Greek cuisine · Meat & Kebab

Antikristo Kritis

Cretan lamb set up on wooden skewers around an open fire and cooked for hours with just salt.

Ingredients · for 6 servings

• 3 kg lamb shoulder (on the bone, in large pieces)
• 4 tbsp coarse sea salt
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 2 lemons
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• Pepper

Instructions

1. Take the lamb pieces out of the cold 2 hrs. before cooking, pat dry and rub all over very generously with the coarse sea salt and a little pepper — traditionally this dish gets no more seasoning than that.
2. Light a fire from dry hardwood and let it burn down until it forms an even, calm bed of embers without flames.
3. Skewer the meat pieces firmly onto sturdy wooden or metal spits and stick these into the ground at an angle in a circle about 40 cm from the embers, meat side facing the fire.
4. Cook the lamb fat side toward the embers for 2 hrs., turning the skewers every 20 min. so the fat slowly renders and the surface browns evenly.
5. Move the skewers closer to the embers and cook for another 60–90 min., brushing twice with the olive oil, until the crust is deep and crisp and the meat pulls off the bone with a fork.
6. Let the meat rest on a wooden board for 10 min., cover with rosemary and thyme sprigs, sprinkle with oregano and serve with lemon wedges for drizzling.