Ingredients
Meat
- 1whole young lamb or kid, 10 to 12 kg, dressed, head and offal removed
Seasoning
- 150 gcoarse sea salt
- 3 tbspblack pepper, coarsely ground
- 3 tbspdried oregano
- 8garlic cloves, crushed
- 200 mlolive oil
- juice of 4 lemons
Basting brush and fire
- 1 bunchof fresh rosemary or oregano, tied to a stick, for basting
- 25to 30 kg hardwood, oak or beech, burned to embers
- a steel spit, wire and strong pliers
To serve
- flatbread, raw onion, pickled peppers, lemon wedges
- cold raki
Directions
- Rub the carcass inside and out with salt, pepper, oregano and crushed garlic the night before, and keep it cold and covered so the salt penetrates and the surface dries. Burn the wood down for at least an hour to a deep, even bed of grey-white embers, then rake them into two long banks under the shoulders and haunches, leaving the middle relatively clear.
- Set the spit high at first, about 60 cm above the embers, and turn slowly and continuously for the first hour to set the surface without colouring it. Lower to 40 cm and keep turning for 3 to 4 hours more, feeding a small side fire and shovelling fresh embers under as they die.
- Baste every 30 minutes with the oil and lemon using the herb brush. It is done when the skin is crisp, dark and tight, the legs move freely in their sockets, and a thermometer in the thickest part of the haunch reads 75 to 80°C (175°F).
- Rest the whole animal off the fire for 20 to 30 minutes, then carve on a board, starting with the shoulders and ribs, and serve with bread, raw onion and lemon.
Technique
- Embers, never flame. Dripping fat that flares up will blacken the skin and coat the meat in soot within a minute; keep the fire built to the side and move the coals under as needed.
- The salt goes on early because the animal is large. Salting only at the fire seasons the skin and leaves the deep muscle bland.
- A spring lamb or kid of 10 to 12 kg is the traditional size for Easter, Bajram and village celebrations. Anything much larger needs a longer, lower cook and its skin will not crisp as well.
Substitutions
- For a household version, use a 2.5 kg shoulder on a smaller rotisserie, seasoned the same way, over embers for 2 hours 30 minutes.
- Without a rotisserie, spatchcock a whole shoulder and leg, season identically and cook indirect in a covered barbecue at 150°C (300°F) for 4 hours, finishing with 15 minutes over direct coals.
Variations
- In the north the cavity is stuffed with rice, liver, onion and mint before it is sewn shut.
- Some spit masters wrap the whole animal in a slack cloth soaked in salted water for the first two hours, then remove it to crisp the skin.
History
Spit-roast lamb marks weddings, Easter and Bajram in Albania, with whole animals roasted for guests in the villages.
Frequently asked questions
What is Mish në hell?
Mish në hell is a main from Albania: whole lamb or kid turned on a spit over embers. Spit-roast lamb marks weddings, Easter and Bajram in Albania, with whole animals roasted for guests in the villages.
How long does Mish në hell take to make?
Mish në hell takes 1 hr of preparation and 4 to 5 hr of cooking. The recipe makes serves 12 to 15. It is rated hard to make.
What can I substitute in Mish në hell?
Yes, within limits. For a household version, use a 2.5 kg shoulder on a smaller rotisserie, seasoned the same way, over embers for 2 hours 30 minutes. Without a rotisserie, spatchcock a whole shoulder and leg, season identically and cook indirect in a covered barbecue at 150°C (300°F) for 4 hours, finishing with 15 minutes over direct coals.
What is the most important thing to get right in Mish në hell?
Rest the whole animal off the fire for 20 to 30 minutes, then carve on a board, starting with the shoulders and ribs, and serve with bread, raw onion and lemon.
