Smoked Leg of Lamb Recipe

5 from 22 votes

Want to prepare leg of lamb in a new, flavorful way? Our smoking method enhances lamb's natural richness while creating a beautiful crust and so much garlicky flavor.

Prep Time1 25

Cook Time3 3

Resting Time10

Total Time1 3 38

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: barbeque

Servings:

Calories: 199kcal

Author: Kita Roberts

Ingredients

5 lb boneless leg of lamb
1 tbsp salt
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp fresh rosemary minced
4 garlic cloves minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp lemon zest
½ tsp black pepper

Instructions

PREP THE LAMB

For this boneless leg of lamb, start by removing the meat from the package and patting it dry with paper towels.
Snip the kitchen twine to expose more surface area and pat dry.
Season the meat liberally with salt.
Combine the mustard, minced rosemary, minced garlic, olive oil, lemon zest, and pepper in a bowl to make a coarse paste.
Cover the meat with the mustard paste, roll it back up with the thin layer of fat on the outside, and tie it securely with butcher’s twine every 1 1/2 to 2 inches.
If desired, shove a few more garlic cloves into the seams.
Wrap the lamb in plastic wrap and let it marinate in the fridge for 12 to 24 hours.

PREP THE SMOKER

When ready to cook the lamb, prep your smoker for a temperature of 250 degrees. See our notes about types of smokers and wood varieties below.
Remove the lamb from the fridge and unwrap it and let it come to room temperature while the smoker preheats for 30 minutes.

SMOKE THE LAMB

When the smoker has come to temp, add the boneless leg of lamb to the grill grates over a drip pan.
Close the lid and smoke the lamb checking the internal temperature of the lamb after 2 hours and every 25-30 minutes until the lamb has cooked to 110-120 degrees (depending on your desired finished temp).
Remove the smoked lamb from the grill and set aside. Then, adjust the air vents or turn the pellet smoker to the sear setting.
Allow the grill to heat up to around 400-450 degrees F and return the lamb to the grill for a quick sear on all sides, about 3 to 4 minutes a side.

REST, SLICE, AND SERVE

Remove the lamb from the grill and tent it with foil. Allow the smoked leg of lamb to rest for 10-15 minutes before carving.
When ready to serve, snip the kitchen twine and remove it. Then, carve the roast into thin slices with a sharp knife for serving.

Notes

For a bone-in leg of lamb: this recipe will work for a bone in leg of lamb as well. We suggest lowering the grill temperature to 225 degree F and smoking until the internal temperature reaches your personal preference taking into account the additional temp it will gain when the legis reverse seared and rested.

For a Gas Grill:

Start a directed above to prep the smoked boneless leg of lamb recipe. Then preheat your grill with all the burners on low, clean, and oil your grate.
Turn off one of the 2 burners (or 2 of the 4 burners) to create a hot and cool side of the grill. Allow the grill to reduce in temp to around 250 degrees F.
Arrange a smoker box or foil packet filled with woodchips over the lit burner to use wood chips on a gas grill for added flavor.
Grill on the cooler side of the grill as directed in the recipe steps.

For a Pellet Grill:

After you've prepped the lamb, Preheat your Traeger grill or pellet smoker to 250 degrees F according to the manufacturer's directions.
Cook as instructed in the recipe card.
We use Jack Daniel's charcoal pellets and put a smoker box filled with wood chips right on the grill grates for extra flavor.

For a charcoal grill:

When ready to grill, build a 2-zone fire by lighting charcoal in a charcoal chimney.
After 15 minutes, when the coals are about 70% ashed over, carefully pour the coals to one side of the grill. Add wood chunks and cover the lid, adjusting the air vents as needed for the grill to preheat to 250 degrees F.
When the smoke is clean (light blue and transparent, not dark and 'dirty'), and the grill holds an even heat, add a water pan under the grill grate.
Then return to the grill grate and add the leg of lamb to the cooler side of the grill.
Cover and smoke as directed above.
For charcoal grills, we use Cowboy All Natural hardwood briquets (and would even recommend the garlic and onion briquets if you can find them near you for an added aromatic) and wood chunks.
We love hickory or post oak wood chunks. Apple is a solid fruit wood if you want something a little lighter.

Quick Temps for Lamb:

Medium-rare 130-135F
Medium 135-140F

Nutrition