We love lamb at home. Both children and adults. It’s one of the best things we enjoy in spring, and lamb on the grill always turns out great. In this recipe, we’re going for a leg of lamb on the grill. Read on and learn how to make a perfect grilled leg of lamb.
Leg of lamb for Easter
Spring has arrived, and with spring comes Easter and all the delicious treats that usually grace the table. For us, one of the favorites is a grilled leg of lamb. It’s something I grew up with, and fortunately, it’s something I’ve held onto over the years.
Easter often means Easter lunches for many people, and perhaps these traditions have become even more meaningful to all of us after years without family gatherings due to the pandemic.
Fortunately, we’re on the other side now and ready to enjoy lots of delicious food with family and friends during Easter. And of course, there must be a leg of lamb on the table. It’s something we have every single year because it just tastes so delicious, especially after a turn on the grill like here.
Ingredient notes
Marinade – Olive oil, Garlic, Rosemary, Lemon juice and zest, Salt and pepper – The marinade helps to infuse the leg of lamb with flavor and make it extra delicious and juicy.
Leg of lamb – Leading up to Easter, you may be lucky to find a leg of lamb at the supermarket; otherwise, you’ll have to go online and order.
How to make grilled leg of lamb?
There’s no doubt that I prefer a grilled leg of lamb on a rotisserie over a leg of lamb cooked in the oven. Grilling adds a special flavor, and if you can introduce a hint of smoke, it’s just perfect.
In this recipe, the leg of lamb is prepared on a rotisserie in a gas grill, but it could just as well be a charcoal grill. The cooking temperature is the same; it’s just much easier to control the heat with gas.
If you don’t have a grill at all, you can still make it in the oven, using the same temperature and cooking time; you just need to flip it a couple of times during the process.
Start by making a marinade. The easiest way is to blend everything together in a food processor. Once the leg of lamb is cleaned, pat it dry with kitchen paper and then coat it with the marinade. Wrap it up and let it marinate for a couple of hours or overnight.
When you’re ready to start cooking, tie up the leg of lamb with kitchen twine. It’s used to hold lots of delicious rosemary, which is inserted under the twine.
Preheat the grill to 180-190 degrees Celsius (356-374 degrees Fahrenheit). Place the leg of lamb on the rotisserie and cook it over indirect heat for 1.5-2 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 60-62 degrees Celsius (140-144 degrees Fahrenheit). Let it rest for 20 minutes before carving and serving.
Find the full recipe further down this page.
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Tips and tricks for the recipe
- Keep an eye on the temperature! 60-62 degrees Celsius (140-144 degrees Fahrenheit), plus a 20-minute resting time will give you a medium-rare result. If you want it well-done, aim for a temperature of 65-67 degrees Celsius (149-153 degrees Fahrenheit) plus resting time.
- Use plenty of spices! There are so many fantastic spices that complement lamb; the only limit is your imagination.
- Baste it with the cooking juices along the way. The goal is to infuse as much flavor as possible, so make sure to use the cooking juices generously.
- Fresh herbs! Fresh and full of flavor, there’s not much more to say. Just use plenty of fresh herbs like parsley, lovage, rosemary, thyme, and sage.
- Garlic. Garlic and lamb go hand in hand, so don’t hesitate to use plenty of it. Skip it if you’re not a fan.
- Swap rosemary for mint to get a completely different flavor. We’re used to using rosemary for lamb in Denmark, but using mint instead is highly recommended.
Serving suggestions
- Serve grilled leg of lamb with crispy oven-baked potatoes and a delicious salad.
- Place a foil tray with diced potatoes, olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and garlic underneath the lamb on the rotisserie. The juices from the lamb will drip down and create the most fantastic potatoes for the dish.
- Serve it with Greek-style potatoes.
Do you love lamb as much as we do?
Try our recipe for Slow-roasted leg of lamb
Recipe for leg of lamb on the grill
Here’s our recipe for a delicious, juicy, medium-rare grilled leg of lamb. In this recipe, the leg of lamb is made on a rotisserie, but it can also be made without it.
We hope you feel inspired to try making a leg of lamb the way we do; you won’t regret it.
Grilled leg of lamb
Ingredients
- 1 leg of lamb 1.5 – 2 kg (approx. 3.3 – 4.4 lbs)
- 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary for inserting under the kitchen twine
Marinade
- ½ dl olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic
- 3 tbsp fresh rosemary or mint
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 lemon juice and zest
- Pepper to taste
Instructions
Preparation
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Combine all the marinade ingredients in a mortar or a mini food processor and pound/chop until it forms a thick, cohesive mixture.½ dl olive oil, 4 cloves garlic, 3 tbsp fresh rosemary, 1 tbsp salt, 1 lemon, Pepper
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Trim the leg of lamb and pat it completely dry with kitchen paper. Now, coat it with the marinade and place it in a plastic bag or vacuum-seal it. Let it marinate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.1 leg of lamb
Grilling time: Preheat the grill to 180 – 190 degrees celcius (356 – 374 degrees Fahrenheit).
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Remove the leg of lamb from the refrigerator and tie it with kitchen twine, which is only used to hold the rosemary and serves no other purpose. Insert the sprigs of rosemary under the kitchen twine all around the leg of lamb. Now, place the leg of lamb on your rotisserie.3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
- The leg of lamb should be cooked using indirect heat. Place your rotisserie with the leg of lamb in the grill and cook it for 1.5 – 2 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 60-62℃ (140-144℉). At this point, the leg of lamb should still be pink.
- If you don’t have a rotisserie, place the leg of lamb directly on the grill and grill it using indirect heat. Remember to keep an eye on it and turn it occasionally.
- Once you have reached the desired temperature, remove the leg of lamb from the grill. Let it rest on a cutting board for 20 minutes before carving and serving.
Nutrition
How do you like the recipe?
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