Leg of Lamb -- Bone In & Brined

[jdrouin]

Hi Everyone,

What do you think about trimming leg of lamb if you're also brining it -- should I trim before or after brining? Does it make a difference?

I was excited to score a 6lb, fresh leg of lamb with the bone in today. I'll be making a tea brine and a Greek dry rub, using these recipes:

Brine

3 qts good water cold
2 cups bron sugar
1 1/2 cups kosher salt
3 cloves crushed garlic
2 tsp whole peppercorns
4 bay leaves

Will probably do something like brew 4 black tea bags in the water before adding the other ingredients, and then cooling it all down in the fridge before submersing the meat in it.

Rub -- Taken from here

This is a Greek rub that is recommended by Steven Raichelin.

Makes about 1/2 cup

2 tablespoons coarse salt (kosher or medium-grained sea salt)
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 tablespoon oregano, preferably Greek


1 tablespoon dried ground rosemary
1 teaspoon dried mint
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 teaspoon lemon pepper
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
 

Jeff

 

[pops6927]

I would trim it before brining if your purpose is to get rid of excess fat; the internal and external fat is very very dense and will make your brine greasy.  Will you be boning and rolling it also?

 

[jdrouin]

Hm, good point. I hadn't thought about fat's influence on the brine. Will definitely trim beforehand.

I was thinking I'd just smoke it on the bone.

Also, how much brining time do you recommend for a 6lb bone-in leg? Would 48 hours be too much?