How to rotisserie NZ leg of lamb on the BBQ

Tasty BBQ Rotisserie New Zealand Leg of Lamb

When it comes to a leg of Lamb, nothing touches fresh / chilled NZ Lamb (with bone in).

Here's a really simple and tasty recipe to use with the rotisserie spit on your Masport fully hooded BBQ.

What you will need:
1 rotisserie machine
1 aluminium oven tray
2 single aluminium pie trays
1 leg of prime New Zealand Lamb
5 cloves NZ garlic
1 large bunch of fresh Rosemary stalks with young green leaves
¼ cup olive oil
½ cup mint sauce to serve
1 packet ready-to-go Rosemary infused gravy sachet to serve
Crushed or powdered salt
Freshly cracked black pepper

Peel garlic and slice into small slithers, place into a small bowl. Shred off the green leaves from about four stalks of rosemary, place in a small bowl. Rub the Lamb surface in olive oil. Now stab the leg of Lamb all over with a small sharp pointed kitchen knife. Make suitable incisions about 20mm across and 30-40mm deep. Slide into half the incisions the slithers of garlic. With the back of the knife point, force the rosemary leaves into the remaining incisions so that the leg is evenly covered with garlic and rosemary). Now sprinkle a good top-dressing of salt over the whole leg, pat it down. Add cracked black pepper to taste.

Work the rotisserie bar lengthway through the centre of the leg trying to keep the central balance as best as possible. Heat the BBQ to 120degC, placing the oven tray under the leg to gather all the juices and fat. Place the pie trays half filled with water and the remaining rosemary bits at each end of the BBQ over a burner. Place the rotisserie bar into position and turn on the machine. Turn off burners under the meat. Adjust burners at each side. Close the hood. Maintain the temp at 115 - 120degC for 30mins, this allows the juices to start running around the meat as it turns, making it nice and moist. With rotisserie the meat literally cooks in its own fat. Now raise the hood temperature to 170 – 180degC. Cooking times may vary, see guide below.

GUIDE TIMES: Divide 500gms into the pre-cooked weight of meat. Multiply this number by the cooking time best for you: Rare 20-25mins, Medium 25-30mins, Well done 30-35mins. You now have the approximate minutes of cooking time. Always use a meat thermometer to get an exact result.

Using a Meat Thermometer
Stop the rotisserie machine when you think the timing is near. Insert the heat resistant meat thermometer probe into the thickest part, away from fat or bone. Remember, the internal temperature will continue to rise after the meat is removed from the rotisserie. It is therefore wise to cook to about 5degC below the desired degree of doneness, before setting aside.
Rare 55-60degC
Medium Rare 60-65degC
Medium 65-70degC
Medium Well 70-75degC
Well Done 75degC

Great NZ Lamb cooking tips:

To get the best flavour from your chilled meat, sit for at least 30-45 minutes at room temperature before preparing and cooking.
When roasting and rotisserie cooking always oil the meat ( instead of the pan). This helps keep the surface moist stopping it drying or crusting.
Salt is important to get the delicious caramelisation on the outside when cooking, but salting too early will draw out the juices and can make it dry. Prepare first, top-dress last.
After cooking, place on a meat carving dish. Cover in aluminium foil, allow meat to rest, approximately 5 minutes for every 500g meat (use cooking calculator guide system above). This enables the temperature to even out and the meat fibres to relax and reabsorb some of the juices. The relaxed meat becomes more tender and easier to carve, with less loss of juices.
When you’re ready to carve, remember to carve across the grain wherever possible.
Serve with gravy and mint sauce.