CityLife

Marinaded lamb - Brazilian style

JUICY: Barbequed lamb

HOPES of a blisteringly hot August appear to have been dashed with news of the recently revised weather forecast.

Surely there will be some opportunities to enjoy a barbecue, or even two, during this month and one sure way to raise the temperature will be to go for a Brazilian theme.

Correctly preparing meat for the barbecue will help to ensure delicious results.

The most important thing to remember about cooking lamb is not to over-cook it.

Lamb has such wonderful flavour on its own, and is so naturally tender that it is bound to turn out well, as long as it remains a little pink on the inside.

Lamb benefits from being marinated in advance, so try to plan ahead and allow between eight and 24 hours for this.

A good sized leg of lamb may appear extravagant for barbecue cooking but bear in mind it should provide between eight and 12 portions.

You can get your butcher to remove the leg bone if you wish, then you can remove most of the fat and decide if you are going to marinate the lamb as one whole piece or to “butterfly” the meat and then cut it into individual portions (butterflying means to open out the flesh until the meat lies flat).

Finally, score the meat with a sharp knife before marinating.

Butterflying the meat allows more of the flavours from the marinade to be taken on by the lamb and it makes it easier and faster to cook on the barbecue.

One final tip – if you don’t have a barbecue with a hood, turn a large roasting pan upside down and use this as a hood to cover the lamb.

Ingredients
1 leg of lamb
4 garlic cloves, crushed to a paste
100 ml of water
30 ml of white wine
30 ml of red wine
4 bay leaves
Salt

Method
Decide if you are going to prepare the lamb as a whole leg or as a butterflied joint. See main text. The following method refers to cooking a butterflied joint.
Place the meat into a large glass dish or bowl, big enough for the meat to lie flat. This will make sure that the lamb will be evenly marinated.
In another bowl, mix together the ingredients for the marinade and then pour over the meat.
There is no substitute for getting your – clean – hands in there and rubbing the marinade into the meat. Spread it evenly, over, under and around the meat.
When ready, place the meat on the barbecue and leave untouched for six or seven minutes.
Next, carefully loosen from the bottom and flip over to cook the other side.
After a further six or seven minutes, test the lamb with a knife to check the timing. It should be pink and juicy. If necessary, cook for longer, checking at regular intervals.
When cooked to your liking, allow the meat to rest for a few minutes before serving.