Recipe for Spit Roast Lamb Leg
An easy method to prepare food for a special occasion or even for Christmas is to roast a few lamb legs on a spit. While a leg of lamb can be cooked in a regular kitchen oven, cooking it on a spit will give it a fantastic smoky flavour and enable you to roast additional meats (or multiple legs of lamb) on the spit at the same time. Additionally, as the lamb leg turns round and round on the spit, fats render out and rotate on its surface, self-marinating and producing a delicious bark.
Spit Roast Lamb Recipe Ingredients:
- 1 leg lamb
- Salt
- Sweet paprika
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Cumin powder
- Basting mixture: lemon juice, olive oil and a little salt if you wish
- NOTE: Because the quantities will change depending on the size of the leg of lamb, I purposefully did not list them. Normally, I just sprinkle generous amounts of each ingredient over the lamb to ensure an even coat. Because everyone is unique, season to your preference. The cumin powder is the only ingredient you should use lightly because it has the potential to dominate all the other flavours.
You might also buy our Traditional Lamb Seasoning and simply sprinkle it all over your leg.
Cooking Method:
Rub olive oil over the lamb if necessary to help the spices stick to the meat. Over the lamb leg, evenly distribute all the ingredients. Given the number of spices you have used, you shouldn’t be able to see any flesh. You can also use a knife to make small holes in the flesh, stuffing each one with a few rosemary and garlic slices for flavour.
Attaching it to the spit:
- A skewer, two chicken prongs, butcher’s string, and toothpicks are required.
- Pass the skewer through the lamb leg while attempting to maintain the best possible balance for the weight on the skewer.
- Lock in place by passing a chicken prong through each side of the lamb.
- If you’re having difficulties balancing the load, use a counterbalance weight.
Cooking time:
Allow around 3 hours to be on the safe side because a lot of factors will affect how long it takes to cook. You may always move the natural lump of charcoal to the side and raise the leg of the spit roaster to the top of the food that is ready a little earlier, keeping it warm without really continuing to cook. If the internal temperature reaches 75 degrees while using a cooking thermometer, it is done.
Enjoy!
by: Rhiannon Peterson