Go to the Recipe: Ultimate Sous Vide Leg of Lamb
There's conflicting information on here about whether it's going to end up mushy.
The lamb legs in the UK don't come in anything like those weights, can anyone confirm this will work for a 2-2.5kg leg?
If so, what temperature and length of time?
Nope don't do it. I did it for 20hr today and it turned into mush.
Wanting to do this for Christmas day. Can anyone comment on using a much smaller kg of meat, say 2.5kg? Would you still cook it for 24 hours? Bone in. I've seen some people say it became too mushy, but it wasn't clear whether they actually followed the recipe properly or used a different rub.
Where can I buy the extra-large bags? Any suggestions would be very welcomed.
By now I’ve had my Joule long enough to be able to use these recipes as a guide. I’ve learned how not to cook the meat to mush and learned the value of finishing with fire. The alterations I made to this recipe was adding 1/2 small can of tomato paste and a tablespoon of brown sugar to the sauce. Then we basted the leg with the sauce before throwing it in the oven. Made blackened brussels with parm and smashed potatoes.
Used a 1/2 leg of lamb (6lbs) and it came out perfect. (I used the air fryer for the smashed potatoes). My butcher butterflied the lamb and I used the dry rub on the flat meat before reassembling on the bone in for the 16 hour cook.
The kicker is- I don’t eat meat, so being able to serve this to 6 guests and have a tale full of happy bellies is key.
We are using poly bags made for sous vide here. They do make 2 gallon zip lock bags that may or may not fit a whole lamb leg. I also had a hard time finding but landed here, https://www.webstaurantstore.com/vacpak-it-16-x-26-chamber-vacuum-packaging-pouches-bags-3-mil-case/186CVB1626.html?
Looking to purchase large Sous vide bag shown in video & pic, but having no luck. It’s not a ziplock. The video may be deceiving because it does not appear to be vacuum-sealed rather sealed by the plastic wrap? Please advise.
A bit off-topic here, but for a lack of better place to post:
Could you please explore the idea of posting a haggis recipe? we have something similar in Romania during Easter called "drob"
Sizes in lamb legs won't vary enough to have to change any of the scaling, follow the activity and you should be great.
Have a 9lb leg. Any suggestions on scaling the recipe? The weight of the leg is not mentioned in the video/article.
Big fan of ChefSteps and Grant. Followed the recipe for time and temp, 131/24 and did mustard powder and rosemary/thyme rub. Super tasty but texture was very off-putting like many have commented. Tender vs mushy are two different things. Received for Christmas a new amazing Wüsthof Classic carving knife I was anxious to use and it was so mushy it really didn't carve. It just pushed some pieces off sorta where I wanted a slice. The leg just rolled around when I tried to slice into it. Tasty for sure but texture way off. Sorry ChefSteps.
I ended up tossing the herbs in some oil over high heat in a saute pan. Much easier than dealing with the fuss of frying. Rough chop and ready to go. Awesome recipe!
A mint jelly recipe would be great, but a Rosemary Jelly recipe would be even better! Also a sage and thyme jelly recipe for poultry would be stellar.
For the first time, I have to write a bad comment. I chose this recipe for New Year's Eve dinner and did everything from start to finish. In my experience, I guessed that I would not like the result, but I decided to do everything as indicated in the recipe. It was terrible. Mustard powder. Powder is everywhere. When you put a piece of meat in your mouth, you get a handful of mustard powder and chew like sand. I liked the roasted herbs, but the seeds and rosemary turn into sawdust, solid particles. Although the nutty smell of the seeds is very good. The meat itself is always on top. This is the sous vide. I would very much like more lamb recipes to appear on the site. All the best, your fan from Russia.
So just to add to the information about cooking time.
I cooked at 56C (133F). At 10 hours I gave the meat a good feel through the bag and it seemed okay. So carried on for another 4.
At 14 hours the meat was deliciously tender. I found one very small area in the centre where it had been rolled that was mushy. I’m not sure how it would have turned out at 24, but not sure if I’d risk it when it was so good after 14.
Lamb turned out super tender with no gamey flavour. I was a bit disappointed by the fried herbs and spices, I must dsay the appearance and the crunch are appealing but most of the flavour is gone. Next time, I'll finish my lamb the same way you did with the chuck roast. Thank you for the recipe!
This recipe produces SUPER tender lamb leg. I served this on Xmas dinner and people were blown away. Went with the 24ish hour bath. The rub did make quite a bit more than I needed. It was a nice addition to some salads and other dishes later in the week. The balsamic reduction really brought the dish together. Doing everything from step 9 forward, including the potato side dish, took me about 2 hours with the help of my mom. It was fairly laid back until the last 15 minutes or so.
Thanks Brian...yeah, those limited instructions do not make me feel safe prepping the rump
I'll help you out. There isn't really a "how to" on his Insta. Just a photo of rumps on the egg and the following post: "Lamb rumps roasted at 400f with my #biggreenegg for about 30 minutes after being cooked #sousvide for 8 hours at 70c. Balsamic redux going the last hour on the grill for smoke. #getjoule"
Wish Grant's Rump recipe was available here on ChefSteps.... My day job is as a Cyber Security professional, I just cannot sign up for more social media sites like Instagram.. Grant. please please make your lamb rump "how-to "available here...
Can i add in garlic rosemary and anchovies inside the lamb before I sous vide will that work?
Does anyone know if I can fry the greens one day prior to using it? trying to avoid the fuss and frying smell on the day
Hi there! I've made sous vide lamb leg several times, and it has always turned out amazing. However, last night myself and my brother-in-law both used the time recommendation in the Joule app — 8 hours for "tender" on my part, while he had his in the water for a little longer, about 10 hours — and both legs were complete mush after the cook. He cooked his lamb at 140ºF, while I tried 143ºF for contrast. Both were horrid.
Again, I've used my Joule to cook outstanding lamb leg before, but this was a complete fail. Any ideas regarding why? Am open to any and all comments, of course. Thanks!
Followed the first part of the recipe, added cinnamon and whole cloves to the mix, kept the rump on and tied it up neatly. 20 hours at 131 then into an ice bath for 30 min. Discarded the cinnamon and cloves and lightly re-salted and pepper. Made a yogurt based marinade following cookbook instructions for Indian Raan (tandoori roast lamb leg). Let the leg marinate for an hour in the yogurt then into the pizza oven at around 800 F until nicely crunchy on the outside. Texture and flavor awesome. Did not make a sauce. Easy party trick as non-fuss. Used a fresh leg, bone in. Next will try with a butterflied leg.
I made this last night and it was amazing. I used a 5lb boneless leg from Costco, seasoned overnight in the fridge, then cooked for 11 hours at 133 and it was very tender. After a 15 minutes rest and flash off I finished it on the grill. The balsamic sauce was fantastic, the key is to use an expensive aged balsamic that would be good on its own, use the bag juices and adjust the seasonings. I finished with fresh cracked black pepper and a tab of butter. For the fried seeds, I used a wok and find mesh strainer. Do each type of seed separately as they finish at different times. Fennel seeds and mustard seeds worked well, cumin seeds I'd not use again. The glassey mint and parsley look cool and provide a nice crunch, but are surprisingly mild in flavor. Make sure to use good fresh oil and salt them as soon as you dump them on the paper towels. I served my lamb with a puree if celeriac and potatoes, and also with sweet peas in a bright creamy mint sauce. It was a great combination.
Edited to add: the leftover fried herbs and seeds go great on scrambled eggs.
This is the second time I'm making this. I was only able to get a smaller "semi-boneless" 5 lb grass-fed lamb leg, so it didn't have a lot of surface fat or the long bone depicted in the video. Last year, I skipped the herb/seed fry, but did it this time. Although as I was tasting each of the fried herbs and seeds as they came out of the frying and wasn't thrilled with the favor or effort it took, I have to say when all were combined at the end, they did add a very interesting flavor profile, crunch and dimension to the finished dish. Contrary to the lower temp recommended on the online recipe, the Joules app recommends 140F. The lamb turned out incredibly flavorful, tender and pinkish, I prefer lamb to be a little more rare, so will likely lower the temp down to 135F ish next time I make this. Aside from the herb/seed fry, it is a very easy dinner to make for a large crowd.
Made this 2 years in a row for Christmas dinner, and oh boy its a winner. Some points:
This has become a family favourite, already looking forward to next year's dinner!
Professional chef, finally got around to trying this recipe, 55C @ 24Hr and mine as others have said, actually came out too tender/almost mushy. Really not sure why. Maybe 24hr was just too long for this particular leg, or maybe due to it having been frozen when purchased. No idea. Might give it another try next time at 12hr... I done long cooks with bedb and pork before and never had this issue. Flavor was good tho, glaze and sizes too.
Nice recipe, but I have to ask, why would anyone remove that meat at end of bone?? its the absolute best part of the lamb.... sacrilege
Made this and it was a huge hit! Thank you!!!
Has anyone finished this on a grill instead of an oven?
I made this recipe for Easter. I pretty much followed the recipe to a "t" and it turned out great! Flavor was amazing. Made it for my wife's family who eat a lot of lamb and know their way around the kitchen. According to them it was one of the best lamb dishes they had ever had. All that said the journey to lamb heaven was not without a few pitfalls.
1) It would have been nice to have a little bit more info/guidance on what type of cut to ask for from the butcher. I didn't go for the entire leg, mostly because it looked like it was a bit more of a struggle to separate the leg than was let on in the video and I was fine paying a little extra. I got the Lamb from a local butcher who sourced it from a local farm. The quality was there, but the cut ended up being a total pain in the ass to carve. I kind of had a feeling when looking at it in the case that it wasn't quite the same as the leg in the video. It all worked out but we had to carve, shred and pick all the lamb off the bone prior to serving.
2) Frying the herbs was some scary shit. The first batch literally exploded when I threw it in there. I had a splatter guard which I believe saved me (or at least all of the hair on my face), but I liked one of the suggestions below about baking them like Kale chips. I would try that next time. My mustard seeds turned more black than golden brown. By then I just decided to toast the caraway seeds in a pan with a little oil. I did toss it all together and use it with no complaints. A few of us did experience tingly lips and tongues which I think was from the mint (maybe the caraway).
3) That's pretty much it. some parts of it came out slightly underdone at 131 for 24 hours
, but after finishing in the over, everything was perfect.
All in all a very solid recipe that I'm sure I will make again. Thanks!
This turned out great at 133 F for 8 hours with 20 minutes in the oven at the end @450. As for the glaze, I used only 250 ml vs 500 ml of balsamic and there was plenty of glaze for 8 hungry diners. I served the fried herb/spice combination on the side out of caution in case some folks were not fans of it, but everyone raved about it and it made the kitchen smell divine. This will now be in the holiday and party rotation in the future.
Reading all of this, I'm a bit cautious about starting. We enjoy lamb rare, with garlic, rosemary and salt. We love the flavor of the lamb and don't want to over power it with anything strong. I've never had it tough, it's tender being roasted. I purchased a 3.5 lb boneless leg at Costco (there's only 2 of us.) Do I reduce the temp to get the rare in sous vide?
I’ve tried this twice. 24 hours
Is way to
Long for this, the meat becomes mushy and the flavor is ruined. The meat was throw
Out.
