smoking leg of lamb

[CB]

Like many backyard grillers and smokers - I don't get a chance to do the same meat repeatedly to work out some of the questions. And with the price of good quality meat, I sometimes resist experimenting. So I pose this question to the Brethren, figure that amongst this august group there must be some experience with this question.



Background:
I generally smoke a boneless leg of lamb a couple times a year. I always unwrap it so it's butterflied when I cook it. I have always smoked it for a couple 2-3 hours and then wrapped it. Then I either complete it in the oven, or in the smoker for another hour or so - until internal temp is 140F or so. Sometimes I'll grill it.

The question:
Generally speaking I like lamb cooked to rare. But I've always noticed with this preparation some of the better done pieces are actually easier to chew and still remain moist. Would I be better off to treat this leg of lamb like a brisket or pork shoulder and cook to a higher temp and therefor get a more tender bite to it?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts and shared experiences.

[Stoke&Smoke]

Went rare (140-145) with mine yesterday


Rubbed down with a garlic salt paste, and marinated overnight





After about 2.5 hours, 145 on the Thermapen


Wasn't that pretty, but it sure tasted good! some of the pics are a bit blurry, sorry, cell phone camera

[CB]

wow, I respect your knife skills the way you de-boned that - nice work.

And the stuffing looks great. Are those pine nuts? and what's the green - is that spinach or parsley or?

[Stoke&Smoke]

Guess I should have said.

In the frying pan is a mixture of onion, garic, and pine nuts. The green is a mix of a handfull of parsley, half a handfull of mint, and two boxes of frozen chopped spinach (drained), and finally 8 oz of crumbled feta cheese.

Thanks for the compliment, but I've done them better. Trouble was by the time I had this one trimmed, it left some holes that allowed some of the filling to ooze out. But, as I said, it still tasted great!

[SoEzzy]

I cook lamb in two methods, low heat and high heat.

I prep the lamb with slits every inch or inch and a half, then put slices of garlic, sprigs of rosemary and thyme in the every other slit, 1/3 filled with each.

Then cook it either low and slow or hot and fast.

225 - 250 cook it to 140 - 145 internal for medium rare.

425 - 450 cook it till the outside cracks, the inside will be at 140 - 145!