Leg of lamb is a perfect for the grill.
The small size of the leg of lamb makes it easy to prepare, and the smoking time is very short. With the addition of garlic, rosemary, and a lamb rub, this recipe creates a delectable and superb leg of lamb.
And the smoke flavor brings so much to the table and imparts even more punch to the already exotic and fascinating lamb essence. Lamb is usually considered springtime fare, but this recipe is so easy to prepare that you will smoke your leg of lamb over and over again.
Why You Should Try This Weber Kettle Smoked Leg Of Lamb Recipe
- The best reason to try a rack of lamb is – THE FLAVOR! The garlic, rosemary and rub combined with the leg of lamb and smoking, bring out the uncompromising and unforgettable lamb essence and savor.
- Economical – One small leg of lamb from your local large grocery store will cost you about $20. And one leg of lamb feeds two people, so that’s $10.00 a serving. Pretty economical compared to the cost of a leg of lamb entrée at a fancy restaurant.
- Easy and fun to prep – We add garlic slices and fresh rosemary to the lamb by creating small slits all over the surface. For a cook, what could be more fun than that? And when finished, the garlic and rosemary-infused leg of lamb looks like a work of art.
- Easy to smoke – This is literally one of the easiest recipes to smoke with your Weber Kettle. It takes 30 to 45 minutes to smoke a 2 1/2 leg of lamb on your Weber Kettle. No moving around or flipping! So easy. Just set it on your grill grate and forget it!
Ingredients For Weber Kettle Smoked Leg Of Lamb
- One 2 1/2 pound small leg of lamb, without the bone
- 2 cloves of garlic cut into thin slices
- 1/4 cup coarsely chopped rosemary
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup lamb rub
Directions For Weber Kettle Smoked Leg Of Lamb
1. Set up your Weber Kettle for indirect smoking – Fill your charcoal chimney fire starter with charcoal briquettes, and when ready, empty the chimney in the center of the charcoal grate. With tongs, move the charcoal to both sides of the Weber Kettle, creating two equal piles. Add three more charcoal briquets and two small pieces of soaked wood or wood chips to each pile. Add more charcoal and wood as needed to maintain a constant stream of smoke.
2. Prepare the rack of lamb – Bring the leg of lamb to room temperature. Pat the leg of lamb dry with paper towels, and remove any excess silver skin and fat. Tie four pieces of kitchen twine around the leg of lamb to secure it.
3. Insert the garlic and rosemary – With a small paring knife, cut small slits to create pockets all over the surface of the leg of lamb. Insert one slice of garlic into each pocket, then insert a pinch of rosemary into each pocket as well. Brush the olive oil over the entire surface of the leg of lamb, and sprinkle the lamb rub over the entire surface as well. Pat on the make sure the lamb rub adheres to the surface.
4. Place the rack of lamb onto the smoker – Place the leg of lamb on the 8” x 10” wire oven rack and place it into your smoker’s grill grate. Replace the lid to the Weber Kettle and smoke until the internal temperature of the leg of lamb reaches 120-125 for medium rare, about 30 – 45 minutes, depending on the size of your leg of lamb.
5. Remove the leg of lamb from the Weber Kettle – Let the rack of lamb rest for 10 minutes before carving.
Variations And Substitutions For Weber Kettle Smoked Leg Of Lamb
The size of your leg of lamb – In this recipe, we used a boneless half leg of lamb that weighed 2 1/2 pounds. It’s really a very small cut of lamb that serves two people. But it is very easy to prepare and takes little time to smoke. So, if you are craving lamb, this is the perfect way to solve that issue! But if you are serving a family or having guests over, a full bone-in leg of lamb weighing roughly 5 to 7 pounds is the way to go. However, you can simply use the ingredients and the directions in this recipe, and your large leg of lamb will be just as delicious! Just be sure to smoke it longer and check the internal temperature.
The lamb rub and variations – As any lamb lover knows, lamb has its own unique taste and flavor. So you want a lamb rub that accentuates and brings out that piquant lamb flavor. Lambs feast on grass and flowers, so any herbs and spices with floral notes are an excellent combination. Here is an example of a simple lamb rub you can make at home. It’s the one I used in this recipe. Just a quick note: rosemary and lamb were born to be together.
Chef Keith’s Lamb Rub
Thoroughly mix equal parts of:
- Mesquite seasoning
- Kebsa (a Middle Eastern spice blend)
- Dried rosemary
- Dried basil
- Dried oregano
Tips And Tricks For Weber Kettle Smoked Leg Of Lamb
Leg of lamb cooking time – A 2 1/2 pound leg of lamb does not take very long to reach an internal temperature of 120 degrees for medium rare lamb. You think it will take longer, but it doesn’t. So be sure to keep an eye on your leg of lamb and have your meat thermometer at the ready.
Rare, medium rare, or well done? – I know it is always a matter of taste for each person to choose how they want their meat cooked. But lamb is just a little different. With gray-colored meat (or well done), the lamb loses all of its lamb flavor and goodness. A leg of lamb is best cooked medium rare and even a little to the rare side. It should be very pink in the middle, but of course not red. As we discussed above, the leg of lamb will smoke very quickly, so check the temperature in the thickest part of the leg of lamb often. You are shooting for 120 to 125 degrees for medium rare, and this should take 30 – 45 minutes, depending on the size of your leg of lamb.
Using an 8” x 10” wire oven rack and a drip pan – Placing your leg of lamb on the wire oven rack ensures that the leg of lamb will not sag into and between the grill grates, and it’s much easier to move the leg of lamb around and on and off the Weber Kettle. Placing an aluminum drip pan filled halfway with water on the ash tray under the leg of lamb to catch the drippings will help when it comes to cleanup, and add moisture to the smoking process. Just toss it away when you’re finished!
Smoked Leg of Lamb
Equipment
- 1 Weber Kettle Grill
- 1 Charcoal Chimney Fire Starter
- Charcoal briquets
- 1 8" x 10" Wire Oven Rack
- 1 Aluminum Drip Pan
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 pound small leg of lamb, without the bone
- 2 cloves garlic , cut into thin slices
- 1/4 cup fresh rosemary, coarsely chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup lamb rub
Instructions
- Set up your Weber Kettle for indirect smoking – Fill your charcoal chimney fire starter with charcoal briquettes, and when ready, empty the chimney in the center of the charcoal grate. With tongs, move the charcoal to both sides of the Weber Kettle, creating two equal piles. Add three more charcoal briquets and two small pieces of soaked wood or wood chips to each pile. Add more charcoal and wood as needed to maintain a constant stream of smoke.
- Prepare the rack of lamb – Bring the leg of lamb to room temperature. Pat the leg of lamb dry with paper towels, and remove any excess silver skin and fat. Tie four pieces of kitchen twine around the leg of lamb to secure it.
- Insert the garlic and rosemary – With a small paring knife, cut small slits to create pockets all over the surface of the leg of lamb. Insert one slice of garlic into each pocket, then insert a pinch of rosemary into each pocket as well. Brush the olive oil over the entire surface of the leg of lamb, and sprinkle the lamb rub over the entire surface as well. Pat on the make sure the lamb rub adheres to the surface.
- Place the rack of lamb onto the smoker – Place the leg of lamb on the 8” x 10” wire oven rack and place it into your smoker’s grill grate. Smoke until the internal temperature of the leg of lamb reaches 120-125 for medium rare, about 30 – 45 minutes, depending on the size of your leg of lamb.
- Remove the leg of lamb from the Weber Kettler – Let the rack of lamb rest for 10 minutes before carving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
