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Grilled Leg of Lamb, Sam's Way
![Grilled Leg of Lamb, Sam's Way](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2014/04/10/dining/LambBittman/LambBittman-articleLarge.jpg?width=1280&quality=75&auto=webp)
- Total Time
- About 1 hour, plus time to heat the grill
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
- 4cloves garlic, chopped fine
- 2tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, chopped fine
- 2tablespoons olive oil
- 1boneless leg of lamb, 5 to 6 pounds, butterflied
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 2handfuls pecan shells, or wood chips, soaked in water
Preparation
- Step 1
Combine the garlic, rosemary and olive oil in a bowl. Season the lamb with salt and pepper, then massage with the garlic and rosemary mixture and put the meat in the bowl. Cover and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- Step 2
Allow it to come to room temperature, approximately 30 minutes. Meanwhile, build a fire in your grill, leaving ⅓ of the cooking area free of coals.
- Step 3
When the fire is hot, sprinkle the pecan shells or wood chips over the fire and place the lamb fat side down. Sear each side of the lamb for approximately 4 minutes each, then remove the lamb to the side of the grill without coals and roast, covered, for approximately 30 to 40 minutes.
- Step 4
Tent in foil for 10 to 15 minutes, and serve.
Private Notes
Cooking Notes
Wow!! This is just one of the best things I have ever cooked on the grill. I have a gas grill, so to begin with I lit all three burners and let the grill get very hot. I didn't have wood chips, though. I seared each side of the lamb, turned off two of the three burners, moved the lamb to the side where the burners were off, and turned the remaining burner to "medium" and grilled covered for 30 minutes, then tented according to the directions. The meat was perfectly done. Will make this again.
This is a lovely recipe that turns out great lamb. Living in the northeast, I have no source of pecan shells but I have made this several time using fruit wood prunings. I have access to peach, apple and wild cherry but most any fruit wood and even lilac would do. I find the nut woods to be overwhelming/less than subtle on lamb. I have experimented with walnut, hickory and beech and like the fruit wood better. This Spring I am going to try my grape prunings. Stay tuned.
Worked great with a smaller lamb leg (3.5 lbs), just reduced some of the rub ingredients and watched the temperature carefully. Mr. Sifton advised me to grill until the center reaches the 145-150 range, which was perfect. Great with grilled asparagus, roasted potatoes, and some lightly-dressed greens.
This recipe was straightforward and dead simple. We followed it to the letter and the results were perfect. Grilling outdoors in New England on Christmas Day sporting shorts and a t-shirt was more than a bit odd, though.
Thanks!
Wow, yourself, Carol! Thank you! I was just pondering this recipe and wondering “gas grill? gas grill?” And here is your extremely helpful post. I pasted it into the recipe under Notes as I saved it in my recipe app. Thanks again. And, of course, thanks to Sifton and Bittman for a great-sounding recipe.
This was wonderful, but I ignored instructions to butterfly the boned leg. I like it well-done on the outside but rare-ish in the interior, so I cooked it more slowly. There was something for all tastes from rare to well done, and every bite was delicious. If I can get fresh mint I always make a mint sauce--finely chopped mint in cider vinegar with a bit of sugar to taste, allowed to marinate overnight. If mint's not available, I buy it ready-made, but for our family it's essential with lamb.
used a 1.5 lb boneless leg. Grilled. 4 minutes per side, then another 18 minutes total on indirect heat. Came out perfectly medium rare also- used lemon zest (1 lemon) in marinade.
I like to give the lamb a little bath in red wine vinegar and/or lemon juice -- (then pour out excess and leave just the residue) before beginning the recipe. Maldon salt flakes seems perfect and particularly on the fat-side. We LOVE garlic, so I use more than prescribed, crushing it. I don't bother to chop the rosemary leaves. I'm lazy. A SUPERB, and essential recipe for lamb happiness in my world.
Check meat after 20 - 25 minutes. It was delicious but 30 minutes indirect is well done and over cooked on my Weber.
I suspect you'll have better luck if you do that in reverse: start in a low oven (I use 250F, or as low as 175F for larger cuts) and then give it a sear just before serving. I haven't tested with this particular recipe, but I have used that method on other large cuts of meat with great success. Best if you go direct from oven to the sear, but as long as you bring the meat to a safe temperature in the oven, you can refrigerate and then sear later after letting it rise to room temperature.
I didn't have access to any sort of smoking material so I used Smoked Salt, which added a subtle smoked flavor.
Add lemon and anchovy paste (mix with the olive oil and rub it all over... I promise you won't taste fish - just makes it savory.
How could something so simple be so delicious? This is my favorite grilled leg of lamb, and I didn't even bother with the wood chips. I just seared the roast, then covered my small Weber grill. Fabulous!
Followed grilling instructions with a 2.5 butterflied leg and it was perfect. Served it w chimichurri. So good!
Unfortunately, we don't have a grill. I have cooked butterflied leg of lamb under a broiler. I would like to try this recipe, but would like advice for using a broiler vs. a grill, please—timing, mostly. Assume a 3.5 to 4-lb. leg.
This was a wonderful Christmas dinner. Nice char on the lamb leg, rare and pink as my husband likes. Will make again for special occasions.
Simple, easy, and came out perfectly. I used applewood chips and the smoky flavor was fantastic.
Very easy. Supremely delicious, even for a non-lamb lover like me. Perfect with Ottolenghi’s polenta with feta. A big hit every time I make it for a party.
Also add fresh mint to some of our chimichuri for serving.
used a 1.5 lb boneless leg. Grilled. 4 minutes per side, then another 18 minutes total on indirect heat. Came out perfectly medium rare also- used lemon zest (1 lemon) in marinade.
So, when it says “cooked covered” on the grill does that mean to just tent it or put it in a pan and cover? Thanks!
Is there a recipe for the delicious-looking “mint chimichurri” sauce mentioned in the accompanying article?
3lb leg roast laid flat, cut meat further cut into chunks where already splitting. Doubled amount of garlic, and used enough crushed, dried rosemary to crust meat with it. On platter in fridge for a few hourse. Grilled as directed, plus dry oak twigs to flame and sear exterior before moving to indirect heat. Took less than two hours. 150 degrees internal was perfect. Result was juicy and tender inside, crusty outside. Overdid the kosher salt a bit. Don't coat it!
Amazing! I've always done lamb roast but thought I would try something different and this did not disappoint. I have a small barrel charcoal grill that I used with some hickory smoking chips. I seared for 4 minutes a side twice and then moved all of the charcoal to 1/2 of the grill, the grill is too small to make the recommended 1/3 to 2/3 work but having most of the meat off of the direct heat and on 1/2 of the grill turned out perfect. Absolutely delicious!
Consider separating the lamb leg here. There are generally two, connected parts. One is much smaller and will cook much faster than the other. Use whatever herbs you have. I added a bit of harissa to the marinade, not enough though.
Did it on a propane grill.....without any smoking.....just did the sear then moved off the burners to cook and checked with a thermometer. Came out great, cooked to 155F internal temp as we dont like very red meat. Also used lamb shoulder, since the store did not have leg.
Add lemon and anchovy paste (mix with the olive oil and rub it all over... I promise you won't taste fish - just makes it savory.
How much anchovy paste did you use? I was thinking 1-2 tablespoons. And how much lemon juice?
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