Around our camp we’d obviously venture far out of our way to enjoy a great plate of tacos, and I have a feeling we’re not alone.
No question we’d tag a Texas-ized, classically inspired, marinated in our “I can tell you then I’d have to kill you” secret sauce, skirt steak | fajita taco as our “home taco”, though like many of our regional neighbors we throw just about any and everything into a handy tortilla when it comes to taco day each week.
Last weekend I was at a demonstration being put on by Killer Chefs; he was cooking an amazing looking dove (pan seared in butter, garlic, and thyme before being finished on a grill; that’s it on the right) and while waiting for things to finish, those of us under the awning chatted a bit about various foods, techniques, etc.
One gentlemen was talking about slow roasting a leg of lamb for tacos; a damned fine idea in fact. He and I then shared recipes this week; I sent him our favorite leg of lamb recipe and he shared something very close to this one. I actually bought a 6 lb leg of lamb and split it to make two different versions of his marinade; we overwhelming preferred this one with a bit more spice to it.
With just a bit of lead time (an overnight marinade) these Southwestern Grilled Lamb Shoulder Tacos will be easy to work into your Labor Day weekend plans, and you can let your taco artistry shine as you assemble these – you’ll want a great salsa – with everything on the list below.
Taco time just got even better.
5-6 pound bone-in leg of lamb roast (about 3-4 pounds boneless), butterflied
1/2 cup olive oil, divided
6 cloves garlic, crushed
2-3 jalapeño peppers, stemmed, seeded, minced
2 small shallots, chopped small
5 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons good salt
2 teaspoons fresh ground pepperTaco fixin’s
Fresh corn tortillas (or at least grill the store bought ones)
A great salsa or two (consider this one or this one)
Cheese: crumbled cotija, feta, or even goat cheese
Avocado slices or dices
Freshly sliced red radishes
Maybe even uber fresh green onions sliced on the bias
Whatever the hell else goes in your tacos
Salt and pepper
Stir together the olive oil, crushed garlic, minced peppers and shallots, vinegar, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper; now pour it into a large zip top bag, add the lamb, seal it, then goosh it around and refrigerate overnight.
Fire the grill, this recipe begs for hardwood charcoal by the way, and grill (making sure your butterflied leg is flat) for 6-8 minutes per side. You’re looking for an internal temp of about 145 in the thickest part of the lamb; pull it and rest for 10-15 minutes.
Now slice across the grain into taco-sized slices and starting building those championship level tacos. Open the top on something cold (or pour a big, ice-cold, sweaty glass of sangria) and go to it.
Enjoy.
