Smoked Leg of Lamb with Black Grouse Marinade

About two years ago, I  read a blog post by one of my favourite food bloggers, Drizzle & Dip.  It was a recipe for Sticky Chipotle BBQ ribs that she made on a Big Green Egg.  It sounded so interesting, and after doing some research, I knew that this is the braai solution we have been looking for.

I bought The Big Green Egg (BGE) for John as a Christmas gift.  It took him a while to learn how to manage the temperature on the Big Green Egg, but he figured it out through trial and error (and YouTube) and have happily been smoking and braaing (BBQ) on the Big Green Egg.

His newfound confidence with our Egg has allowed us to start experimenting with new recipes. Lamb is one of our preferred meats, and there is nothing nicer than a juicy smoked leg of lamb on the Big Green Egg. But we wanted to try something different.

Some time ago, I did a post on the best whisky to serve with Indian food. Black Grouse whisky, the peated expression from the Famous Grouse, worked well with the curries we tried. My tasting notes on the Black Grouse blended whisky are captured here.

The mixture of peat and smoke is well balanced, and I rate this fresh and delicate whisky as one of the best whiskies that any Indian restaurant can add to their bar. Combining my whisky knowledge and cooking experience, I started experimenting with Indian garam masala, lamb and the Black Grouse whisky. And the results was amazing.

Also Read: Tiramisu with whiskey

Smoked Leg of Lamb with Black Grouse Whisky Marinade

• 2 kg of deboned leg of lamb

Marinade

• 4 teaspoons Minced Garlic
• 2 teaspoons Garum Masala powder
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 teaspoon dried Rosemary
• 1 teaspoon White Pepper
• 30 ml Black Grouse whisky
• 1 teaspoon of meat spice

Combine all the ingredients for the marinade and massage into the lamb. Put it into a zip lock bag and let it marinade in the fridge overnight. Soak some hickory wood chips in water for an hour. Heat the Big Green Egg to 250F with the plate setting on indirect. Smoke for 2-3 hours until the internal temperature of the lamb reaches 130F (medium-rare). Take the lamb off the Egg and let it rest for 10 minutes before carving.

The smoke and peat from the Black Grouse combine well with the garum masala spices and garlic. This combination is further enhanced by the smoke from the hickory wood chips. The resultant flavours produce a leg of lamb that is rich and smoky with the spice and garlic notes in the background.

I think that the Black Grouse whisky is responsible for this rich, wonderful intensity of flavour.  The result is a juicy, fall-apart soft, smoked leg of lamb.  Just perfect!

I served this smoked leg of lamb with Jack’s honey maple sweet potatoes. Based on a recipe that I got from the Spring 2012 Whisky Advocate magazine. This recipe warrants a blog post all on its own, as it is so delicious. The Honey Jack Daniels’ sweetness combined amazingly with the smoky lamb and created the perfect summer meal.

During 2014, Edrington revamped the Black Grouse and released it as the Famous Grouse Smoky Black whisky

Another dish I made on my Big Green Egg was a Bain’s whisky chicken marinade which came delicious.

Also Read: Islay Whisky and Lamb Pairing