Roast Lamb on the Barbie

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA                So far it has been a great year for Barbecuing, so perhaps it’s time you expanded your repertoire further than the usual fare and learn how to roast on a BBQ.

The key to roasting meat on a barbecue is not to have direct heat underneath the meat but instead, have a drip tray to catch all the fat as it cooks. It is also important that your barbecue has a lid.

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As you can see from the second photo the charcoal/ or heat source needs to be on either side and so closing the lid creates an oven and this method of cooking will give you a delicious mouthwatering slightly smokey shoulder of lamb.

For readers who feel they would love to improve their barbecuing skills but don’t know where to begin, then read my earlier posts The Art of Cooking on a Barbecue part one   and a second post which also gives you lots of tricks and tips on equipment, how to make your BBQ weatherproof, safety tips and more The Art of Cooking on a Barbecue part two  Then in part 3 try out some of my delicious barbecue recipes.

Ingredients 
2.5 kg Whole Shoulder of Lamb (bone in)
1 lemon
1 teaspoon clear honey
4 Tbsp Olive Oil
2-3 large cloves garlic
1 sprig of fresh rosemary
sea salt and black pepper

Grilled Vegetable Ratatouille
1 Fennel bulb
1Yellow Peppers
1 Red Peppers
2 Medium Red Onions
4 Flat Mushrooms
2 small Courgettes
1 Aubergine
1 head Garlic
8 Vine-ripe Tomatoes

Prepare Vegetables and Bbq

  1. Light your barbecue and wait until the coals are grey and tempered*.
  2. In the meantime, spike the lamb with slivers of garlic (2-3cloves) but cutting small slits into the meat with a paring knife.
  3. Mix the olive oil with the juice of your lemon and a small teaspoon of honey, this mixture is to brush and baste onto the lamb during cooking.
  4. Next, cut your vine-ripe tomatoes in half and rub lightly with olive oil, season with salt and pepper.
  5. Cut the peppers into quarters and also rub lightly with olive oil, season with salt and pepper.
  6. Cut the courgettes into 1/4’s lengthwise and then cut most of the seeds out and then season the same as you have done with the other vegetables.
  7. Cut the Aubergine horizontally into slices about 1/2 inch thick (12.5 mm) and season the same.
  8. Cut your whole head of garlic horizontally in half and rub with olive oil.
  9. Peel and cut the red onions into quarters and rub with olive oil.
  10. Remove stalks from the mushrooms and drizzle the inside of each mushroom with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Cooking

  1.  Cook the tomatoes and garlic on the barbecue first, placing the garlic in a cooler place on the BBQ. When the Tomatoes are almost cooked place in a mixing bowl and puree with a blender and reserve.
  2. Place the lamb over the drip tray and begin to cook. Close the lid and check frequently until your garlic is cooked. Remove garlic and then baste the lamb with your honey, lemon and oil mixture. Close the lid and baste the lamb every 10 minutes, turning it over before you baste.
  3. A 2.5kilo sized lamb shoulder should take about 3 hours to cook so obviously planning and timing is important.
  4. After 3 hours, leave the lid open and start cooking the rest of the vegetables on the BBQ. Don’t allow the vegetable to get too charred, the courgettes and aubergine will cook the quickest and the onion will take longest.  Cook the mushrooms inside up to keep the olive oil from dripping off.  Cut the vegetables into bite-size chunks when cooked and mix together.
  5. Take half of the barbecued garlic and smash into a paste and stir well into the tomato sauce.
  6. When all your vegetables are off the grill then take the lamb off the barbecue and keep it warm under tin foil to let it rest for 15 minutes.

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To serve

Spoon some of the tomato sauce onto the plate, add a couple of spoonfuls of the grilled vegetables and few slices of the smoky delicious lamb.

Please excuse the quality of the last photo because the chef was busy serving. 🙂

As always I love interaction, so if you have a barbecue question now is your chance to ask. Whether you like to cook meat, seafood, vegetables or even pizza on your barbie, let me help.

My barbecue videos on my YouTube Channel

27 thoughts on “Roast Lamb on the Barbie”

      2. Have you tried sausages in beer? Take your favourite sausage put them in a disposable tin foil roasting add a little sliced onion and cover the sausages in beer and put the tray onto the BBQ. Cook turning once and the finish the sausages by browning on the BBQ.

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    1. Thanks, Jack for your kind words. I do hope readers take a moment to follow the links to my earlier posts on The Art of Cooking on a Barbecue. I’m happy to post a recipe for making your own burgers if you are interested?
      Best Wishes
      Kevin

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      Reply

    1. When I make burgers here are some quick tips for you to try: Wash your hands well and then spray a little antibacterial onto your hands then dry with paper towel. If you have a say 500 grams ground (minced) beef finely dice and add 1/2 small onion. Modern-day ground beef doesn’t have much of a beef flavour so I usually add a little beef stock to improve it. In the UK I use a brand called Knorr Beef stock pot. The pots are small 28g each and the stock is in a jelly form. Just add a third of a pot to give your burgers a great beefy taste. Add an little salt and pepper and that is it, no other spices. Never use breadcrumbs or eggs to bind the burger, just gently shape your burgers mix into portions about 180 grams each (6.5 oz). Don’t overwork the meat, be gentle and make your burgers several hours ahead and let them rest in the fridge befoe using. Use ground beef that has between 5%-12% fat otherwise the burgers will get too dry. Let me know how it goes.
      Best Wishes
      Kevin

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    1. I agree Rosemary is a great herb, I use it in tomato sauce if I want the tomato sauce to have a robust and earthy taste. I also like the contrast of the sweetness parsnips and rosemary or even in bread.
      Thank you for sharing 🙂

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    1. Thanks Resa, I’m very flattered by your comment and your keen perception. I love meat and seafood but eat vegetarian food about twice a week. Vegetables offer lots of interesting challenges and combination of flavours but we in the west are only just beginning to appreciate how versatile they can be. When holding a BBQ, I make several vegetarian dishes then often have make sure I reserve some for my veggie friends. At BBQ masterclasses I stress the importance of cooking the veggie dishes first or keeping a part of the grill a meat free zone.
      Best Wishes
      Kevin

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