Grilled Leg of Lamb is perfect for Easter (or any day) and is great example of how to utilize a Primo Grill’s two zone cooking capability. In this method and recipe, the leg of lamb is brined, rubbed with a herb paste, cooked low and slow with indirect heat, and then finished directly over the fire.
Garlic, Rosemary, and Lemon will be the common flavors of the brine, herb paste, and yogurt serving sauce.
Start by creating your brine. For this we used:
- 1/2 cup of salt per gallon of water/ice
- 2 lemons
- 4 sprigs of rosemary
- 6 cloves of garlic
Warm water until salt dissolves. Let it cool before use. Anticipate adding more salt to compensate for any ice used to cool mixture. Total liquid will be contingent on the size of your container.
Here is the untrimmed leg of lamb, weighing a little over 6 lbs.
Trim the leg of visible fat before brining – you’ll want to keep some to keep the muscles together.
Submerge the leg of lamb in your brine- make sure it’s ice cold. Stick it in the fridge for 6 to 24 hours.
Create your herb paste. For this combine in food processor or with hand held blender:
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 4 sprigs of rosemary
- 6 cloves of garlic
- juice of a lemon
- tablespoon salt
- tablespoon cracked black pepper
Ok to double this recipe if you are planning on making a yogurt serving sauce below.
When ready, remove the leg of lamb from the brine and rub well with the garlic herb paste. Let it rest at room temperature for 1/2 hour or so before grilling.
Prepare the Primo for two zone cooking. Light both sides of the grill and insert ceramic d plate on one side only. This will allow you to utilize the oval shape for direct and indirect heat. Target a temperature of 225 to 250.
Place the Lamb on the indirect side until the internal temp is 120 to 125. This will likely take 1 hr to 1 1/2 hrs.
To finish the lamb grill over direct heat. As the lamb finishes on indirect side, open the bottom vent all with way to start increasing heat. Once you transfer the lamb to the direct side, leave the lid open for a few minutes until the fire is robust. Ok to close the lid and grill for about 5 minutes each side, allowing the flames to return with an open lid each time your turn the lamb. For lamb we target an internal temp of 135 to 140.
Let the Primo Grilled Leg of Lamb rest for 20 minutes or so.
To carve the leg, we recommend holding it upright.
Using this reverse sear method on the Primo allows even internal cooking from the indirect side with a beautiful exterior from the direct heat finish.
We would recommend serving with a yogurt sauce that utilizes the same flavors as the brine and rub.
For the sauce combine in food processor or with hand held blender:
- 1 1/2 cups plain Greek yogurt
- juice of two lemons
- 1 seedless cucumber, peeled and chopped
- 4 tablespoons of garlic herb paste above
- Salt and pepper to taste