ELISE'S GRILLED BUTTERFLIED LEG OF LAMB

Elise's Grilled Butterflied Leg of Lamb image

Sear the lamb first, on both sides, grilling on high heat for a short amount of time. Then cook the lamb on lower heat until it is cooked through. In my opinion, the only way to eat lamb is medium rare or rare. There is nothing more depressing than dried-out, over-cooked lamb! For this reason it is essential that you use a meat thermometer to test the internal temperature of the roast. Preparation time DOES NOT include the 2 hour marinating time in the refrigerator!

Provided by Lindas Busy Kitchen

Categories Lamb/Sheep

Time 1h25m

Yield 8-10

Number Of Ingredients 9

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Ingredients

1/2 onion
4 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves or 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
1 lemon, zest of
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt, to taste
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
1 (5 -6 lb) boneless leg of lamb, butterflied

Steps:

Put onion, garlic, rosemary, lemon zest, apple cider vinegar, and olive oil into a food processor and pulse to combine. (If you don't have a food processor, just chop the onions, garlic, and rosemary very well and combine with the rest.).
Sprinkle a generous amount of salt and pepper over the lamb.
Place marinade and lamb into a 1-gallon freezer bag. Spread marinade over all sides of the meat.
Seal the bag and refrigerate for 1- 2 hours.
Remove lamb from refrigerator, and let come to room temperature (about 20 minutes).
When ready to put on grill, remove from marinade bag. To help make the lamb easier to turn on the grill you can insert a couple of skewers through the lamb, crosswise.
Prepare grill:
If you are using a charcoal grill, prepare the coals so that they are double layered on one side of the grill, and sparsely single layered on the other side of the grill (this is called "banked" grilling).
If you are using a gas grill, heat the grill on high on all burners to start. After the initial browning you will reduce the heat.
Place the lamb, fat side down, on the grill on the hot side (double layer charcoals). You will likely get flareups, so be prepared with a squirt bottle of water or a couple of cups of water (if using a charcoal grill) to control the flames if needed.
Sear one side for 4 minutes, then flip the lamb over to sear the other side for another 4 minutes.
If you are using a charcoal grill, move the roast to the less hot side of the grill.
If you are using a gas grill, lower the heat to low. You will want to maintain a temperature of 300-350°F
Cover the grill and let cook for an additional 35-45 minutes (depending on how thick, and how many pounds the roast is), until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the roast registers 130°F (for medium rare).
Transfer to a cutting board with a well to catch the juices. Cover with aluminum foil and let rest for 5-10 minutes.
Remove the skewers if you are using any.
Cut across the grain, 1/4 -1/2" thick slices.
Serve slices on a warm platter; pour meat juices over the slices.
Serve with mint jelly or horseradish.