Grilled Greek Leg Of Lamb

Leg of lamb is an excellent red meat that you don’t have to wait to cook until a special occasion rolls around such as Easter. Most legs of lamb are usually large enough to leave plenty of leftovers you can enjoy in the form of sandwiches, wraps, etc.

The Greek’s are masters of lamb since it’s a meat that is readily available to them. This recipe draws plenty of inspiration from the Greek’s both in flavor and cooking style and now you get the opportunity to fire up your grill to make this amazing grilled Greek leg of lamb.

If you are not very familiar with cooking lamb then I personally recommend the use of a cooking thermometer to make sure the lamb comes out medium rare. Medium rare is the best way to enjoy the lamb but it really should not be cooked greater than medium unless your a planing on a slow braise/roast so the lamb is falling apart and it can be shredded.

Ingredients

2.5 – 3 lb boneless leg of lamb, pasture-raised

4-6 cloves garlic

⅓ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

⅔ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, roughly chopped

sea salt and black pepper

additional rosemary and other herbs, like oregano, thyme, marjoram, etc – to make a basting brush, optional

Instructions

Peel the skins off the garlic cloves and slice them into thin slivers. With a sharp knife, make slits across the lamb and insert the garlic slivers. Repeat, adding as many as you can.
Add the olive oil, lemon juice and fresh rosemary to a durable, sealable plastic bag. Season with salt and pepper. Add the lamb and seal the bag, pressing out air. Turn bag to coat lamb, then put bag in a shallow baking pan and place in the refrigerator to marinate, turning bag over occasionally, overnight or up to 3-days before grilling.
Bring lamb to room temperature, about 1 hour, before grilling. Just before grilling, remove the lamb from the marinate and shake off excess marinade. Pour the marinade into a shallow bowl. If you’d like to get fancy, tie a bunch of sturdy sprigs of fresh herbs together with kitchen twine to make a basting brush (or just use a regular basting brush).
Make sure your grill grates are clean. Heat one side of your grill to a high heat. Place the lamb on the direct heat and sear on all sides. Just about 1-2 minutes per side, until browned. Move the lamb to the unheated side of the grill, and keep the high-heat side on high.
Cook the lamb on indirect heat, turning every 15 minutes to evenly cook on all sides, basting with the marinade as you go. Cook to 120 – 125º for rare, 140-145º for medium-rare, 160º for medium. It may take 40 minutes to 1 hour (or longer), depending on the size of your leg.
Remove from the grill and transfer to a platter, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 20 minutes. It will continue to heat through as it rests, so be sure not to overcook on the grill.
Then cut across the grain, as slices or into bite-sized chunks/cubes (which is how my dad usually does it) season with sea salt and black pepper. Serve.
Serve with a Greek salad, roast potatoes or Greek Potato Salad, feta, kalamata olives and/or tzatiki all make incredible compliments. Enjoy!