BBQ butterflied lamb

One of my favourite BBQ party pieces is to butterfly a leg of lamb and marinade it for BBQing, as the leg has been reduced to a thickness of less than 5cm, it only requires 10-15 minutes on each side to cook. It is great finger food too, as you can serve it in pitta bread with a salad just like a kebab. This recipe is my version of a Rick Stein classic…

This weekend we are having a little party at the plot so I will be preparing this to BBQ in the afternoon.

Ingredients

• 2.5Kg leg of lamb
• 2 large cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 hot red chilli, de-seeded and finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 2-3 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
• 1 fresh bay leaf, finely chopped
• zest (peeled not grated) and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
• ½teaspoon black pepper
• 6 tablespoons olive oil

Method

Butterfly the leg of lamb, reducing the overall thickness to less than 5cm, and trim off any excess fat. If in doubt, ask your butcher to do it for you.

Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a shallow tin. Place the lamb in the tin and make sure that it is well coated. Leave in tin, skin side up, cover and place in fridge over night.

Light the BBQ and ensure that the coals are white on the outside (or if using a gas BBQ just make sure it is up to heat.) Place the lamb on the BBQ and keep turning it to ensure that no part gets burnt. It should be cooked after 10-15 minutes on each side. if unsure you can always check it with a temperature probe, or put the whole lamb in a hot oven for a further 20 minutes.

Let the lamb rest on a board for a few minutes before chopping in to thin strips and serving in pitta bread with a salad and any sauces you like.