How to Cook a Leg of Lambprint recipe card
posted in Main Dishes by Kathy Maister |
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Lamb Leg, boneless, rolled: Roast 325° (165º C) |
APPROXIMATE Roasting Time |
Internal Temperature |
|
Rare |
20 to 25 min./lb |
135 F. (57.2 C) |
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Medium-rare |
25 to 30 min./lb |
145 F. (62.8 C) |
|
Medium (to medium well) |
30 to 35min./lb. |
160 F (72.0 C) |
|
Well done* |
35 to 40 min./lb |
170 F (77.0 C.) |
*Most people avoid cooking lamb to “well done”. It will be tough and dry.
There are several factors that will affect the cooking time:
- The shape of the roast
- The internal temperature when you first put it in the oven
- Bone-in roast will require extra cooking time
- Fluctuations in temperature of your own oven.
My 5 pound Leg of Lamb was removed from the oven when the internal temperature of the Lamb reached 140 F. degrees - medium rare.
It took a total of 1 and 1/2 hours to cook, which was considerably less time than what the USDA guidelines had recommended.
This is why a meat thermometer is absolutely essential when
you are cooking a roast.
When the meat is cooked, remove it from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes. The temperature will increase by about 5 degrees while the roast is resting out of the oven.
With a pair of kitchen scissors cut through the netting (or string)….

…..and remove it completely.

Slice the lamb into 1/2 inch thick slices across the grain. (Here and here are very some very good pictures that show how to carve a bone-in Leg of Lamb.)
I roasted some carrots and small red potatoes separately….

….and served them with this Boneless Leg of Lamb.

Enjoy!
Approximate Lamb Cooking Times:
Source: USDA Last modified - May 2007
|
Cut of Lamb |
Size |
Cooking Method |
Cooking Time |
Internal Temperature (Fahrenheit / Celsius-Centigrade)) |
|
Lamb Leg, bone in |
5 to 7 lbs. |
Roast 325° (165º C) |
20 to 25 min./lb. |
Medium rare 145°F / 43.5°C |
|
25 to 30 min./lb. |
Medium 160°F /56.9°C |
|||
|
30 to 35 min./lb. |
Well done 170°F / 62.4°C |
|||
|
7 to 9 lbs. |
Roast 325° |
15 to 20 min./lb. |
Medium rare 145°F / 43.5°C |
|
|
20 to 25 min./lb |
Medium 160°F / 56.9°C |
|||
|
25 to 30 min./lb. |
Well done 170°F / 62.4°C |
|||
|
Lamb Leg, boneless, rolled |
4 to 7 lbs. |
Roast 325° |
25 to 30 min./lb. |
Medium rare 145°F / 43.5°C |
|
30 to 35 min./lb. |
Medium 160°F / 56.9°C |
|||
|
35 to 40 min./lb. |
Well done 170°F / 62.4°C |
|||
|
Shoulder Roast or Shank Leg Half |
3 to 4 lbs. |
Roast 325° |
30 to 35 min./lb. |
Medium rare 145°F / 43.5°C |
|
40 to 45 min./lb. |
Medium 160°F / 56.9°C |
|||
|
45 to 50 min./lb. |
Well done 170°F / 62.4°C |
|||
|
Cubes, for Kabobs |
1 to 1½" |
Broil/Grill |
8 to 12 minutes |
Medium 160°F / 56.9°C |
|
Ground Lamb Patties |
2" thick |
Broil/Grill |
5 to 8 minutes |
Medium ° 160°F / 56.9C |
|
Chops, Rib, or Loin |
1 to 1½" thick |
Broil/Grill |
7 to 11 minutes |
Medium rare 145°F / 43.5°C |
|
15 to 19 minutes |
Medium 160°F / 56.9°C |
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|
Leg Steaks |
¾" thick |
Broil/Grill 4" from heat |
14 to 18 minutes |
Medium rare 145°F / 43.5°C 160°F / 56.9°C |
|
Stew Meat, pieces |
1 to 1½" |
Cover with liquid; simmer |
1½ to 2 hours |
Medium 160°F / 56.9°C |
|
Shanks |
¾ to 1 lb. |
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Breast, Rolled |
1½ to 2 lb. |
*Braise 325° |
1½ to 2 hours |
Medium 160°F / 56.9°C |
*Braising is roasting or simmering less-tender meats with a small amount of liquid in a tightly covered pan.
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31 comments
Ioannis Michanetzis
Greetings from Greece!
Thank you for presenting my recipe!
This is realy very close to the real thing, as we know it here in Greece!
Picture the roast being slowly roasted with potatoes in a traditionaly built outdoor oven using olive wood! This adds a discrete but unique smokey-oily smell and taste to the roast! This is something that is very common in the mainland villages of Greece.
More delicious Mediterranean recipes from Greece coming up!!!!
Ioannis I am so glad you suggested doing a Leg of Lamb! It was delicious! Cheers! Kathy
Excellent, thorough recipe. I just started eating lamb and I really enjoy it. I tried making grilled lamb kabobs with a juniper berry marinade. It was quite delicious. The juniper berries (which I had never had before) added a very subtle flavor to the lamb which was good.
Thank you so much for the thorough instructions and tips. This was my first attempt at roasting a lamb and it was fantastic! Thanks to you, I am hooked ! ;-)
Mike Munday
Is this for a convection oven set at Convection Roast?
Hi Mike,
(I'm not sure I understand your question, but...)
All of my directions are based on "conventional" oven settings - with no fan.
You will have to check your oven manual to determine the correct "convection" oven setting.
Good Luck
Kathy
Hi.
Mike, I agree with Kathy that the oven should be set to "conventional" roasting.
Just a little historical background on this: This dish is a traditional Greek dish cooked in Greece for centuries (even before the potatoes came from the new world!). The cooking has not changed much since the ancient times. In many country homes (and city homes, because it is now trendy!) there are outdoor brick-and-mud closed ovens where wood (preferably dried olive tree branches) is burned and when the wood is charcoaled, the pan with the food is placed in to be cooked. This combination cooks the food slowly at the perfect temperature, and gives a unique "smokey" taste also. There is nothing like roast lamb cooked this way!!!!
Another trick (which you can try in any oven) is to place a layer of vine branches (thoroughly cleaned) in the pan, and place the meat on the branches. The vine branches let the meat cook all-around and give a natural delicate unique taste also! Try it !!!!
Best Regards to all!
Hi Ioannis,
Congratulations! You did it!!!
Your web site looks beautiful as does the Original Carbonara recipe! (I translated it in Google translate)
It is great to see that you are up and running. I do hope we are going to see YOUR roasted leg of lamb!!!
As the inspiration for this post, I am delighted your were able to jump in and help answer Mike's question.
Best of Luck to you and your new career as a chef!
Cheers,
Kathy
bill toomey
Thanks for this great recipe!
As my family grows, so do the holiday dinners. Some of my kids go to other dinners before coming here. I'm assuming they will all have turkey or ham at those dinners, therefore the leg of lamb seems like a great choice for our meal here.
Thanks!
Bill
P.S. Are you supposed to have mint jelly or something with the lamb?
Hi Bill.
Thanks for the nice words!
Well, the Greek traditional way for this recipe, has it that the food is quite "dry". That's why we use just plain lemon juice, salt, pepper and some oregano over the meat. Combined with the potatoes that are cooked together and carry some of the oils(olive oil+fat from the meat), it will be just fine.
Nevertheless, a traditional add-on with this food is the "TZATZIKI" (pronounced: JA-JI-KI) salad which is very-very common and popular in Greece.
Tzatziki
Take 2 cups of Yogurt STRAINED. Some stores in the US have the Greek Strained Yogurt FAGE which is perfect because of the thick texture (Don't use a "watery" creamy yogurt: the Tzatziki will fail!).
Add two garlic cloves pureed, half a large cucumber grated and without the liquid that comes out from the grating, some ground pepper, oregano and salt (not too much salt), half a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, and 5-6 drops of grape vinegar.
Thoughroughly mix with a fork and leave to stand in the fridge for an hour and you're ready! Try the roast lamb just with Tzatziki, you will thank me (and all the Greeks for it!)
Best Regards,
Ioannis.
Thanks Ioannis for the great recipe on making tzatziki!
Bill I love mint jelly with lamb! There are all different types at the grocery store. Some are very sweet just like regular jelly and others have a vinegar base. Try both and see with one you like best! (I like the sweet one!)
I'm cooking lamb today instead of turkey or ham and I needed some ideas. I am using a wet rub to crust the roast (mustard) and I wanted an idea of which spices to add to it; thanks for great information.
You are SOOOO right about using a meat thermometer. The USDA cooking times are always on the high side of the spectrum. I guess to avoid a lawsuit.
I tried this recipe, but also added some grainy dijon mustard the mix. This helped to create a nice outer crust.
Thanks :)
vanessa
I have a quick question--if i'm cooking a bone-in leg of lamb do i start cooking at 450 for 20 minutes and then reduce heat to 325 for about 20 minutes (for medium)?
thanks much,
Vanessa
Hi Vanessa,
Good question. I would say yes, but the USDA basically says that you can roast a bone in leg of lamb for 325 from the get go. (see chart above)
Starting with a really high temperature means the outside will develop an nice crusty brown on the outside.
As always, there are many different recipes for cooking a leg of lamb. Elise cooks her leg of lamb with the bone in by starting at 425 degrees for 20 minutes then turns the oven down to 300°F and continues to roast the meat for about 10-12 minutes per pound for medium rare lamb.
I hope this helps!
Cheers,
Kathy
melissahowell
Hello Kathy,
Thank you for your great pictures and directions on the leg of lamb. This is going to be my first time ever eating lamb as well as cooking it.
Thank you for sharing
Patrick
We enjoyed the simplicity of directions and feedback from other readers. After 4 days on the road our first home cooked meal will be equally adventurous and rewarding.
vanessa
Thank you Kathy!
The lamb turned out amazing! We had a wonderful dinner.
Vanessa
Melissa, Patrick and Vanessa,
I am thrilled to hear that your respective lamb dinners turned out well! Happy Eating!
Cheers!
Kathy
Ken from Philly
OK follow the steps to the "T." After I chop garlic, squeeze lemons, etc I rub meat with spice mixture first, as instructed. When I next pour the olive oil wine lemon juice over the lamb, all the spice rub runs off and has collected at the bottom of the bag with the marinade. Is this supposed to happen? Or should we pour the fluids in first and then put the spice rub on?
Hi Ken,
I followed Ioannis's recipe as show above. Once you squeeze all the air out of the bag, the spice rub and marinating liquid surround the meat and all the lovely flavors get absorbed into the meat after all those many hours of marinating. Just be sure to tightly squeeze all of the air out of the bag.
Good Luck!
Kathy
melissa D
Thank you very much for all of your hard work and time, all the information was very helpful I'm going to go put my lamb in the oven now...
Karla
Hi Kathy ,
I have only had lamb once or twice but a friend of mine butchered up a lamb and gave me a leg of lamb bone in. I will follow your recipe. I am making this for my parents what would u suggest I serve it with. I would like it to be a 3 course meal.
Thank you!
Karla
Hi Karla,
This all sounds very adventurous!
My suggestion to you would be to check out my Recipe Index at the top of the page for some ideas on appetizers and desserts. I have many soup recipes which would be great as a starter course. For dessert there are lots of chocolate options as well as pies and no-bake desserts.
Three of my favorite soups are:
French Onion Soup (video)
Tuscan Bean Soup
Pumpkin Soup without the Fuss
Apple Crisp (video) is a great dessert that everyone loves! Or if you could try Strawberries Dipped in Chocolate.
Good Luck!
Kathy
Ken from Philly
The Tuscan Bean Soup recipe looks like a winner.
It is! Just be sure to use FRESH herbs and do not over cook the spinach so that it stays nice and bright green.
Shirley
I had about a 3lb. boneless leg of lamb, This recipe is wonderful but what do you do when you don't have everything required? Like what can I substitiue for the garlic(can I use dry garlic), for the olive oil can I use extra virgin, for the red wine can I use the red wine vinegar that is for cooking. These are the types of things I am speaking of. There are no alternatives listed and one last thing can I roast the lamb without doing the basting and keeping it in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
Hi Shirley,
startcooking.com is all about learning the basics in cooking. Substitutions are really difficult for beginner cooks, consequently I do not offer "alternatives" to the recipe ingredient list.
Having said that...if you are using garlic powder instead of fresh garlic, proceed with caution! Garlic powder is about three times as strong as fresh garlic so you only need a small amount. And no, red wine vinegar can not be substituted for red wine.
This recipe requires one to marinate a leg of lamb for several hours. No basting is required!
Cheers,
Kathy
This looks delish! I'll be trying it this weekend
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N Lotlikar
Great stuff. Keep up the great work!