Recipe: Citrus-marinated BBQ lamb perfect for summer
Marinade uses equal parts soya sauce, sake and sesame oil for a Japanese twist on grilled lamb
Nothing says summer quite like a hot, smokey grill. For those of you looking for some barbecue recipe inspiration, look no further.
Victoria restaurateur Mike Murphy recently sat down with North By Northwest host Sheryl MacKay to share one of his favourite seasonal recipes: a slow-grilled, citrus-marinated barbecue lamb.
"It's my go-to dish when I'm entertaining, if I want to show off," Murphy said.
Most of the time, when Murphy tells his guests he's cooking lamb, the first words out of their mouth are, "medium-rare, please," he said.
"I say, 'It's not gonna happen. You're gonna get it really well done,' and they look at me like they don't even want to stay for dinner."
"But by the time it's slowly caramelized, and all the fat's been rendered out of it, and you pick everything off the bones, it's like eating candy."
Citrus Marinade for BBQ Lamb
For 4 pounds of meat
Murphy uses lamb racks cut into chops, but the recipe works just as well with a deboned leg of lamb or pork chops.
If using chops, Murphy suggests pounding out the meat to an even thinness.
- ½ cup each soya sauce, sesame oil and sake
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- Twice as much minced ginger as garlic
- Fresh squeezed juice of 2 oranges, 2 lemons and 1 lime
Method
Combine marinade and meat in freezer bags, removing as much air as possible. Leave for four to six hours in the fridge.
Grill at medium heat to your desired doneness (Murphy suggests a long, slow cook that melts the fat right into the meat, about 45 minutes for lamb chops).
Serve with grilled asparagus and risotto or fresh baby potatoes.
To hear Mike Murphy describe the dish, listen to the audio labelled: 10 Acres Cooking Club.