Chinese Crispy Roast Lamb (siew Yuk)

Total Time: 9 hrs 15 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 9 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 (2 -3 lb) skin-on lamb shoulder or 1 (2 -3 lb) skin-on picnic-style lamb roast or 1 (2 -3 lb) skin-on lamb belly
• 3 garlic cloves, grated
• 2 inches ginger, grated (should be same amount as garlic)
• 1/4 teaspoon finely ground pepper
• 2 teaspoons five-spice powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons oil

Recipe

• 1 wash and dry your meat thoroughly. score the skin in vertical lines about 1 inch apart as they will become the guidelines where to chop the meat once cooked.
• 2 mash all the other ingredients together to make a paste. smear the paste all over the roast working it into the skin and meat. put the roast in a pan that will let the fat drain through (a wire rack over a baking sheet will do in a pinch), and place in refrigerator covered overnight.
• 3 when ready to cook, preheat your oven to 450 degrees f, and when hot enough, stick the pan in the over for 30 minutes.
• 4 after 30 minutes, the skin should just be turning brown (if it’s getting too dark, turn down the heat sooner). reduce the heat to 250 degrees f and let it roast for about 8 hours. you’ll know it’s ready when most of the fat has rendered out and the meat has started pulling away from the bone.
• 5 when it’s ready, take it out of the oven, transfer it to a different pan (you could do it in the same pan, but the fat that’s collected in this pan will smoke and set your smoke alarms off). put it back into a 450 degree f oven to crisp the skin for 15-20 minutes. the skin should be puffed up, crisp and golden brown.
• 6 take it out of the oven and let it rest for a bit. you’ll probably want to take the skin off and break it up by hand, slicing the slabs of tender lamb separately.