How to Cook Leg of Lamb + 6 Leg of Lamb Recipes

Nothing says “celebration” like a ridiculously expensive piece of meat. No, that’s not really true, but this is certainly the time of year for splurging, both in terms of dollars and eating. And few things (notwithstanding all of the vegetarians and vegans out there!) are as impressive an anchor to a festive meal than an extravagant cut of meat.

Greek-Style Butterflied Leg of Lamb with Feta Sauce

How to Prepare Leg of Lamb

A leg of lamb is one of the quintessential splurgy cuts of meat that are featured in many a holiday celebration. If you are lucky and keep your eyes open, you can often find them on sale during the holidays. Check the online circulars of your favorite markets, or if you have a butcher in town you may want to ask him or her to alert you when leg of lamb goes on sale. The love in my family’s eyes, however, makes any splurge worth it.

As many of us try to buy meat that is grass-fed, pasture raised, and/or ethically handled, we now have to accept the higher price tags that come along with this effort to eat meat more responsibly.

How to Cook Leg of Lamb: A leg of lamb is a quintessential starring main dish featured in many a holiday celebration.
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So, you do NOT want to mess this up. It’s a smart idea to invest a little time in planning out your cooking method and timing to make sure you get the best results in all the land.

Picking the Right Cooking Method for Leg of Lamb

For leg of lamb, roasting or grilling is pretty much the answer, and as the weather gets colder roasting tops the list since we are cooking indoors. The dry heat method caramelizes the exterior and allows for even cooking throughout. Sometimes a recipe will tell you to sear the lamb before roasting, which seals the exterior and encourages a more browned exterior, while preserving the tender interior.

Bring the Meat to Room Temperature before Cooking

That way the outside will not cook too quickly before the inside has a chance to lose the chill and cook. Yes, of course the outside will be browner and more cooked than the inside; that’s intentional. But bringing the meat to room temp before roasting will prevent a too-overcooked exterior or too-raw interior.

Choose The Cooking Temperature Wisely

There are different schools of thought on this. Some people sear the lamb first, some cook it slow and steady, some switch from high to low heat during the roasting process. All of these methods can work very well; make sure you find a recipe from a reliable source and follow it precisely. And make sure the oven is fully preheated to the temperature you chose before putting the meat in.

Using a Meat Thermometer

If you are investing in an expensive cut of meat you want to make sure you are taking it out at the exact right desired doneness. This is really only achievable if you use an internal thermometer to assess the innermost temperature of the meat at its thickest point, making sure the thermometer is not touching any bone. There are a variety of internal thermometers available, from ones you can check remotely to instant-read versions.

Here are some good meat thermometers to consider (which by the way make a really good gift for meat-loving cooks):

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Allow for Carryover Cooking

This might be the most important takeaway of all. Carryover cooking is the fact that almost all foods continue to “cook” after they have been removed from direct heat, so the internal temperature will continue to rise. This is extra significant and relevant with meat.

Herbed Boneless Leg of Lamb with Mustard Crust / Mia / Katie Workman / themom100.com

So if you want your lamb to be rare/medium rare, which would be an internal temperature of 125°-130°F, you want to take the roast out of the oven when the internal temperature reaches 120°F. This is also true for other cuts of beef or lamb, such as steaks and rack of lamb. Then the temperature will continue to rise 5 to 10 degrees as it sits, depending on its size.

Letting the Leg of Lamb Rest Before Slicing

You want to let the meat sit after cooking for two reasons. One, because of carryover cooking, above. The second is because the fibers of the protein change while the meat is cooking, and need to relax post cooking in order to reabsorb the juices of the meat.

If you’ve ever had the experience of cutting open a leg of lamb to see perfectly rosy meat and lovely juices, only to have the meat turn tough and gray a bit later, that’s because you cut into it too early. The juices ran out of the meat onto the cutting board, instead of being reincorporated into the meat. Patience is more than a virtue here, it’s a necessity. A leg of lamb should sit for 20 to 30 minutes before you cut into it.