Smoked Leg of Lamb Recipe
Our epic Garlic Herb Butter Smoked Leg of Lamb recipe is the ultimate main dish for your next special occasion! Plus, a homemade chimichurri sauce!
Ingredients
Garlic Herb Butter:
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 3-4 tablespoons butter softened (sub plant-based butter)
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Smoked Leg of Lamb:
- 5-6 pound boneless leg of lamb
- 2 garlic cloves cut into thin slices, lengthwise
- 1-2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Homemade Chimichurri Sauce:
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/8 cup fresh cilantro
- 1/8 cup fresh basil
- 2 garlic cloves peeled
- 1 tablespoon shallot minced
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- optional 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Serving Options:
- quick pickled onions
- lemon wedges
- tzatziki sauce
Instructions
- Take Out Lamb: Take lamb out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature.
- Prep Garlic Herb Butter: Put all the Herb Butter ingredients in a small bowl and mix to combine, set aside.
- Prep Lamb: Cut 10-15, 1-inch slits in the 5-6 pound boneless leg of lamb and push a slice of garlic into each one (you really can't do too many, so feel free to add more, if you love garlic). Rub the outside of the lamb with the Garlic Herb Butter and season with 1-2 teaspoons kosher salt & 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper.
- Prep Smoker: Ensure grill grates are clean and preheat smoker to 225 degrees F.
- Smoke Lamb: Place the lamb directly on the grill grates of the smoker, close the lid, and let it smoke until the internal temperature reaches 130-135℉ for a medium-rare finish. This should take about 2.5-3.5 hours. Use a probe thermometer or meat thermometer to keep track of the internal temperature at the thickest part of the meat. This timeframe can be impacted by a variety of factors such as the weather, how consistent your smoker holds heat, etc. Feel free to smoke longer for a more well done leg of lamb or pull it sooner for a more rare finish. Place the lamb on a cutting board and cover loosely with foil and let rest 15 minutes. (see Notes for doneness/internal temp)
- Make Chimichurri: While the lamb rests (or while it is on the smoker), put all of the Chimichurri ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until fully combined. Set aside until ready to serve.
- Rest & Serve: Slice and serve the lamb with the Chimichurri Sauce on top.
Notes
- Internal Temp: for medium-rare, take it off the smoker when it reaches 130-135 degrees F. For a medium finish, pull it around 135-140 degrees F. Also note that it will be more well done on the edges and less cooked in the middle. Cooking until you reach 145 degrees F. will take longer than the cook time stated above.
- Testing: we used a 5.7lb leg of lamb and it took right around 3 hours to reach 138 degrees F for a medium-rare finish on our Traeger Smoker.
- Total Cook Time: we provide a range for the total cook time because it will depend on how thick your particular leg of lamb is, total weight and then also factors like hot spots on your smoker, wind, humidity, etc.
- Sauce: highly recommend making the chimichurri sauce above, but we also have Greek Lamb Sauce or the Best Mint Chimichurri.
- Dairy Free: simply use a plant-based butter.
- Storage: keep any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.
- Leftovers: make a yummy Chopped Gyro Salad!
- Nutrition Info does not include the serving options.
Nutrition
Calories: 237kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 84mg | Sodium: 341mg | Potassium: 380mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 0.2g | Vitamin A: 359IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 3mg
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