- November 21, 2023
- Grilling
Smoked Leg Of Lamb (Pulled Lamb)
Enjoy the rich, smoky flavors of our succulent smoked leg of lamb recipe. Marinated in a fragrant blend of herbs and spices, the lamb is slow-smoked to perfection over smoldering hardwood for a melt-in-your-mouth experience that’s sure to impress your guests at any gathering. A delectable fusion of smokiness and tender meat that’s bound to be a showstopper on your dinner table.
Why This Recipe Works:
Decadent Yet Simple & Delicious: Lamb may seem like an overly decadent meal to prepare, but this smoked leg of lamb is actually simple to make and so delicious. It is slow smoked to tender perfection, so it is perfect for a holiday or special occasion when you want to make a show-stopping meal that everyone will love!
No Need for Oven Space: Smoked leg of lamb is a great idea when you need to make enough food to feed a crowd, but don’t want to use the oven since it will be occupied with other delicious creations! Simply smoke the leg of lamb instead of roasting it so you can save that oven space while also creating a deeper flavor and more tender texture!
What To Know When Purchasing A Leg Of Lamb:
In order to buy a bone-in leg of lamb, you might have to go to a butcher. Some grocery stores will have it in their meat section, but not all of them! Head to the meat section and ask. If they don’t have it, head to a butcher instead!
When choosing your leg of lamb, make sure to look at the color of the meat. It should be lighter in color, not too dark. If you have a frozen leg of lamb, make sure it is fully thawed before smoking it! It can take up to 36 hours to thaw in the fridge.
Most importantly, don’t be afraid of cooking with lamb! It really isn’t that much different than beef in the way it can be handled and cooked.
Supplies Needed:
- Smoker
- Sauce Pan
- Injector
- Meat Thermometer
Ingredients:
- Bone-in Leg of Lamb: I prefer using a bone-in leg of lamb for maximum flavor in this smoked leg of lamb recipe!
- Apple Cider Vinegar: You will need some diluted apple cider vinegar to spritz the lamb while it is smoking.
Dry Rub:
- Kosher Salt & Black Pepper: To taste.
- Spices: Paprika, cumin, coriander, onion powder, cinnamon, allspice, aleppo pepper and ground cloves are used to make a bold dry rub that adds tons of flavor to this leg of lamb! If you don’t have aleppo pepper on hand, you can use cayenne pepper instead.
For The Lamb Injection:
- Butter: Butter is going to add moisture and extra fat to keep the lamb extra tender.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: For a bit of tang and to help tenderize the meat!
- Beef Broth: Or vegetable broth, if you prefer.
- Dry Rub: Use about 2 tsp of the dry run you will make from above.
- Garlic Cloves: For aroma and flavor.
Preparation And Injection:
- Remove & Pat Dry: Remove the leg of lamb from the packaging and pat the meat dry with paper towels.
- Trim: Trim any silver skin and remove as much of the fat cap on the outside of the lamb. This will remove much of the “game-flavor” that is often associated with lamb and allow for the meat to take on a nice bark for smoking.
- Prep Lamb Injection: Prepare the lamb injection by combining all the ingredients in a pot over medium low heat. Cook the mixture until everything is heated through and then let cool for 15 minutes.
- Strain: Once the injection is no longer hot but warm, strain it through a sieve or cheesecloth to remove any solids. Otherwise, they will get stuck in the injector.
- Inject: Inject the lamb with as much of the mixture as you can. It’s okay if some of it leaks out. Place the lamb on a wire rack and leave it uncovered in the fridge for 2 hours or overnight for best results.
Smoking Instructions:
- Preheat: Preheat the smoker to 250 F and set the smoker for indirect heat. Add a foil pan filled with water to the deflector plate or cover the firebox inside your smoker for this cook.
- Make Dry Rub: Combine all the dry rub spices together and whisk to combine.
- Dry the Lamb: Remove the leg of lamb from the fridge and pat it dry a second time to remove any moisture that leaked from the injection.
- Coat in Dry Rub: Lightly coat the lamb in olive oil and then coat it in the dry rub mixture.
- Smoke: Place the leg of lamb onto the grill grate and smoke for 1 hour. Check the lamp and see how the bark is forming. If the bark appears dry, spritz or mop the outside of the bark with diluted apple cider vinegar to keep it moist and continue to smoke until the internal temperature reaches 165 to 170 F.
- Remove & Add Moisture: Remove the leg of lamb from the smoker and place it over foil with some pads of butter and spritz it again. Wrap it very tightly in the foil and place it back onto the smoker to continue cooking until it is probing tender, between 195 and 205 F.
- Rest: Once tender, remove from the smoker and let it rest, at least 1-2 hours in a cooler before pulling.
- Pull: Pull and shred the smoked leg of lamb from the bone and serve as desired. Enjoy!
Serving Suggestions:
Smoked leg of lamb is fit for holidays and special occasions, I mean look at how gorgeous it is!! So, I would highly recommend serving this pulled lamb with all of your favorite holiday sides. Here are some of my personal favorites:
- Smoked Mac & Cheese
- Lemon Pepper Brussels Sprouts
- Mashed Potatoes
- Smoked Scalloped Potatoes
- Smoked Stuffing Recipe
- Green Bean Casserole
If you aren’t serving this on a holiday, you can make this pulled lamb for delicious gyros and serve it alongside a tzatziki yogurt sauce and pickled onions!
Frequently Asked Questions:
Technically, no! The fat cap on lamb contributes to the gamey flavor of lamb, so I like to remove it. Removing it can mean that the meat will dry out quicker, which is why I added the step of injecting the meat! If you don’t want to remove the fat cap, you can leave it on.
Definitely. You will need a meat thermometer to know when the lamb is cooked and ready to be shredded! When cooking pulled lamb, it needs to be cooked long and slow in order for it to be easy to shred! You want to cook it to at least 195 F in order for it to get ready to pull.
More Smoked Recipes to Try:
Smoked Leg Of Lamb (Pulled Lamb)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 lb. Bone-In Leg of Lamb fat and silver skin removed
- Apple Cider Vinegar for spritzing
Dry Rub
- 2 tbsp Kosher Salt
- 1 tbsp Black Pepper
- 2 tbsp. Paprika
- 1 tbsp. Cumin
- 1 tbsp. Coriander
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 2 tsp Cinnamon
- 2 tsp Allspice
- 1 tsp Aleppo Pepper or cayenne
- 1 tsp Ground Cloves
Injection Ingredients
- 1 stick Butter
- 2 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1/2 cup Beef Broth or vegetable stock
- 2 tsp Dry Rub Mixture (from above)
- 2 Garlic Cloves smashed or sliced
Instructions
Preparation and Injection:
- Remove the leg of lamb from the packaging and pat the meat dry with paper towels.
- Trim any silver skin and remove as much of the fat cap on the outside of the lamb.
- Prepare the lamb injection by combining all the ingredients in a pot over medium low heat. Cook the mixture until everything is heated through and then let cool for 15 minutes.
- Once the injection is no longer hot but warm, strain it through a sieve or cheesecloth to remove and solids (they will get stuck in the injector).
- Inject the lamb with as much of the mixture as you can, it's ok if some leaks out. Place the lamb on a wire rack and leave it uncovered in the fridge for 2 hours or overnight for best results.
Smoking Instructions:
- Preheat the smoker to 250 F. and set the smoker for indirect heat. Add a foil pan filled with water to the deflector plate or closer to the fire box inside your smoker for this cook.
- Combine all the dry rub spices together in a bowl and whisk to combine.
- Remove the leg of lamb from the fridge and pat it dry a second time to remove any moisture that leaked from the injection.
- Lightly coat the lamb in olive oil and then coat it in the dry rub mixture.
- Place the leg of lamb onto the grill grate and smoke for 1 hour. Check the lamb and see how the bark is forming. If the bark appears dry, spritz or mop the outside of the bark with diluted apple cider vinegar to keep it moist and continue to smoke until the internal temperature reaches 165-170 F.
- Remove the leg of lamb from the smoker and place it over foil with some pads of butter and spritz it again. Wrap it very tightly in the foil and place it back onto the smoker to continue cooking until it is probing tender (between 195-205 F.).
- Once tender, remove from the smoker and let it rest at least 1-2 hours in a cooler before pulling.
- Pull and shred the lamb from the bone and serve as desired.