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Grilled Boneless Leg of Lamb in Hoisin BBQ Sauce

For two good eaters.

• 2 pounds boneless leg of lamb


• ¼ cup Hoisin sauce


• 3 cloves garlic crushed


• 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce


• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar


• 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce


• 1 tablespoon honey


• 1 tablespoon ketchup


• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper


• pinch sea salt


• 2 cloves garlic sliced lengthwise thinly


• salt and pepper

In a small bowl, combine Hoisin sauce, crushed garlic, chili garlic sauce, vinegar, soy sauce, honey, ketchup, salt and pepper. Mix well. With a sharp paring knife make small cuts all over lamb. Push garlic slices into holes. Season lamb with salt and pepper, rubbing in. Put lamb in a 1 gallon zip lock plastic bag and pour BBQ sauce over. Squeeze air out and put in refriegerator for 6-8 hours.

Make smoker pouch by combining 2 parts soaked pecan wood chips and 1 part dry pecan wood sawdust in foil, folding ends and sides over to make a pouch. Poke a few holes in pouch and place on the flavorizer bars of your grill. Turn heat on all burners to high. Let the grill heat until you smell smoke. Put lamb in the middle of the grill grate, meat side down. Sear for two minutes. Flip. Sear two minutes. Turn middle burner off. Close lid and cook 8 minutes. Flip lamb. Cook 8 more minutes. Check with instant read thermometer. You want the lamb around 125°, so that carry over will take it to perfectly medium-rare. Remove to cutting board, tent lightly with foil, allow to rest 10 minutes, slice thinly and serve with lentils and squash. Drink a California Cabernet Sauvignon with some age.

Lentils and Squash

• ¼ cup green lentils, picked over and rinsed


• 1 tablespoon olive oil


• 2 medium shallots, minced


• 3 cloves garlic, minced


• ½ teaspoon sea salt


• ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper


• ½ teaspoon garam masala


• ¼ cup crushed pecans


• 1 package frozen Cascadian Farms organic winter squash, thawed


• ½ cup corn kernels
• juice of 1 lime

In a 2-qt saucier pan, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add lentils, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook 15 minutes. Drain and set lentils aside.

Give saucier pan a quick cleaning. Preheat pan over medium heat. Add olive oil. When oil is hot, add shallots and garlic. Cook 2 minutes, stirring often. Add salt, pepper, and garam masala. Cook 1 minute, stirring often. Add pecans. Cook 1 minute, stirring often. Add squash. Cook 2 minutes, stirring often. Add corn and lentils. Cook until heated through. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

You can use frozen corn kernels if necessary, but I had grilled corn on the cob leftover from the night before and cut off the kernels for this purpose.

I did the whole thing outside, using the side burner of my gas grill for the lentils.