How to Grill a Leg of Lamb

A whole leg of lamb isn't the most obvious choice for the outdoor grill, but it can be grilled with great results. Have your butcher debone and butterfly the leg so that it's thin enough to grill. One leg of lamb will feed 8 to 12 people.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Barbecue Grills
• Grill Utensils
• Wire Grill Brushes
• Groceries
• Instant-read Cooking Thermometers
• 1 5 to 6 lb. whole leg of lamb, boneless and butterflied
• 1 recipe Basic Marinade (see Related eHows)
• kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper

1. One day ahead, unwrap the leg and discard any strings or packaging it came with.
2. Make sure the leg's boneless, butterflied and no more than 2 inches thick at its thickest point. If too thick, flatten it by pounding it with the flat side of a meat mallet.
3. Prepare the Basic Marinade and completely cover the leg of lamb with it.
4. Wrap the leg with plastic wrap and marinated for 24 hours, covered and refrigerated.
5. Prepare to cook by unwrapping the leg. Discard the marinade.
6. Season the leg very generously on both sides with salt and pepper.
7. Let it sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes while you prepare the grill.
8. Set the grill to high heat, but be prepared to lower it to medium. For charcoal cookers, prepare a hot bed of coals in the center, but leave enough space so that you can spread them around later to lower the heat.
9. Place the leg in the center of the hot grill. Cook 3 to 4 minutes per side, turning once, until both sides are well-browned.
10. Lower the heat to medium, cover the grill if possible and cook another 7 to 15 minutes. Check the leg constantly with an instant-read meat thermometer. Different grills and variations in the meat will result in different cooking times. For medium-rare, remove the leg when the internal temperature reads 125 degrees F. For medium, remove the lamb at 135 degrees F.
11. Let the leg rest for 10 minutes before carving.
12. Carve by cutting thin slices against the grain of the meat.

Tips & Warnings

• If your cooker has a rotisserie attachment, the leg can be roasted on a spit with great results. The leg does not have to be butterflied or boneless to do this. It can have the bone in, or you can ask your butcher to "tunnel bone" the lamb.
• Try to keep the heat as even as you can and be especially wary of flame ups. Even heat is the key to cooking large pieces of meat on the grill.