Servings Prep Time Cook Time
6-8 15 minutes 2 hours
Ingredients
Spice Mix
- 2 tablespoons of cardamom pods (split pods and use seeds)
- 1 tablespoon mixed peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon cloves
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 2 tablespoons coriander seeds
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
Garlic Paste
- 6 cloves of garlic
Meat
- 1 leg of lamb
- Salt
- Pepper
Directions
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Toast the whole spices in a pan for 2 minutes on a medium heat. Then grind the spices using a spice grinder or pestle and mortar. Finally, add the ground spices to the mix.
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Bash the garlic cloves into a paste using a small blender or pestle and mortar.
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Season the lamb with salt and pepper. Apply the garlic glue all over the lamb. Sprinkle the spice mix all over the lamb using the garlic paste as the glue for the spices.
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Marinate the lamb. Cover the lamb and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours or ideally overnight. Bring the lamb to room temperature before cooking.
Preparation for smoking in the Charlie Oven
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To smoke the lamb - create a small pyramid of charcoal in the Charlie Oven. Light one natural firefighter, open the air vents fully top and bottom, and close the door. Leave for 5 minutes to allow the fire to catch. Then add a small piece or two of wood of choice. We like to use oak. Wait 20 minutes to reach temperature. When the oven is approaching the desired temperature close the bottom vent and partially close the top vent. This will stop the oven getting too hot. If the oven temperature gets too hot, close both vents completely and wait until the temperature drops.
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Smoke the lamb for one hour at around 110 degrees Celsius for one hour, bring the internal temperature up to 70 degrees Celsius.
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After one hour add extra charcoal to the Charlie Oven, roughly two small handfuls of charcoal. Open the bottom and top vents fully for 5-10 minutes until the oven temperature reaches 150 degrees Celsius. Close the bottom vent halfway. When the temperature reaches 160 degrees Celsius, close the bottom vent. Cook for one hour or slightly longer depending on the weight/size of the leg of lamb.
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Remove from the oven and allow the meat to rest for at least 30 minutes covered with tinfoil.
Recipe Note
Serve with fresh mint and pomegranate seeds sprinkled over the lamb.
Serve with a salsa verde: blitz a handful of parsley, rosemary, one clove of garlic, zest and juice of one lemon and 50 ml of olive oil.