Recipes

What you do

Make the Brine – Put all the ingredients in a large bowl, add the warm water, dissolve the salt and sugar.  Add the lamb and top with cold water, mix well and set aside for 1 hour.

Make the basting sauce – Add the peppercorns to a mortar and pestle, crush down to a coarse consistence.  Slice the garlic and add to the pepper with the salt and pound to a paste.  Add the lemon zest and mix and pound together, then pour in the lemon juice, honey, and olive oil.

BBQ, or stove + oven – Prepare the BBQ – light a chimney of coals and set a reservoir of water on the lower deck of the BBQ.  Tip the coals into the baskets and set one at each side/edge of the BBQ kettle – the water will be in the middle.  Place the BBQ grill on and close the lid.  After 5 minutes, rake the grill to clean, then rub with an oiled cloth.

Remove the lamb from the brine, drain and pat dry – Arrange the lamb in the centre of the grill and roast for 15 minutes, then brush all over with the basting sauce.  Repeat again after 10 minutes, then cook for a further 10 minutes and baste again.  Check the temperature.

Internal temperature = 57°C/135°F – The right time to take 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.  Grill the lemon wedges on the BBQ for about 7 minutes until a little charred.

Rest the lamb – Cover with foil and a tea towel.  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 is a blushing pink and beautifully juicy.

Plate up and serve! Slice the lamb on a prep board, arrange on a warmed plate and add the grilled lemon wedges and sprinkle with the herbs – serve!