Salty Lemons

foreground: the lamb roasting on a spit
background: guests huddled under the grape canopy, meats cooking in the smoker
Astoria, NY from my 2011 archive

gazpacho
Astoria, NY from my 2011 archive

carving the lamb
Astoria, NY from my 2011 archive

lamb thighs and arms
Astoria, NY from my 2011 archive

lamb neck
Astoria, NY from my 2011 archive

August 12, 2011

A Day of Indulgence Part II

The second half of the day turned out to be equally indulgent as the first half. When I said a lamb roast was serious business, I was right. The Swede and I were invited to a barbecue by "a stranger" I met in the garden several weeks ago. Obviously, he is a stranger no more, he has fast become a friend. He is a graduate of The French Culinary Institute, so after trying his cured meats, we dared not pass up his invitation to a lamb roast. By the way, the salumi, I still have some in the fridge. They are neverending and that is a good thing.

The barbecue took place in a one bedroom ground floor apartment with the largest backyard I have ever seen in New York City. The Swede and I could not stop talking about how wonderful the yard was, it was about four times the size of the apartment. A true luxury. Anyone who lives here knows how rare or nonexistent outdoor space is or indoor space is for that matter. The average New York City apartment is not even close to how it is portrayed on television or in the movies. Unless you are a millionaire, you live in cramped quarters.

For the first two hours of the party it rained. Half of the guests spent their time huddled under a grape canopy, the other half huddled under a tarp where the lamb was roasting. (Smart guests arrived later in the night after it stopped raining.) The Swede and I went back and forth between the two, alternately watching the lamb turn and sampling meats pulled from the smoker. Although everyone invited knew they were attending a lamb roast, it was interesting to witness people's reactions when they actually saw the lamb turning on the spit for the first time. By far, the strangest/funniest reaction came from a girl who shrieked, "Is that a dog?"

Once the lamb was finished, everyone gathered around to watch the lamb being carved. It was wonderful. I learned a fact, lamb becomes mutton when it reaches 35 lbs. Likely due to its age, the lamb was extremely succulent and not gamey at all as lamb usually tastes. My favorites of the night were the smoked pork ribs and a piece of lamb crackling. The crackling was crisp and full of flavor. Shamefully, The Swede and I ate chips and ice cream when we returned home. I have no idea why, we had gorged ourselves all day.

Here is a rundown of everything we ate the second half of the day:

pulled pork buns
gazpacho
smoked sausage link
smoked beef short rib
pulled pork plate with homemade pickles and pasta
smoked pork ribs
lamb (part unknown)
lamb neck
lamb crackling
cheddar and sour cream chips
Häagen Dazs coffee almond crunch bars

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