Herb and Red Wine Leg of Lamb

On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…. the perfect combination of red wine and red meat, flavoured with your favourite herbs.

What could be more symbolic of an Aussie Christmas than a delicious roast lamb dish? It's even more Aussie because you make it on the barbie! This one comes to you courtesy of ‘Barbecues and Grilling Expert’ Derek Riches of About.com.

Herb and Red Wine Leg of Lamb

Ingredients

• 1 bone in leg of lamb, about 2-3 kilograms

For Marinade:

• 1/2 cup/120 mL olive oil
• 1/3 cup/80 mL beef or vegetable stock
• 3/4 cup/180 mL fresh mint leaves
• 1/4 cup/60 mL dry red wine
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 3 tablespoons/45 mL fresh rosemary
• 1 large shallot, roughly chopped
• 5 large leaves of sage
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 teaspoons/10 mL Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons/10 mL salt
• 2 teaspoons/10 mL brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon/5 mL black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon/2.5 mL coriander powder
• 1/2 teaspoon/2.5 mL allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon/2.5 mL cayenne pepper (use less or omit if preferred)

For baste:

• 1 cup/240 mL beef or vegetable stock
• 1/4 cup/60 mL marinade mixture
• Dash of salt and black pepper

Method

1. Cut away and excess fat from lamb leg. Rinse and pat dry.
2. Combine marinade ingredients in food processor.  Remove 1/4 cup/60 mL and set aside.  Apply remaining marinade liberally onto lamb leg.  Place into a deep dish, cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.  Meanwhile, prepare baste.  You can use some of this mixture to inject directly into the lamb prior to cooking.
3. Preheat grill for medium heat. This is best done with a drip pan underneath the lamb to prevent drippings from causing a flare-up.
4. Putting a bone in leg of lamb on a rotisserie skewer can be a little challenging. A long thin knife or large metal skewer can be used to make a hole by starting at the bone end and working it though the thickest part of the leg. It is important to try to find the center to balance the leg of lamb on the rotisserie rod. Secure with the rotisserie forks tightly. It might be necessary to tie the leg with kitchen twine. (see rotisserie cooking for more information).
5. Place the leg of lamb on grill, making sure it is properly centered and able to turn freely. Place drip pan under and add several cups of water to the pan. Keep grill on medium to medium high heat. Water in pan should not boil. If the grill has a rotisserie burner use that only. If the grill doesn't have a rotisserie burner, but has more than two main burners use the burners on either side for indirect grilling.
6. Grill lamb leg for  about 20 to 30 minutes per pound. Check temperature in the thickest part of the meat, avoiding the bone.
7. Once lamb has reached and internal temperature above 145 degrees F/65 degrees C (or high if desired) remove from heat and tent with aluminum foil for 10 -12 minutes.  Carve and serve.

If you loved this Herb and Red Wine Leg of Lamb recipe, check out another 11 in our round-up of Classic Christmas recipes for 2019.