lamb

barbecued leg of lamb with thai green spices

servings
4

method

This is one of the very first barbecue dinner party dishes I ever cooked. The green Thai flavors build up layer of fragrant flavour. Most people seem to have got the hang of fast cooking on the BBQ but it's great for slow-cooked melting dishes too. When it comes to cooking big pieces of meat like a shoulder of lamb or a whole chicken or a big brisket of beef on the BBQ, unless you have a cool BBQ which you can control and keep an eye on it's often safest to start off the cooking in the oven and finish it on the BBQ to get that lovely charred crust.

Preheat your oven to 170°C/325°F/gas 3. Place the kaffir lime leaves, ginger, lemon grass, garlic, most of the coriander and chillies into a large pestle and mortar or a food processor and bash or pulse until you have a thick, fragrant, green paste. Stir in the olive oil and the lime juice.

Rub the marinade all over the lamb, making sure you get into all the nooks and crannies. Most of it will fall off during cooking, but it will still give the meat the most fantastic flavour. Season the lamb well and place it in a roasting tray. Cover with tinfoil and pop it in the preheated oven for about an hour.

After half an hour or so, light your BBQ so the flames have a chance to die down nicely. Make sure you have coals piled up high on one side so it's super hot and low on the other side for a more gentle heat to give you some control. Take the lamb out of the oven and cut or break it into a few big chunks, this way it'll be much easier to handle.

Place the lamb on the hot side of the barbie with the tray with all its juices on the cooler side. Squeeze a bit more lime juice into the tray if you like – you want the acidity to be like a mint sauce. Turn the meat regularly, basting it in the juices from the tray as you go. This will give you a nice, dark crust. Give the meat about 10 minutes like this, to build up the colour.

Once your meat is done, remove it to a board, cover loosely with foil and leave to rest. Pour the coconut milk into the tray and allow it to bubble for a couple of minutes until thickened.

Carve your lamb into chunky slices. Serve the sliced lamb with the Thai sauce, sprinkled with chopped chili and the remaining coriander. An absolute showstopper.

ingredients

for the marinade:
• 10 kaffir lime leaves, torn
• 2 thumb-sized pieces of fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 sticks of lemon grass, trimmed and roughly chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled
a bunch of fresh coriander, leaves picked
• 2 green chillies, roughly chopped
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• juice of 2 limes

for the lamb:
• 1 x 2-2.5kg leg of lamb, butterflied (ask your butcher to do this for you)
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 x 400ml tin coconut milk
• 1 fresh red chilli, deseeded and chopped
optional: juice of 1 lime

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1. by superkat on Thu 20 Jan 2011 @ 20:23

Can i do this with an extra hour in the oven, instead of BBQ-ing? Only I'm in Lancashire, the temperature is below freezing, and if you think I'm getting the barbeque out in this weather, you can stick your hot pot up yer....... xx

2. by Sebastian Ogden on Sat 17 Oct 2009 @ 17:08

Not sure what Robert's problem is but I find Meat Flies delicious. Best not to eat the eggs though as it endangers their reproduction. Yes, they are a delicacy, but only eat between July and October after most have already spawned.
But seriously, Robert, the production time for a 50 minute television show is 100 X that...that's why they have what's called "behind the scenes". Do you think that the onions just chopped themselves too...cuz I didn't see him do it.
BTW Jamie...this is an amazing recipe...am doing it again tomorrow (hence why I'm here again).

3. by Ivy (DK) on Sat 20 Jun 2009 @ 09:20

Hi there
Are having visitors for midsummers and are making leg of lamb. We have a "Weber" BBQ (the most common BBQ in DK). It is a round BBQ with a lid and ventilation you can turn up or down - is that what you call a "cool BBQ"? I will use only the BBQ, putting the lamb in the cooking tray for the first hour, but is 1½ hour enough? I was expecting to use 2-2½ hours.

4. by Eduardo Souza on Sun 03 May 2009 @ 23:27

That is the best...tks I just make it and love it....Eduardo Souza from Brazil

5. by ami on Thu 26 Mar 2009 @ 12:10

oh, and garnish with fresh coriander and a twist of lime, feel free to add a couple tsps lime juice to sauce too!
xx

6. by Ami on Thu 26 Mar 2009 @ 12:08

Hi Jamie, recipe looks amazing, yet to try it.
It was my partner's birthday the other day and Thai food was the theme,
I made a Thai green curry, based on a recipe given to me from a friend of mine who lived in Fuerteventura, Canary islands. I used to frequent his restaurant very often due to this yummy curry.

Here's the recipe...slightly different I know, but amazing!

700g - 1kg Chicken fillets
Thai green paste
1 onion (finely chopped)
1 red pepper (finely chopped)
1 green pepper (finely chopped)
thumb sized piece of ginger (grated)
2 garlic cloves (crushed)
Cup fresh coriander (ripped)
Cup fresh basil (optional)
1 stick lemon grass (finely chopped)
4/5 kaffir lime leaves
1 carrot, (grated)
2 tins coconut milk
Juice of 1 mango
dessert spoon sugar

Add splash of oil to pan & tblsp green curry paste,
Add ginger, lemon grass and garlic and fry for 30 secs on medium heat.
Add onion, peppers and carrot and fry on high heat for a further 1 min, mixing into paste well, Add coconut milk (both tins) lime leaves, mango juice and a splash of water, boil. Once boiled, reduce temperature and simmer on a low heat,
Add sugar and a pinch of salt.
Cook for 10 mins on low heat, check the taste,
then add fresh coriander (and basil if used)
Add uncooked chicken (small chunks) and cook in the sauce for approx 1/2 hour until chicken is cooked through and tender.
Add another splash of water before serving if the sauce is a little thick (it should be perfect)
et voila!

Serve with Jasmine rice mounds

ENJOY...it's delicious!
Comment please!

xx

7. by Penni on Thu 19 Feb 2009 @ 21:56

love the sound of this dish, but can i finish off in the ovven or under the grill maybe?
Cooking tomorrow :)

8. by Angela on Tue 23 Dec 2008 @ 16:50

I´m looking for a recipe of Jamie that I can´t find. I saw it on tv. It was lamb with rosemary, a very simple one.... Have anyone of you seen it?
Greetings from Spain

9. by Maha on Tue 23 Dec 2008 @ 01:12

HELP, Jamie:
I want to do this on Christmas eve (it looks mouthwatering) but just a few questions: do you remove fat of the lamb before marinating and cooking or you keep it all as is? Also, if I don´t want to BBQ later can I cut it in slices (after cooking for one hour) when cooled and then grill it in the oven? LAst question is that do you roll the lamb or just put it flat in the roasting tray?
Pls answer before 24th!!!!!

10. by Aisling on Wed 10 Dec 2008 @ 14:09

is that the best u can dooooo

11. by ilik on Fri 05 Dec 2008 @ 11:33

that's great dish. Thank you Jamie very much

12. by Gary Macey on Thu 04 Dec 2008 @ 22:31

Thanks Jamie, we're in NZ and were planning another leg of lamb that I hope I can do on the BBQ, so will try this out, weather permitting... seems to have cooled down here the last 2 Xmases on the day itself! Christmas in the sun, bring it on... cheers G

13. by JP on Mon 17 Nov 2008 @ 11:22

Good absolutely great! think I'm gonna give it a try as a "different" sort of xmas dish. Any suggestions on what to serve with it? Sticking to the Thai theme as much as possible?

14. by Matty on Sat 08 Nov 2008 @ 16:05

hi jamie i love ur new game i think its wicked hope u bring out another one when i am older i wnt to be a chef just like u

15. by Alfredo Silver on Fri 07 Nov 2008 @ 22:38

Thankyou Jamie Oliver for you great cook advise.

This one I make for my gf Sabrina yesterday night. Very like. Number one lamb in mouth number two Alfredo penis.

I am make more every day now!

16. by Yazzie on Thu 16 Oct 2008 @ 00:01

http://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=navclient&gfns=1&q=kaffir+lime+leaves

Please take a look and visit the above link. This has nothing to do with racism. this is the name of a lime. Do we now stop referring to grapes in terms of color ie - white, or black? For goodness sake this is a food forum. Get real.

17. by spence on Thu 09 Oct 2008 @ 12:41

ive cooked this twice one for dates and once for crew and its absolutely bullshit!
it might even be one of the best things to come off my bb..epic!

18. by Lizzie Powell on Thu 18 Sep 2008 @ 15:56

I like the look of this but I don't like picey!! Just keep swumming, just keep swumming!!

19. by nicky on Sun 14 Sep 2008 @ 11:17

Hey, Somebody else has asked this one but couldn't see an answer ........ what vegetables, salad and type of bread could you do with the grren thai dish??? Also what starter would you suggest? The easiest it can be less effort more du vin blanche xxxxxxxx

20. by KM15 on Mon 23 Jun 2008 @ 03:53

dal: Cassie is right. Kaffir is a variety of lime (Citrus x hystrix) Kaffir lime is the common name, not something that Jamie, or anyone else has made up...The leaves are fragrant and often used for cooking. If it was to be censored then how would we be able to know to add it to a recipe? It is just a plant/ingredient...

21. by kevin on Sun 08 Jun 2008 @ 14:24

last week on the foodnetwork Jamie had a recipe for BBQ sauce consisting of fresh herbs and orange peel . I would love to get this recipe again .anyone help?

22. by Jacqui on Sat 31 May 2008 @ 14:36

Last year Sainsburys stocked your spicey rubs for meat.
This year they do not seem to be doing them.
Do you still make them or is it discontinued?
We were very addictied to the one for chicken.

23. by dal on Sat 10 May 2008 @ 18:11

cassie- I was not refering to the origin but the name given. I was also addressing JO or the owners of this forum not some racist lurker that felt compelled to comment. It was a simple request to the powers that be, something seemingly insignificant to many ignorant food lovers but deeply emotional to others. (Apologies to everyone else who has patience and understanding)

24. by david on Thu 08 May 2008 @ 07:53

if you fancy butterflying the leg of lamb on your own, have a look at the excellent "how to" video:

http://tv.jubii.co.uk/video/iLyROoaftY3I.html

25. by Pete Axworthy on Sun 04 May 2008 @ 14:01

I did this recipe yesterday and it was fantastic. The only trouble I had was all the fat came out in the oven into the roasting tray. I was was unable to make the sauce so had to make it separately. Any ideas on what I did wrong?

26. by cassie on Fri 02 May 2008 @ 09:08

Dal - kaffir lime refers to the tree the leaves come from, nothing more. It's from Indonensia - nothing to do with SA. Get over it. It's all about the food.

27. by dal on Thu 01 May 2008 @ 15:57

Can someone tell Jamie O that "Kaffir" is an extremely racist term that was used in apartheid South Africa. Nelson Mandela would be very disappointed to learn that JO has missed this one! Please find another term for the lime leaves. Otherwise FANTASTIC marinade.

28. by Felicity on Wed 30 Apr 2008 @ 18:10

What do you serve this lamb dish with?

29. by JEROME on Thu 20 Mar 2008 @ 22:46

Jamie thanks for making good food easy. I am an absolute twat in the kitchen, but thanks to you, friends can eat with confidence. you think I am joking. here's an idea ask the public to send in their worst recipes, and have a progam called Jamie will fix it. How's about that then. Keep on inspiring us idiots like me that food can taste great.

30. by lil L on Sat 23 Feb 2008 @ 05:08

i havent tryed it yet but it looks and sounds absolutly superb

31. by silvana on Fri 08 Feb 2008 @ 19:31

All of Jamie's recipes are mouthwatering, he makes them look so easy, certainly inspires my hubby to cook more. Can't be bad. Keep up the fantastic work Jamie.

32. by Super skeptic Forum Investigator on Wed 16 Jan 2008 @ 08:50

Whats up with the ads ^ ?
Anyways, I reckon its a bit phoney cooking lamb in the oven and taking it out an BBQ for the last coupla minutes and calling it a BBQ - its like in a 7km cross country, when you're hidden by the trees and bushes, you walk, but when there's no trees and everyone can see you, you start running again to make people think you ran the whole way.

33. by Sandra on Wed 09 Jan 2008 @ 04:11

It's beautiful, but then they all are, BUT I can't seem to find the Lamb Kebabs you made when you did the lamb show. it's just what to add after processing the lamb..please if someone could help..

34. by rebecca mercieca on Tue 27 Nov 2007 @ 01:08

it looks and tastes great!!!

35. by Nicolle_Spiers on Wed 10 Oct 2007 @ 14:59

That sounds realli realli nice. I cant wait to have a go at cooking that for meand a few mates for a friday night!! when i do ill let u know how it gets on . xx

36. by Kristi on Fri 05 Oct 2007 @ 12:22

I have been in hysterics reading the comment from Robert and then all the other comments written by others relating to his very insightful infomation about meat flies!!! Very funny!

37. by saffron on Thu 20 Sep 2007 @ 14:23

nice recipe

38. by kauser on Thu 20 Sep 2007 @ 11:01

still desperately seeking the roast chicken tray recipe from episode 7 of jamie at home. episode 7 is there but THE RECIPE IS NOT!HELP...

39. by ALBA on Wed 19 Sep 2007 @ 01:41

I come from Argentina, i soo Jamie four years ago in TV.
Today a found he by internet.
Im a fan yourn recepies are very interesting. Thank you for yours theaching

40. by mitchell on Mon 10 Sep 2007 @ 03:42

you are a influens to me because ur my faverit cook i love ur tv shows to

41. by Anna from Sweden on Fri 07 Sep 2007 @ 19:31

Light your barbie with "paper konts". My mum, who survived the 2nd world war in England, taught me how to roll up newspapers as fuel.

Lay down a good base, bit of air in between and then some serious knots. (My son was rolling paper knots when he was 3). I have NEVER used a chemical firelighter in my life and I've had "hungi's in the ground or just grilled some snags on the balcony. Depending on how you build the base, with discarded newspaper, you can light coal or huge, wet logs.
The chemicals are disgusting and trash the food. Van't you teach children how to light any fire with rolled up newspaper.
It doesn't take much longer and the food doesn't suffer. Contact me and I'll demonstrate.
I've converted hundrads.

42. by Ben on Wed 05 Sep 2007 @ 16:17

very good i can not wait for the book im goin 2 get it singed bu him

43. by colleen earl on Wed 05 Sep 2007 @ 04:27

What a great recipie what a great chef.love your site and tv shows.

44. by Scott Ferguson on Tue 04 Sep 2007 @ 03:19

Cooked this dish for Fathers day here in New Zealand. Stunning.
Thanks for your site, your podcasts, and your generosity in sharing your recipies and advice for free. Much appreciated.

45. by Dan Gleebles on Mon 03 Sep 2007 @ 22:49

Rhiannan Rumble, that recipe with the chicken thighs and pots is Jamie at Home the potatoes episode.If your in the UK the next episode is Onions where he makes a fantastic glish onion soup.

46. by Consey on Mon 03 Sep 2007 @ 18:49

I like the look pf this lamb dish but what is the one with the 3 types of meat marinated with a bbq sauce and cooked in oven 1st then bbq'd

47. by Matt on Mon 03 Sep 2007 @ 10:21

lol at Robert, that's awesome, this isnt done in real time, it's edited, if Jamie showed us every step taken to make the meal it would be a much longer pod cast...also who the hell washes meat? That sounds absolutely vile.

48. by Cream on Sun 26 Aug 2007 @ 13:22

I would like to taste it immidiately! Looks very awsome!especially your green thai paste, I really want to get it.

49. by dotty on Sat 25 Aug 2007 @ 07:53

this is just handsom cant wait for your new book to come out want that chicking ceaser salade you done on the richard judy show it looks blooming lovely

50. by fotis on Thu 23 Aug 2007 @ 18:32

hi, i'm from Greece.I'm also a cook and the way Jamie cooks really inspires me.I njoy every recipe he makes.And please..what do you wait from him, to wash all ingrediends on air??Time, espesially on t.v.costs a lot off money

51. by jay on Sun 19 Aug 2007 @ 00:11

my girlfriend cooked your recipe for penne carbonara last night and thought i'd like to tell ya it was lush. well done!

52. by Madeleine on Fri 17 Aug 2007 @ 22:33

Oh sorry, video answered that question :$

53. by Madeleine on Fri 17 Aug 2007 @ 22:26

I know what butterflied lamb ribs are, but what is a butterflied leg of lamb?

54. by welshjohn on Thu 16 Aug 2007 @ 21:40

Robert, you really need to chill. I'm sure that basic food hygene is followed despite it not being in a norml domestic setting.

55. by sass on Thu 16 Aug 2007 @ 17:11

Robert - it is a tv show, you do realize that don't you? It is not like you are seeing things in the exact sequence they occur in reali life. I am fairly sure that as a trained chef he would be well aware of food hygiene...

56. by robert on Wed 15 Aug 2007 @ 11:02

Every time I see Jamie he never washes the food he prepares yet people eat it. I find it disguisting God knows where the meat or vegetables have been before hand especially meat flies could have laid eggs on it!! I would never eat his food.

57. by Rhiannan Rumble on Tue 14 Aug 2007 @ 09:25

I dont have a comment about this recipe i am looking for one he did with chicken thighs potatoes and tomatoes, i am trying every avenue. But im sure this one tastes great too.)

58. by Riya on Sat 11 Aug 2007 @ 16:04

with picture, it will be much better!

59. by Nikk on Sat 11 Aug 2007 @ 13:18

Gr8 dish! IF you can't find kaffir lime leaves then just use lime zest works really well and still gives you that citrusy flavour, hoep that helps!

60. by Seanan on Wed 08 Aug 2007 @ 21:09

I can't get kaffir lime leaves where I live. What would be an adequate substitution.

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