 3).
If any part of the meat is exposed to air, it will go bad during the curing process. Even if it’s just a sliver, it can affect the rest of the meat, and you’ll have to throw it out. This has never happened to me (knock on wood), but it has happened to my grandfather! Thankfully, no one got sick. I was actually the one who caught it. If you don’t cut corners and you take your time, your ham will come out just right. I’ll get into ham a bit more next month, but if you’re looking to try your hand at a wet cure, this will get you started — and you’ll have a ham just in time for Easter. Again, be sure to check page 3 for all the details of the cure! And that’ll do it for this month. I encourage you to give the lamb a try. Lamb is good eating, and if you want to try a cut of meat that is unbelievably tender, you can’t go wrong with this one!
I generally like to do a dry cured ham, but more people are trying wet cures. Dry cures can take up to six months. Wet cures only take a few weeks. It saves a lot of time, but you still get a good flavor if you do it right. When I do a wet cure, I give it about four weeks. This is four weeks submerged in brine. You can do less time, but your ham won’t be as fully cured, meaning it won’t last as long in the fridge. What I want to stress is the brine. The brine itself is made with a cup of salt, a cup of sugar, and two teaspoons of curing salt per pound of meat. You want to pay special attention to the 1:1 ratio of salt and sugar. More importantly, though, is how you brine the ham. You want to place it in a container that won’t react to the salt, such as plastic. You can also use a large, sturdy bag. The main thing you need to do is make sure every inch of that ham is submerged in the brine.
–Danny McTurnan
A Tender Meat With a Lot of Flavor Dan ’ s Roasted Leg of Lamb Ingredients
• • • • • • • • • • •
1 leg of lamb
Set marinade aside for a moment to trim any excess fat on the leg of lamb. Then, place lamb in the bag or container with marinade, and marinate for 6 hours or overnight.
3/4 cup pomegranate molasses 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 3 tablespoons lemon juice
4 garlic cloves, minced 1 tablespoon dried mint
1 tablespoon dried rosemary, crushed
1 tablespoon honey 1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 cup pomegranate seeds for garnish
Preheat your grill to 350 F.
Remove lamb frommarinade. Reheat reserved marinade in a saucepan until hot. Place lamb on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Roast 20 minutes per pound, basting frequently with the warmmarinade, or until a meat thermometer registers 145 F (for medium rare).
• Directions :
Whisk together molasses, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, mint, rosemary, honey, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Pour half of the mixture in a gallon-sized Ziploc bag or large dish. Keep the remaining marinade for the glaze.
Let rest 5–10 minutes. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds over the top and serve, passing the warmed marinade for a drizzle. Enjoy!
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Just in Time for Easter Dan ’ s Wet Cure Ham Ingredients
• • •
1 uncured ham
1 cup cane sugar per gallon of water 1 cup kosher salt per gallon of water
• 2 teaspoons Prague powder per pound of meat
• • • • •
Herbs and spices you like, for example:
5 tablespoons cinnamon
5 tablespoons crushed black pepper
The longer you brine your ham, the longer the hamwill last in the fridge or freezer. I brine mine 2–3 weeks, if not a little longer, depending on the size of the ham. Then I let it sit in the fridge for a week before cutting into it and smoking it.
2 tablespoons cloves 3 tablespoons garlic
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Large stock pot or container
SMOKING
Note: Pickling spice also adds a great flavor, and you can get it in the canning section at your supermarket.
Before you smoke your ham, fry up a small piece to check how salty it is. If it’s too salty, you can submerge the ham in boiling water for 4 minutes. This will help pull out excess salt. You can also add about 1/4 cup of water to a frying pan, then add the ham to draw out some of the excess salt. When you’re happy with the salt content, it’s time to smoke! I use hickory or maple wood on my ham. Smoke time is 15–20 minutes per pound at 225 F. You want to reach an internal temp of 190 F, but no more. Once your ham reaches an internal temp of 160 F, remove from smoker and wrap in foil. Then, return to smoker until the internal temp reaches 190 F.
Directions :
BRINING
Rinse and pat dry your ham.
Then, weigh your ham if you don’t already know the weight — this is an important step so you know exactly how much Prague powder to use. In a stock pot, add all of your dry ingredients to water and bring to boil. Make sure sugar and salt are completely dissolved. Let brine cool. Place ham in nonreactive container, making sure it’s weighed down. Every inch of the hammust be submerged. This is very important to prevent spoilage! Place container and ham in a fridge or cooler. You can also set the container outside if daytime temps are hovering around 36–37 degrees F. (If it gets any warmer, move the container back to a fridge or cooler.)
During smoking, have a spritz bottle at the ready. I use an apple juice spritz. Spritz every hour.
This is a pretty straightforward way to wet cure a ham. It’s a great alternative to a dry cure, which can take 6 months from start to finish.
After the smoke, it’s ready to eat. Enjoy!
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On the Lamb
An Easy Lamb Recipe That’s Hard to Beat
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How toWet Cure a Ham
Grill Giveaway and Live Session Dates
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LAMB Challenge
GRILL Giveaway
“Ask a PRO” LIVE Sessions • LIVE“Ask a PRO”Session #1 TOPIC: Roasted Leg of Lamb Sunday, March 10, 2019 5 p.m. Central StandardTime • LIVE“Ask a PRO”Session #2 TOPIC: StartYour HamBrine for Easter Sunday, March 24th, 2019 5 p.m. Central StandardTime Go to gsa.life/2019march for instructions on how to access these LIVE sessions.
Are you ready to put your grilling and smoking skills to the test? Take the Lamb Challenge and you could WIN up to $500 in grilling and meat-smoking prizes! Wanna knowmore? Head over to gsa.life/2019march for all the details on how to enter. Good luck, and we look forward to seeing what you cook up!
Win a FREEWeber Smokey Mountain Cooker. Details at gsa.life/2019march
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