Rosemary Grilled Leg of Lamb
Photo: Coral von Zumwalt
Ben Ford, chef of Ford’s Filling Station in Culver City, California, uses a generous hand with rosemary in this recipe to enhance the smoky flavor from the grill. He cooks the lamb on a wood-fired firepit-grill made by Cowboy Cauldron, but the recipe works beautifully with a charcoal or gas grill as well. It’s adapted from his book with Carolynn Carreño, Taming the Feast: Ben Ford’s Field Manual to Adventurous Cooking (Simon & Schuster, July 2014; $30).
How to Make It
Step 1
1
Combine oil and all seasonings except for rosemary sprigs in a shallow pan. Add lamb and turn to coat inside and out. Cover and chill 24 hours, turning occasionally. Let lamb sit at room temperature 1 hour before grilling. Brush off excess marinade. Tie with kitchen twine to make a compact roast.
Step 2
2
Meanwhile, heat a grill to medium (350° to 400°) with burner turned off (for gas) or coals pushed to half of firegrate (for charcoal) to make an indirect heat area. Or light an indirect charcoal-and-wood fire in a Cowboy Cauldron (see "Cooking in a Cauldron," below).
Step 3
3
Grill lamb over direct heat, turning as needed, until browned all over, 10 minutes. Set lamb on a V-shaped rack in a roasting pan. Set pan over indirect-heat area (on Cauldron, lift rack and put pan down on firegrate, then replace rack--it helps retain heat). Top meat with rosemary sprigs. Stoke the fire (see "Cooking in a Cauldron"); for charcoal, as you cook, add 6 to 8 briquets every 30 minutes. Cover charcoal or gas grill.
Step 4
4
Roast lamb, rotating meat in pan every 20 to 30 minutes so each part is exposed to heat, until lamb reaches 140° in thickest part, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours; rosemary may fall off. Let lamb rest on a board 15 minutes. Remove twine and carve.
Step 5
5
Cooking in a Cauldron
Step 6
6
Part firepit, part cooking tool, the Cowboy Cauldron (made in Utah) works as a grill, rotisserie, and more. Getting the hang of it takes practice, though. Ford's method: Ignite charcoal in a chimney, dump out onto firegrate, then crisscross 4 split oak logs on top. When logs are ashy, spread over half the grate to create direct and indirect cooking areas. Sear meat over direct heat area, then set in a roasting pan next to the fire. Turn the meat and stoke the fire with 1 or 2 logs every hour or so. Urban Cowboy (shown, 30 in.): $1,300; cowboycauldron.com.
Step 7
7
*Ask a butcher to remove the hip and leg bones from the wide end but leave the shank bone, which is useful as a handle for turning.
Ingredients
1 cup olive oil
Zest of 2 lemons
1/2 cup lemon juice
8 large garlic cloves, sliced
4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon sweet Spanish paprika
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup whole rosemary leaves, plus 12 sprigs (9 in. long); 4 oz. sprigs total
1 bone-in leg of lamb (6 1/2 lbs.), with hip bone and upper leg bone removed*; or 1 fully boned leg of lamb (4 1/2 lbs.)
Directions
Step 1
1
Combine oil and all seasonings except for rosemary sprigs in a shallow pan. Add lamb and turn to coat inside and out. Cover and chill 24 hours, turning occasionally. Let lamb sit at room temperature 1 hour before grilling. Brush off excess marinade. Tie with kitchen twine to make a compact roast.
Step 2
2
Meanwhile, heat a grill to medium (350° to 400°) with burner turned off (for gas) or coals pushed to half of firegrate (for charcoal) to make an indirect heat area. Or light an indirect charcoal-and-wood fire in a Cowboy Cauldron (see "Cooking in a Cauldron," below).
Step 3
3
Grill lamb over direct heat, turning as needed, until browned all over, 10 minutes. Set lamb on a V-shaped rack in a roasting pan. Set pan over indirect-heat area (on Cauldron, lift rack and put pan down on firegrate, then replace rack--it helps retain heat). Top meat with rosemary sprigs. Stoke the fire (see "Cooking in a Cauldron"); for charcoal, as you cook, add 6 to 8 briquets every 30 minutes. Cover charcoal or gas grill.
Step 4
4
Roast lamb, rotating meat in pan every 20 to 30 minutes so each part is exposed to heat, until lamb reaches 140° in thickest part, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours; rosemary may fall off. Let lamb rest on a board 15 minutes. Remove twine and carve.
Step 5
5
Cooking in a Cauldron
Step 6
6
Part firepit, part cooking tool, the Cowboy Cauldron (made in Utah) works as a grill, rotisserie, and more. Getting the hang of it takes practice, though. Ford's method: Ignite charcoal in a chimney, dump out onto firegrate, then crisscross 4 split oak logs on top. When logs are ashy, spread over half the grate to create direct and indirect cooking areas. Sear meat over direct heat area, then set in a roasting pan next to the fire. Turn the meat and stoke the fire with 1 or 2 logs every hour or so. Urban Cowboy (shown, 30 in.): $1,300; cowboycauldron.com.
Step 7
7
*Ask a butcher to remove the hip and leg bones from the wide end but leave the shank bone, which is useful as a handle for turning.
Search All of Sunset's Recipes
The Latest
This Oakland Kitchen’s Makeover Was Inspired by the Homeowner’s Late Mother
