When you marinate a butterflied lamb leg in a bold garlic/lemon/oregano Greek marinade, very good things will happen … Specifically, amazingly tender, seriously flavour-infused lamb! Excellent to grill on the BBQ, or roast in the oven.
A sensational share platter meal option for gatherings – the Greek way! After more ideas? Browse all my roast lamb recipes!
Greek Butterflied Lamb Leg
Butterflied lamb leg is simply a leg of lamb with the bone removed so the meat lies flat and is relatively uniform in thickness. This means the lamb cooks faster than a traditional whole roast leg, as well as opening the leg up to all sorts of flavour possibilities.
Today, we’re going Greek! Lots of garlic, lots of lemon, lots of oregano – flavours that are a natural pairing with lamb given it’s one of Greece’s favourite meats!
What you need
Just garlic, oregano, lemons, the butterflied lamb leg (more on this below), and pretty please can we also pretend I didn’t forget to put olive oil in the photo? 🙂 Oil is necessary not only to add some richness and flavour, but also to dilute the lemon so the acid in the lemon doesn’t “cook” the lamb meat, like you see it done for Ceviche.
Butterflied Lamb Leg
Butterflied lamb leg is a lamb leg with the bone removed so it can be “butterflied” to lie flat. This gives you a broader range of cooking method options compared to a bone in lamb leg which is easiest roasted whole due to its shape. It also affords us the opportunity to really get some great flavours in all the way through the flesh.
When prepared well and cooked to rare or medium rare, it’s an incredibly succulent, tender lamb cut that’s ideal served for gatherings. A 1.7kg/3.4lb butterflied lamb leg (the meat cut from an average size 2.2kg / 4.4 lb bone-in lamb leg) will easily serve 8 people, if not more.
The outer surface, pictured above, will typically come with a layer of fat on it. Trim off as much or as little as you want – though I do caution against excessive fat removal because the fat keeps the meat nice and juicy, not to mention fat = flavour!
And here’s what the flesh side looks like. This is the side that the bone was cut out of:
How long to marinate butterflied lamb leg
If time permits, I recommend marinating for 24 hours. This yields more tender meat, and better flavour infusion.
However, the beauty of using butterflied lamb leg with this rather intense lemony-garlicky marinade is that even a short 3 hour marination makes a remarkable difference. All those nooks, crannies and crevices in the flesh that you can see in the photo above are just waiting for the marinade to seep into!😂
Note: The surface of the flesh will turn a bit white, from the lemon “cooking” the meat. Don’t be alarmed – it’s supposed to happen and has no effect on the final result. 🙂
How to cook a Butterflied Lamb Leg (BBQ or oven)
Because the lamb leg meat is “butterflied” out so it lays relatively flat, it makes it perfect for cooking on the BBQ, which you can’t really do with a bone in lamb leg. Lamb LOVES to be grilled, and it really brings out the best of those tasty Greek flavours!
Having said that, your good ol’ oven will do a sensational job too. In fact, while the Butterflied Lamb Leg you see in the video is grilled, the one in the photos was seared on the stove then finished in the oven (to finish cooking it through more evenly).
Make marinade – Mix the marinade ingredients in a large ziplock bag;
Marinate lamb – Add the lamb, massage well, then marinate for 24 hours (minimum 3 hours). Ziplock bags really are the most effective and efficient way to marinate this lamb because it keeps the meat fully enveloped with the marinade. If you prefer to use a bowl or container, increase the marinade by at least 50%, and toss once or twice during the marinating time;
BBQ, or stove + oven – Cook the lamb either on the BBQ (20 minutes) OR on the stove followed by finishing it in the oven (22 – 25 minutes).
Stove ➔ oven: Starting on the stove and finishing in the oven is the best method for thick cuts of meat like butterflied lamb leg. If you try to cook it just using the stove, you’ll end up with a thick band of overcooked meat on the outer edges by the time the middle cooks through.
On the other hand, if you try to cook it just using the oven, you won’t get much colour on the surface. Nobody wants a colourless piece of lamb!
BBQ: The ideal. The heat of a BBQ is more ambient compared to the direct contact heat of a stove, so you can cook it perfectly – as you will see on the video. Plus of course, you get all those smoky extra flavours from the grilling. Got charcoal? Even better. Bonus points for you!
.Pull temperature = 57°C/135°F – The right time to pull the lamb off the BBQ / out of the oven for medium rare is when the internal temperature reaches 57°C/135°F. It will rise a little while resting (next step);
Temp rises during resting to 62°C/144°F – Resting the lamb is essential, to let the juices redistribute throughout the meat as it sits. If you try slicing before resting, all those juices just run everywhere!
As the lamb rests, the lamb continues to cook a little more due to the residual heat. The internal temperature will rise to 62°C/144°F. This is precisely medium-rare, the optimal doneness for lamb leg so that it’s a blushing pink and beautifully juicy;
Plate up and serve! Put it out whole and let people carve their own slices off at the table, or you can serve it already sliced (my preference) for ease of serving.
Internal temperature of Butterflied Leg of Lamb
KEY TIP! Pull the lamb off the BBQ/oven before the target internal temperature is reached because it will rise by around 5°C/7°F as it rests. If you don’t pull the lamb off/out early, the lamb will be overdone by the time it’s rested – and how sad will that be?! 😞
| Doneness | Pull Temperature* | Target Temp after resting ** |
|---|---|---|
| Rare (dark pink) | 49°C / 120°F | 54°C / 129°F |
| Medium-rare (recommended, blushing pink) | 57°C / 135°F | 62°C / 144°F |
| Medium (hint of pink inside) | 63°C / 145°F | 68°C / 154°F |
| Well done (least juicy, no pink at all) | 67°C / 153°F | 72°C / 162°F |
* Pull temperature is the internal temperature at which the lamb should be taken off the BBQ or out of the oven. ** This is what the internal temperature will rise to after resting, and this is your final Target Temperature for your desired level of doneness.
The reality is, because of the uneven thickness of a butterflied leg of lamb, while most of it can be a perfect medium rare, the thinner edges will be unavoidably medium or even medium-well done. But that actually works perfectly to cater for guests who prefer their lamb more well-cooked!
How to serve Greek Butterflied Lamb
This dish is fabulous for gatherings, shared platter-style, or a quick summer meal that will feed your family over a couple of nights. Here are some serving options and suggested sides:
To start: Spanakopita – This lovely spinach pie, cut into small pieces, makes a fine first course before the main event;
Greek Salad – A big, juicy, fresh Greek Salad is literally made to serve alongside this lamb;
Flatbreads – Stuff the meat inside for homemade lamb wraps!
Rice (and similar) sides – such as Greek Lemon Rice, Mediterranean Brown Rice Salad, Greek Lemon Orzo Salad (Risoni)
Fast no cook side option – Couscous. Douse it generously with lemon, toss through some chopped tomato and cucumber if you’re feeling it, maybe some sliced olives. YUM.
Marinated Greek-flavoured Chickpea Salad (this is really, really good)
Bright, zesty Lentil Salad or try this Roasted Eggplant Lentil Salad
Tzatziki as an accompaniment (use the one in my Gyros recipe) or even just plain yogurt jazzed up with a squeeze of lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.
The platter pictured in this post features the Greek Salad, store-bought flatbreads (you can do better!) and Tzatziki.
Enjoy! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Greek Butterflied Lamb Leg
Ingredients
- 1.5 – 1.8kg / 3 – 3.6 lb butterflied (ie. boneless) lamb leg (Note 1)
Marinade:
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 3 large garlic cloves , minced using garlic press
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp zest (= zest of 1 lemon)
- 1/2 cup olive oil
For cooking:
- 1 tbsp oil (for brushing BBQ or for stove sear)
Serving options:
- Lemon , for garnish
- Oregano leaves , optional garnish as pictured
- Flatbreads or store bought pita breads
- Greek Salad
- Tzatziki (use recipe in Gryos) or just use plain yogurt
- More ideas listed in post
Instructions
- Mix marinade ingredients in a large ziplock bag.
- Add lamb, massage bag well to get the marinade into all the meat cracks and crevices.
- Seal bag and marinate for 24 hours (3 hours minimum).
- Remove lamb from the fridge 1 hour prior to cooking (to take fridge chill out for more even cooking).
BBQ:
- Brush grates with oil then preheat BBQ until very hot. (Takes a good 15 minutes, lid closed, with my basic gas BBQ).
- Remove lamb from marinade and place on the grill, fat side down.
- Cook for 12 minutes, then turn and cook the flesh side for 8 minutes, or until the internal temperature in the thickest part registers 57°C / 135°F for medium-rare or desired pull temperature (see Note 3).
- Loosely cover with foil, and rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Stove/Oven (Note 2):
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (all oven types). Place a rack on a tray.
- Cut lamb into 2 or 3 large pieces so it fits in your skillet.
- Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Sear until golden brown on both sides, around 2 – 3 minutes each side. (Note: It will not colour much more in the oven)
- Roast for 22 – 25 minutes, or until the thickest part registers 57°C / 135°F for medium-rare or desired pull temperature (see Note 3).
- Remove from oven, loosely cover with foil, and rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Serving:
- Either slice it at the table, or slice prior to serving and pile onto a platter. Fabulous served with Greek Salad, Tzatziki and flatbreads, as pictured in post.
- More side suggestions: Lemon Rice, Mediterranean Rice Salad, Greek Chickpea Salad, Lemon Orzo Salad.
Recipe Notes:
TIP for even cooking: Butterflied lamb leg is not perfectly even in thickness all the way through. The thinner parts will be more done than the thickest parts, but this usually works out well because there’s always someone around that likes their meat more well done! However, if you really want every part to be perfectly medium rare, just cut the thinner parts off the heat earlier. It tends to be the flappy ends so they will detach easily!
4. Nutrition per serving, assuming 8 servings and that 3 tbsp of the oil ends up in the finished dish. Excludes sides.Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Another kind of leg. No doubt the other half of him is up to no good…..
We’d never tried cooking a butterflied lamb before, so when we bought one this was the recipe we decided to try. We marinated it for 24 hours and then grilled it. WOW!! The flavours were incredible!!! We did end up slicing off bits that were finished as we cooked but that’s all fine. This is definitely a recipe we’ll be saving to use again. 😁
My first time making lamb for Greek Easter this Sunday. My boneless leg of lamb is 6.11 lbs. Would the cooking time change based on the weight for BBQ and for oven method? I am unsure which method I am going with (weather pending). Thanks so much in advance for your expertise and feedback!
I made only one change to this, and I will DEFINITELY make this again – I added a tin of anchovies to the marinade. I chopped them up, included the oil in the mix, and it added salt and that indescribable something delicious. Served for Easter, and it was way tastier than my lamb cake!
great add (anchovies). They make everything better.
If cooking on the bbq is the lid down for cooking?
I have a Weber Q and always cook with the lid down.
Thanks
Delicious!! I marinated it for 5 hours but it still had so much flavour. Always add lemon 🙂
I made your recipe yesterday for dinner. It turned out perfect. I have made lamb before but never a butterflied leg & never on the grill. I love lamb but my husband can take it or leave it….until yesterday. He went back 2 times. Thank you
this is one of the best lamb recipes I have tried. Made it tonight for the 2nd time on the BBQ; So Yummy
Nagi I just have two questions:
When I put the lamb on the very hot grill do I leave the temp up high or turn down and do I use the hood or leave the bbq open?
Followed this recipe exactly. It is perfect!!!!!!!
The lamb was delicious and juicy. Best I’ve ever had. Can’t wait to make it again.
So so so good and easy!! We had this for lunch with friends, Plus the Greek salad, plus your flatbread, plus the balsamic glazed beetroot. That 4x Recipetineats recipes in 1 meal 😂
I loved your comment Kerstin! Great food bloggers like Nagi have untold influence on dinner tables all over the world. How satisfying that must be..
The butterfly leg of lamb is being marinated as I write this. I’m expecting a great meal tomorrow night. However, the web site, and the way it prints out the recipe (?) is a major aggravation: despite my having highlighted ONLY the lamb recipe, it printed out EVERY recipe there was a link highlighted to. That resulted in 35 pages printed, with all photos having to do with the linked recipes. I also saved the recipe to my files, and it only saved the two pages of the recipe I had highlighted. Go figure…………
Hi Mark, Did you use the print button?? It’s at the top of the recipe. No need to highlight.
Made this on my Traeger pellet smoker grill and O.M.G!!! So delicious! It took about five minutes longer on each side to reach external temp. Everyone LOVED how soft and tender the meat was. I did marinate for 24 hours. I made the Tzatziki to dip it in and the Creamy Ranch Avocado Pasta salad as the side. PERFECT combo to go with this delicious recipe!
I’ve cooked a few of your recipes and thoroughly enjoyed them as did my family. This was gorgeous, thank you.
Im cooking the Greek buttiflied lamb tonight, I note that you only have one cooking time duration for cooking the lamb (25min)does it matter if the lamb weighs more or less? Thanks
Hi Nagi
Tried out this dish tonight on the BBQ after marinating for 24 hours, wow. The smell brought out the cave dwellers that live in our house that usually eat alone. Awesome taste and will be a regular in this house hole, thank you.
Hi Nagi. I only have a hotplate on my BBQ (no grill). Can I just use the BBQ hotplate following your grill instructions?
Yes Jenny – it won’t have quite as many crispy bits on the crust but will still be super tasty! N x
I’m going to make this tomorrow! To clarify the grill method – do I cook with the grill closed or open (I’m far from a grilling pro, lol)? and do I leave it at all the way high the whole time?
Thanks!
I cook it with the grill open Jessica, and yes it needs to be on high the whole time. Don’t worry if you get a few charred bits – that’s the flavour!! N x
This was delicious! This was the first time I cooked a leg of lamb and it was perfect! It marinated for about a day and a half. I roasted it in my air fryer for about 20-25 (I only used half of the leg) and did an internal temp of 140°. It was juicy and so good!
Hi Teresa, do you remember what temperature you air fried it?
Thanks for that feedback Teresa – I always love to hear how my recipes work in the air fryer!! N x
Excellent ! I’m alive again !
OMG Nagi!!!! that lamb was EPIC!!!!! succulent, pink, the marinade was perfect (i did add a tbls of thyme and rosemary, to perfect. I will make this again and again!!! thank you :):) Susan
I cooked butterflied lamb with bbq/oven using your cooking guide/temperatures. Cooked perfectly!
That’s great Helen! I am so glad you loved it! N x