On the heat. Medium — it must please everyone

Ingredients

• 1 whole dressed lamb, ~20 kg
• 250 ml oil
• 1 whole head garlic, crushed
• 4 tbsp coarse salt
• 3 tbsp mild masala · 2 tbsp paprika
• 2 tbsp ground coriander
• Juice of 6 lemons
• Rosemary and thyme, a large bunch each
• — EQUIPMENT
• Motorised spit rated for 30 kg · 4 bags charcoal · wire · a long probe thermometer

Method

1. Mount the lamb the day before if you can. It must be balanced on the spindle or the motor will stall halfway through and the whole day is lost. Wire the legs and shoulders tight to the bar.
2. Mix the baste. Slash the thick parts of the legs and shoulders and work it in.
3. Build two banks of coals, one under the shoulders and one under the legs, with the middle left clear. The loin is thin and will dry out over direct heat.
4. Spit turning, lid or shield up if you have one. Five to six hours. Add a small amount of fresh charcoal every 45 minutes rather than a lot at once.
5. Baste every 30 minutes for the first four hours, then stop, so the skin can dry and crisp.
6. Done at 72 °C in the thickest part of the leg. Rest on the spit, off the heat, for 30 minutes before carving. Carve the shoulders first — they are ready before the legs.

Cook's note. Plan the fire, not the food. Every spit braai that fails, fails because the coals ran out at hour four. Buy twice the charcoal you think you need.

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