Grilled Leg of Lamb

Patrick Mooney

Patrick is an experienced writer who uses his knowledge of the culinary arts to create online articles.

With grilling season in full swing, a nice grilled leg of lamb is a great way to add Mediterranean flavor to your table.

Why the Butterfly

This recipe calls for the grilled leg of lamb to be butterflied. We do this because it will cook more evenly and faster. If we butterfly the leg of lamb before grilling it, we can be sure that it cooks thoroughly on the grill. Butterflying the lamb also exposes more of the surface, allowing it absorb more marinade.

The oven is the best place to roast a leg of lamb that still has the bone in it, but we will cover that recipe when grilling season is over.

Grilled Leg of Lamb

This recipe is for a 4-5 pound leg of lamb. If you are not sure how to clean, trim, and butterfly a leg of lamb, you can ask your butcher to do it for you.

To make the marinade, you will need:

3/4 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup course grain mustard
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons green pepper corns, brined and drained
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
2 cloves garlic

Place these ingredients into a blender and blend for about 4 minutes.

Once the marinade is finished, place the lamb into into a large bowl and pour the marinade over the lamb.Instructions for grilled leg of lamb:

Make sure the lamb is well covered in marinade.
Cover with plastic wrap and keep in your refrigerator for at least 8 hours.
For best results, remove from the refrigerator two hours before cooking.
Season both sides of the lamb with salt and pepper.
Cook over a medium high flame on your grill for about 20 minutes, turning the lamb once or twice. If you have a thermometer, your grilled leg of lamb is done at 130 degrees Fahrenheit.
Be sure to let the meat sit covered for 10 minutes before serving.

This goes well with grilled veggies and a light Greek salad. A little Baba Ganoush would be nice as well.