The whole young lamb has been roasting for about an hour as I type this post. If I could figure out a live streaming video link, you could all watch as it goes on its journey from frozen carcass to either of two extremes — horrific to delicious, or somewhere in-between. Stay tuned for the outcome, but in the meanwhile, this is what I seasoned the lamb with…
First up, I slow roasted 8 whole garlic bulbs with olive oil and salt. I squeezed half of the bulbs into the lamb, smushing the garlic paste onto the ribs and walls of the cavity. I added the four other whole bulbs as is.
We also slow roasted six red onions until they were soft and sweet, and these were added into the cavity of the lamb as well.
Separate the layers of onions and distribute them in the cavity… they should be soft, incredibly fragrant and sweet. Add lots of cracked black pepper and sea salt (not iodized).
Next I added the juice of 3-4 lemons, and added the lemon halves as well. Lots of olive oil, two bunches of chopped fresh rosemary, fresh oregano and fresh mint. Some dried oregano was added as well.
The critical next step of sewing up the cavity was given to “G” our in-house “surgeon” with superb sewing skills. I didn’t think we could get this gaping wide cavity closed, but in a few minutes time, the lamb was tight and tidy…
…amazing how well the stuffing was sealed into the cavity.
We then prepared a basting liquid with lots of olive oil, fresh lemon juice, more fresh chopped herbs and salt and pepper. The lamb is basted every 30 minutes or so, and we estimate a cooking time of roughly 5 hours, rest for 20-30 minutes, before carving and serving. The coals are quite far from the lamb itself, and we are trying to gauge an indirect heat of roughly 325-350F… coals will be brought closer to the roast to brown it if necessary…
…please keep your fingers crossed for edible results… But as a back-up, we have a small butter and truffle lechon roasting nearby as well. :)
39 Responses
Oh I remember that butter and truffle lechon, can we have another eyeball?
wow that back-up isn’t so bad. not bad at all. hihi that’s like a line a husband cooking for the first time can say to his wife – “i don’t know how this fried chicken will turn out hon but just in case, we have a butter and truffle lechon on stand by.” hihi
U-Stream is a popular live streaming site. Not sure how that works though. Where can I get rosemary plants at least in the Makati area? Manila Seedling is too far for me unfortunately. The lamb looks fabulous so far with all the ingredients you’ve used. Looking forward to the finished product.
wow! i could hardly wait for the results.. for sure its yummy!
Can’t wait for the finished product! Hmmmmm!!! Mouth watering…
hinay ra, butter and truffle lechon…
Fingers crossed! Can’t wait to see the outcome! :D
I never really loved lamb but the back-up sounds delicious!
Looks excellent!!
cartimar sells potted herbs.. the selection is not as extensive as that of manila seedling though.. but they do have rosemary, sage , mint, basil, and tarragon
I am not a fan of lamb but what you have there looks good!
By the looks, its making me hungry..
Wish I could scratch and sniff this post.
Just started reading Gabrielle Hamilton’s “Blood, Bones, and Butter” and it opens with a lamb roast, so I’ve been dreaming about it. And now this!
If the lamb turns out good, can i just have the back-up? …lol
a long time browser and lurker(part of the 96 percent, enjoying reading the regulars banter, archives and testing the recipes),not a commenter(1st time today) but cant stop myself now… ANTICIPATING THE RESULTS IS JUST SO MOUTHWATERING!
From the cold north part of the world,and just finishing my dialysis session and this??? its torture and sure is making me hungry…you just revived my appetite! havent been eating well for a couple of days now because im too sick…however as i browse your blog today i can smell from afar the herbs..stuffing,basting and all…will just feast with my eyes though…too tired from my session but will try to rustle up some pinoy comfort food later,tweaked to fit into my kidney diet of low sodium and potassium.
But thanks for making up my day…now, i have to be content to savor it within my thoughts all across the miles…well,anticipating the day i can go home and taste the good food in your resto in cebu…soon..soon.soon.
I’m changing too loose pants!!!! ;-)
I’m excited about the results…….. :-)
All fingers and toes (and legs!) crossed! Wow, if I could somehow sneak over there right now…I am sure that roasted lamb will be awesome!! And wait…did you say butter truffle lechon?? My stars!
You seem to have it all covered but it would not be superfluous at all to also have some softly baked white beans, lots of rice, gremolata, mint jelly and Aussie Shiraz at hand. An early Easter feast. Sounds cruel but could you not have treated the Kid’s kid in the same manner?
Hi MM, how come there are strings wrapped around the bamboo pole inside the lamb. Just curious.
I prefer the back-up MM! butter + lechon + truffle = heaven
MM, aabot kaya to ng Friday pag dating ko Cebu? (I doubt by the looks of it!)
OMG . . .how I wish I’m invited for dinner :P slow roasted lamb. . . mmmmmm
SALIVATING!
I just drooled on my keyboard! I can’t wait to see the result. It’s going to be good for sure.
It looks terrific and mouth watering. Just looking at the garlic, onions, herbs and all the stuffing makes for a delicious roast and for the lamb to be roasted over charcoal… ayayay… what else can be better. For the first time in my life I ate lamb at a mediterannean restaurant my son took me to last week. I was prepared not to like it because I do not like goat and I equate them as one and the same. lo and behold, it was good. I must say my ignorance made me miss a lot of wonderful lamb meals.
Me likes lamb, looks good.
Thanks for the suggestion nigg_arg!
Oh, I was hoping to see a new post on the finished product this morning. I’ll try to check again later.
That is some roasting you are doing there… the lechon sounds good too. I betcha the lamb would taste good. Drooling over here on the East coast!
and yet another entry i still have to taste from your kitchen …
On lamb’s toes (?) for the post and pictures of the finished product and feast!
Waiting for what looks to be an epiphany. :)
DROOOLLLL! With mint, mash potatoes, ayayayay…. I always look forward to reading your blog, but always end up craving for the food you present … ..
MM, I’m just curious about how much that whole lamb weighs in terms of kilograms. Do you determine the roasting time (whether for lamb or pig) in proportion to the mass?
I also noticed that the lamb has no skin, compared to our traditional lechon carcasses. It would be interesting to note how this affects the end result.
Papa Ethan, the lamb was roughly 10-11 kilos or 22-24 pounds, cleaned and decapitated weight. Roasting times are really tough, as they are based on size of roast, actual temperature of an open coal fire (not easy to determine), even with the hand to the heat tests, and distance from flames and set-up of roasting area. Internal meat temperature is the best gauge for lamb and other meats… however, in this style of roasting, Greek style lamb is very well done. No touch of pink, slow cooked to a (hopefully) still juicy, tender and cooked through meat. For a leg of lamb in an oven, I like it rare to medium rare, and to ensure that, I use a meat thermometer…
Big fan, wish you would think about serving that in your one or both of your Cebu branches. Please suggest to S & L Fine foods think about opening a Cebu branch also.
Joseph, would love to serve it, but price would be prohibitive by Cebu standards… say PHP1,200+ per kilo and boney… plus any leftovers wouldn’t heat up as nicely as lechon… as for S&L, I think they sell a lot to wholesale clients in Cebu, but retail is another matter altogether…
i would like to know how much the meat of lamb per kilo?and may i also know the exact address of manila seedling,am planning to sell fresh herbs in my place but i only have sweet,lemon basil,turmeric,rosemary,sage,chives,coriander,parsley and marjoram.thank you.