Easter is knocking on our doors and this means that we have already stated the preparations for the festive table in which the emphasis is the roasted meat. A lot of us have fasted for many long weeks and others are just keen on cooking and are expecting the moment when they will gather around the table with friends and family. In Greece the celebration of Christ’s Resurrection is always related with the barbecue. Starting in the late morning hours the people are gathering outside to bake the meat and if you want it to be tasty some rules have to be followed.
What meat should e choose for the barbecue – lamb or kid? The nutritionists are explicit – the poor kid wins the duel as it has less fat and does mot smell like the lamb, however it is just as tasty. Its disadvantage is that it is more expensive. After we have solved the dilemma between the lamb and the kid we have to buy good quality meat and this turns out to be an uneasy task. From the Greek center of consumers protection are advising us to only buy the meat from butchers we know well and to which we are regular clients. If we have decided on the kid the first thing we have to be careful about is that they don’t sell us lamb in stead of kid. According to the specialist you could tell the kid from the lamb because of its flat head and the tale which sticks up and is covered in hairs equal in length.
The next thing we have to be careful about is the color of the meat – it has to be as if it was alive and not to be darker. It is important when buying lamb to pay attention to the fat layer on the back of the animal – it has to be soft, not hard. When we have chosen the meat following these instructions the specialists insist we have to check out the special European Union stamp for the quality of the meat which has to be on the back of each animal so that we are sure that the lamb or the kid have been fed with the right kind of food.
Now we go on with the pleasant moments, filled with so much sweetness from the preparing of the barbeque. Before you put it on the spit you should put salt on the meat and cover it with pepper. After this it is important to place it well around the spit and tie it careful so that it does not turn on its own. For the tying of the barbeque the chefs recommend string and not cord because it hurts the meat. Because of the same reason the pinches also have to be avoided. The fire has to be bigger at the legs and smaller close to the shoulder blades of the animal. The barbeque has to be 30 – 40 centimeters away from the burning coal.
The duration of the roasting depends on the size of the animal and for a lamb about 10 kilograms big it is about 2,5 or 3 hours. Usually it is served with potatoes or rice, garnished with fresh green salad.
Bon appetite and happy Easter!
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