Recipes / Smoked Meats & BBQ Mains
Free Recipe
Smoked Leg of Lamb
A whole bone-in leg of lamb, studded with garlic and rosemary and smoked to a rosy medium, delivers deep, savory flavor and a dramatic presentation for a special dinner - a rewarding challenge for a smoker ready to move past pork and beef.
Prep30 min
Cook4 hr
Total4 hr 30 min
ServingsServes 8-10
DifficultyAdvanced
Rating★ 4.5
Why You'll Love This
- An elegant, special-occasion alternative to beef or pork
- Garlic and herb flavor penetrates deep into the meat
- Impressive whole-roast presentation for guests
Ingredients
- 1 (7 to 8 lb) bone-in leg of lamb, trimmed
- 8 garlic cloves, slivered
- 3 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped, plus extra sprigs
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp coarse black pepper
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 1 cup chicken or beef broth, for the drip pan
Method
- Trim the leg of lamb of any excess hard fat and the thin silverskin membrane, leaving a thin fat cap for basting flavor.
- Using a small paring knife, cut about 20 small slits all over the leg, roughly 1 inch deep, and push a garlic sliver into each one.
- Mix the chopped rosemary, thyme, olive oil, kosher salt, black pepper, Dijon mustard, lemon zest, and lemon juice into a paste, then rub it all over the leg, working it into every surface and crevice.
- Let the lamb sit at room temperature for 45 minutes to 1 hour to take the chill off, or for a deeper flavor, apply the rub and refrigerate uncovered for up to 12 hours before smoking.
- Preheat your smoker to 250F for indirect heat, placing a drip pan with the broth underneath the cooking area.
- Add 2 to 3 chunks of oak or cherry wood, then place the lamb leg on the grate and insert a thermometer into the thickest part, away from the bone.
- Smoke undisturbed, checking periodically, until the internal temperature reaches 130F for medium-rare or 140F for medium, which usually takes 3.5 to 4 hours for a leg this size, depending on shape and thickness.
- For a deeply browned crust, increase the smoker temperature to 450F or transfer the lamb to a hot grill for the final 8 to 10 minutes, turning to sear all sides.
- Pull the lamb once it reaches 5 to 8 degrees below your final target temperature, since carryover heat will continue cooking it during the rest.
- Rest the lamb, loosely tented with foil, for 20 minutes before carving - because a leg is irregularly shaped, expect some slices to be more well-done near the thin end and rosier near the thick end, which is normal.
- Carve into thin slices against the grain, working around the bone, and garnish with fresh rosemary sprigs before serving.
Tips
- A leg of lamb is not a uniform shape, so use the thermometer in the thickest part as your main guide and expect a natural gradient of doneness from one end to the other, rather than one single uniform temperature throughout.
- Studding the meat with garlic slivers pushes flavor into the interior of a thick roast in a way that surface rubs alone cannot reach.
Nutrition (estimated per serving)
Calories: 460
Protein: 46g
Fat: 29g
Carbs: 2g
Fiber: 0g
Sodium: 700mg
