American Whole Lamb with Chimichurri Sauce

American Whole Lamb with Chimichurri Sauce

Recipe by Chef Stephen Barber of Farmstead Long Meadow Ranch
0.0 from 0 votes

Learn how to cook a whole lamb over live fire from Chefs Stephen Barber and Kipp Ramsey from Farmstead Long Meadow Ranch in California’s Napa Valley. They coat the lamb with a rosemary, harissa and vindaloo spice rub, and cook the lamb on a rack over a cherry and oak wood fire. They serve the lamb with a chimichurri sauce, potatoes and peppers.

Ingredients

  • INGREDIENTS
  • Ingredients

  • Oak Wood

  • Cherry Wood


  • HERB BRUSH
  • Ingredients

  • Rosemary

  • Thyme

  • Lemon leaves

  • Any hard herbs available


  • LAMB RUB
  • 2 bu Rosemary

  • 2 cups Harissa

  • 1 cup Vindaloo spice


  • Ingredients
  • 1 ea American Lamb, whole, 55-60 lb.

  • 1 recipe Lamb Rub (recipe above)

  • 20-30 ea Garlic cloves

  • 1 cup Preserved lemon

  • 2-3 bu Rosemary


  • BASTE
  • 2 cups Olive oil

  • 2 Tbsp Harissa

  • 1 Tbsp Sun-dried tomato powder

  • 1 Tbsp Chili powder

  • 1 Tbsp Garlic powder

  • 1 Lemon, rind of

  • 1 Tbsp Rosemary

  • 1 Tbsp Fennel seed, toasted, crushed

  • 1 Tbsp Sea salt

  • 1 Tbsp Ground black pepper


  • CHIMICHURRI SAUCE
  • 2 cups Olive oil

  • 2 Tbsp Paprika

  • 1 Tbsp Oregano

  • 1 ea Shallot, medium, brunoised

  • as needed Lemon juice

  • as needed Salt

  • as needed Ground black pepper

  • 2 lb Red fingerling potatoes, steamed

  • 1 lb Jimmy Nardello Pepper

Directions

  • INGREDIENTS
  • Build starter fire away from lamb spit using both oak and cherry wood. Let fire burn a few hours and reduce it to hot coals.
  • FOR THE HERB BRUSH
  • Tie herb sprigs together with twine to create an herb brush for basting.
  • FOR THE LAMB RUB
  • Combine the ingredients and mix together.
  • FOR THE LAMB
  • Smear lamb with rub. Poke holes in lamb with a knife and insert garlic cloves; repeat with preserved lemon and rosemary.
  • Saw lamb through the sternum. Spread rib cage open. Break the inner clavicle bones.
  • Transfer lamb to barbeque spit with cross bars, spread flat with skin side out, towards the sky, and tie with heavy wire to secure legs and body.
  • Transfer coals to create fire pit under barbeque spit.
  • FOR THE BASTE
  • In large bowl, mix olive oil, harissa, sun-dried tomato powder, chili powder, garlic powder, lemon rind, rosemary, fennel seed, sea salt, and black pepper. Use herb brush to baste the lamb skin.
  • EMPTY HEADING
  • Lower spit rack and cook for 2 to 3 hours; check for color change. Continue to baste, check fire, and add coals as needed.
  • Rotate spit to have skin side of lamb facing fire. Cook for 2 additional hours. Continue to check fire, and add coals as needed.
  • FOR THE CHIMICHURRI SAUCE
  • In bowl, combine olive oil, paprika, oregano, shallot, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add steamed red fingerling potatoes and Jimmy Nardello peppers in chimichurri sauce.
  • EMPTY HEADING
  • When lamb is finished, let rest for 15 to 20 minutes and then cut or shred into pieces as desired.
  • Heat and oil plancha. Place potatoes and peppers on plancha and cook until crisp.
  • Once crisp, take veggies off and drizzle with more marinade in bowl.
  • TO FINISH
  • Serve the lamb on a platter with the chimichurri sauce and the vegetables.

How to roast a whole American Lamb