Mastering the Grill_ The Owner's Manual for Outdoor Cooking - Andrew Schloss [177]
4. Slide the spit rod’s skewers over the front and rear ends of the rod. Push the skewers firmly into the shoulders and thighs or hips of the lamb, then tighten the skewers onto the rod.
5. Attach the hind legs and forelegs to the rod with wire, twisting the ends of the wire until secured. Attach the neck to the rod in the same way.
6. Wire the lamb cavity shut by sewing from one end to the other with one long piece of wire. Twist each end of the wire with pliers to secure it. (You could also sew the cavity shut with kitchen twine or heavy cotton string and a large needle.)
7. Make 20 to 30 small, ½-inch-deep slits all over the outside of the lamb, especially around the shoulders and legs. Use your fingers to stuff each slit with the remaining garlic mixture (be mindful of the sharp ends of the wire as you work). Rub the remaining lemon juice all over the outside of the lamb. Rub all over with the remaining¼cup olive oil, then sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons salt and 2½ teaspoons pepper.
8. If using wood chunks or chips, soak them in water for 1 hour. Heat the spit-roaster as directed. If using charcoal, light about 30 pounds (1½ large bags) of charcoal. When the coals are just ashed over, rake them into 4 piles near the 4 corners of the firebox.
9. Attach the spitted lamb to the roaster so that the lamb rests 1 to 2 feet above the coals. If necessary, re-rake the coals to position the 4 piles just outside the shoulders and thighs so that the lamb cooks by indirect heat.
10. Roast over indirect heat for 5 to 5½ hours, turning slowly but constantly. Add a few pounds of charcoal (about 2 dozen briquettes) to each pile when the old coals begin to burn low, about every hour, letting the charcoal ignite naturally. If using wood chunks or chips along with charcoal, add the soaked chunks to the hot coals every hour or so. After about 2 hours, re-rake the coals to position them directly beneath the lamb. Make 2 large piles beneath the shoulders and legs, connected by a shallow, narrow strip of coals beneath the ribs. During the last hour of cooking, if the lamb is not browning sufficiently, baste it all over with additional olive oil. When done, the meat should be well browned on the outside and tender inside, with some pink meat only near the bones. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest parts of the thighs and shoulders should register about 150° to 160°F.
11. Transfer the lamb to a large, clean work surface (see Tips) and let rest for 20 minutes. Using wire cutters and pliers, remove the wire from the legs and neck. Remove the wire that sewed the cavity shut and the wire from around the backbone (you may be able to cut it from outside the animal instead of inside). Remove the spit’s skewers, then pull out the spit rod. Be sure all of the wire is removed before serving.
12. Carve the meat from the bones, or scrape it off in chunks, and serve.
* * *
Photos right and opposite: Spit-Roasted Whole Spring Lamb Overcome by Garlic
SPIT-ROASTING 101
This technique is no doubt one of the earliest methods of cooking meat. The entire animal, or a large cut of it, is suspended over a fire and rotated to cook it evenly. It’s a convenient way to feed a crowd.
The trick with spit-roasting, as with any large roast, is to cook the meat through and brown the outside yet retain the flavorful juices inside the meat. It helps to think of these as two separate steps in the process. Each step requires a different type of heat. Browning the outside is best done over direct heat. Cooking the meat through to the bone, however, is