Grilled Butterflied Leg of Lamb Recipe

How to make it

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• To butterfly a leg of lamb:
• Cut a slit down to the bone where it lies
• closest to the surface, and then cut it out carefully.
• Use a sharp knife! Always cut AWAY from your fingers to avoid a nasty injury.
• This really cannot be over-stressed.
• You'll also need to get out the kneecap, which is not hard, but
• a bit of a chore to accomplish.
• When you're done, you'll have exposed a thick vein of fat that
• was next to the bone; trim this out as well.
• When you're done, you have essentially
• "unwrapped" the meat from around the bone, so that it can lie flat on a
• roasting pan or grilling surface.
• If there are any particularly thick parts that won't lie
• flat, slit them (in the direction that the bone used to run) so they
• will.
• You may wish to cut off the portion of meat closest to the shank (the
• narrow end), because the white tendons there can make that meat tough.
• Use it for stock, or remove the tendons and use the rest for shishkebabs... use your imagination. Don't waste it; it's *lamb*! --- and it isn't cheap!
• ======================================================
• Make herb rub:
• Finely chop garlic and in a small bowl stir together with the thyme, rosemary,parsley, olive oil, salt and pepper.
• Put lamb in a large dish and with tip of a sharp small knife held at a 45-degree angle cut 1/2-inch deep slits all over lamb, rubbing herb mixture into slits and all over lamb.
• Marinate lamb at room temperature 1 hour.
• ======================================================
• Prepare grill.
• Lightly pat lamb dry.
• On a lightly oiled rack set 5 to 6 inches over glowing coals grill lamb about 10 minutes on each side, or until an instant-read thermometer horizontally inserted into thickest part of meat registers 125 degrees for medium-rare.
• (If using a propane grill, cook on low setting)
• (Alternatively, roast lamb in a roasting pan in middle of a 425-degree oven about 25 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer horizontally inserted into meat registers 125 degrees for medium-rare.)
• Transfer lamb to a cutting board.
• Halve and seed lemon.
• Squeeze juice over lamb and tent the meat, loosely covered with foil, 15 minutes.
• To avoid lemon seeds falling onto the meat, pour the juice through your fingers, or use a small strainer.
• Cut lamb into slices and serve.
• Cooking Tip:
• Butterflied leg of lamb can sometimes get a little testy
• . To secure loose flaps of meat, run two long metal skewers lengthwise and two skewers crosswise through the lamb, bunching the meat together.
• Securing the lamb this way will also help it cook more evenly.
• ENJOY!