Nothing goes better together than tender, smoky meat and a sunny afternoon. With that in mind, we lit up our Kamado Joe Classic 2 for an indulgent, Moroccan-inspired leg of lamb that packs plenty of flavour. We also grabbed our trusty Meater+, which kept track of cooking times, so we could focus our attention on other things – like putting together a fresh and creamy tzatziki accompaniment.
Serves: 8-10 people
Cook time: ~1 hour
Difficulty: Easy
Step 1: Preparing the rub
Ingredients:
Brown sugar 100g
Tomato pureé 1.5 tsp
Turmeric 1 tbsp
Paprika 1 tbsp
Coriander leaf 1 tbsp
Cumin 1 tsp
Oregano 1 tsp
Cinnamon 1 tsp
Ground ginger 1/2 tsp
White wine vinegar
Combining all the ingredients together, the dry spices and tomato pureé should form a stiff paste. Loosen the mixture with a splash of white wine vinegar and work the mix together until it forms a thick, wet rub that clings to your lamb.
Taking a small, sharp knife, make incisions in the skin of the lamb – try to space them out as evenly as possible. Then, split and peel 10 cloves of garlic. Insert the halved garlic cloves into your lamb, pressing them into the meat. This will impart more flavour into the meat as your leg of lamb cooks. After studding our lamb with garlic, this was our result:
We were lucky enough to get our leg of lamb from local Church Stretton butcher Hough & Sons – who were even kind enough to butterfly the cut for us. Needless to say, this fantastic piece of meat had everybody happy and well fed.
With one last sprinkling of oregano, coriander and black pepper, our lamb was ready for the grill. We had our kamado ready at 200°C and our Meater+ probe linked up – with everything in place we took our meat to the grill.
Step 2: Making the tzatziki
Ingredients:
Greek yoghurt
Cucumber
Fresh mint
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Tzatziki is a quick and easy side that serves as the perfect accompaniment for our leg of lamb. While the lamb is rich with tomato and spice, this tzatziki lends a cool, fresh flavour to balance each mouthful. First, quarter one cucumber and remove the seeds. Grate the cucumber, add a pinch of salt, and set aside. Make sure not to add too much salt to the cucumber – we’re only adding a small pinch to remove some of the water.
While you’re waiting for the cucumber to drain, finely chop the mint leaves. Apply gentle pressure to the cucumber, removing as much water as possible. Combine the yoghurt, mint and grated cucumber in a bowl and stir together. Add a drizzle of olive oil for taste and texture – add black pepper to taste.
Step 3: Resting and serving
Once the Meater app told us our lamb had reached its target internal temperature, we took the meat off the grill. However, it wasn’t ready to carve just yet – the lamb was wrapped in foil and left to rest for 10 minutes. Resting is an important part of the process for any cut of meat, ensuring juices distribute evenly. While the meat rested, we chopped up some salad to go with it.
Once the Meater app told us our lamb was properly rested, we pulled back the foil and started carving.
With all the crucial elements assembled, we served our spiced lamb, salad and tzatziki in wraps. Filled with colour, flavour and texture, these lamb wraps are fantastic with cold drinks and hot days. Want to see more cooks from Continental? Take a look at our recipes for Honey Mustard Pork with Red Slaw or Hot Cross Bun Bread and Butter Pudding.
These meals were all prepared on a Kamado Joe Classic 2 – for more information on this ceramic kamado grill, see our product page.