Greek Butterflied Lamb Leg

4.96 from 21 votes

Greek Butterflied Lamb Leg

Recipe video above. This is a terrific, bold Greek marinade for lamb that both tenderises and infuses it with garlicky, herby, lemon flavours.

Butterflied lamb leg is a fantastic way to enjoy lamb because the flattened shape means it can be cooked relatively quickly compared to roasting a whole leg. In fact, I think that butterflied lamb leg is one of the best cuts of lamb for the BBQ!

Prep Time5

Cook Time25

Marinating1

Course: BBQ/Grilling, Mains

Cuisine: Greek

Keyword: BBQ lamb leg, butterflied lamb leg, Greek lamb

Servings: + people

Calories: 430cal

Author: Nagi

Ingredients

1.5 - 1.8kg / 3 - 3.6 lb butterflied (ie. boneless) lamb leg (Note 1)

Marinade:

1 tbsp dried oregano
3 large garlic cloves , minced using garlic press
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp zest (= zest of 1 lemon)
1/2 cup olive oil

For cooking:

1 tbsp oil (for brushing BBQ or for stove sear)

Serving options:

Lemon , for garnish
Oregano leaves , optional garnish as pictured
Flatbreads or store bought pita breads
Greek Salad
Tzatziki (use recipe in Gryos) or just use plain yogurt
More ideas listed in post

Cups - Metric

Instructions

Mix marinade ingredients in a large ziplock bag.
Add lamb, massage bag well to get the marinade into all the meat cracks and crevices.
Seal bag and marinate for 24 hours (3 hours minimum).
Remove lamb from the fridge 1 hour prior to cooking (to take fridge chill out for more even cooking).

BBQ:

Brush grates with oil then preheat BBQ until very hot. (Takes a good 15 minutes, lid closed, with my basic gas BBQ).
Remove lamb from marinade and place on the grill, fat side down.
Cook for 12 minutes, then turn and cook the flesh side for 8 minutes, or until the internal temperature in the thickest part registers 57°C / 135°F for medium-rare or desired pull temperature (see Note 3).
Loosely cover with foil, and rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Stove/Oven (Note 2):

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (all oven types). Place a rack on a tray.
Cut lamb into 2 or 3 large pieces so it fits in your skillet.
Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Sear until golden brown on both sides, around 2 - 3 minutes each side. (Note: It will not colour much more in the oven)
Roast for 22 - 25 minutes, or until the thickest part registers 57°C / 135°F for medium-rare or desired pull temperature (see Note 3).
Remove from oven, loosely cover with foil, and rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Serving:

Either slice it at the table, or slice prior to serving and pile onto a platter. Fabulous served with Greek Salad, Tzatziki and flatbreads, as pictured in post.
More side suggestions: Lemon Rice, Mediterranean Rice Salad, Greek Chickpea Salad, Lemon Orzo Salad.

Notes

1. Butterflied lamb leg – This is a lamb leg with the bone removed. I buy mine already butterflied. Otherwise, ask your butcher to bone out a whole lamb leg or do it yourself (use a boning or long, skinny knife and take your time; it's not too difficult.)

2. Stove/Oven – Don't try to cook the lamb all the way through on the stove, you'll end up with a thick band over overcooked lamb before the inside cooks. Needs to be seared on the stove then finished in the oven.

3. Internal temperature cooked lamb:

Butterflied Lamb Leg Internal Temperature Cooked

TIP for even cooking: Butterflied lamb leg is not perfectly even in thickness all the way through. The thinner parts will be more done than the thickest parts, but this usually works out well because there's always someone around that likes their meat more well done! However, if you really want every part to be perfectly medium rare, just cut the thinner parts off the heat earlier. It tends to be the flappy ends so they will detach easily!

4. Nutrition per serving, assuming 8 servings and that 3 tbsp of the oil ends up in the finished dish. Excludes sides.

Nutrition