Lamb Bacon Recipes

Steps:

• Make the rub: Combine the salts, brown sugar, bay leaves, and pepper in a bowl and transfer to a large plate or a baking dish. Dredge the lamb breast in the rub and massage it into the surface of the lamb. (You'll probably have some rub left over.) Shake off any excess rub and let the meat sit, covered, in the refrigerator for 5 days, turning the lamb over once a day.
• Rinse the lamb breast thoroughly, pat it dry with paper towels, and allow it to sit uncovered in the refrigerator overnight.
• Cook the lamb bacon: Soak the wood chips in water for 30 minutes, then drain and them pat dry. Prepare your smoker. When the temperature inside the smoker has reached 200°F and the wood chips are smoking steadily, add the lamb, and let smoke. Maintain the temperature at 200°F at least until a thermometer inserted into the center of the meat reads 160°F. This will take about 2 hours, but we recommend smoking for 3, as longer cooking enhances the quality of the bacon. Allow the bacon to cool completely in the fridge and store, wrapped, for up to 1 month.
• Tip: The size of lamb breasts can vary quite a bit, so be sure to buy yours deboned or boneless. A bone-in breast will lose 30 to 35 percent of its weight upon deboning.

Steps:

• Trim excess fat and thin membrane from leg of lamb; place into roasting pan. Cut slits in the meat and insert garlic slivers into slits. Mix olive oil, lemon juice, and rosemary in a small bowl; brush mixture over lamb. Lay bacon slices onto the meat. Let roast stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Roast lamb in the preheated oven until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the leg, not touching bone, reads 145 degrees F (65 degrees C) for medium-rare or 160 degrees F (70 degrees C) for medium, 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours. Transfer lamb to a serving platter, cover loosely with aluminum foil, and let stand while you make the sauce.
• Skim and discard excess grease from pan drippings left in roasting pan; place roasting pan over medium heat. Cook and stir onion in drippings until translucent, about 5 minutes; pour in wine. Stir wine and pan drippings, scraping up and dissolving brown bits of food stuck on the bottom of the pan. Pour in stock, bring sauce to a boil, and reduce heat to low. Stir tomato paste into sauce, bring to a simmer, and cook until sauce has reduced to about 1 cup. Season with salt and black pepper. For a smoother sauce, strain before serving.