For Easter this year, I wanted to put something nice on the smoker, so I grabbed a leg of lamb from the local butcher. Turned out great. Tender, a hint of mint, and just the right amount of apple wood smoke.
Marinade
Didn’t over-complicate it:
- Chopped up some fresh mint
- Olive oil
- Cumin
- Sea salt and black pepper
Mixed everything into a paste, rubbed it all over the lamb, and let it sit in the fridge for a few hours. Pulled it out an hour before cooking so it wasn’t fridge-cold.
Smoker Setup
- Fuel: Lump charcoal with apple wood chunks from my apple tree that I dried last year.
- Temp: Held it around 115°C.
- Spritz: 50/50 mix of apple cider vinegar and water every 45 minutes.
Quick tip: Preheat your wood chunks on the grate before tossing them on the coals — helps avoid nasty smoke.
The Cook
- Put the lamb on fat-side up once the smoker was steady.
- Spritzed it every 45 minutes.
- After about 3.5 hours, it hit 65°C internally temperature.
- Wrapped it in foil and let it rest for 15 minutes. The temp climbed a bit, but still pink inside.
What I Served It With
- Couscous with pomegranate and herbs
- Yogurt sauce with mint and cumin
- Grilled vegetables and Halloumi that I grilled on my other Weber grill
- Flatbread that I heated up on the grill
The apple smoke gave it a sweet, fruity edge that worked well with the mint and cumin.
Notes for Next Time
- Warm the wood before adding it — clean smoke every time, or chop them up into smaller pieces.
- Char it either on the BBQ (or using a torch) to crisp out the outside