Boneless Leg of Lamb Recipe

This full-flavored boneless leg of lamb recipe is stuffed with roasted garlic cloves and crusted in herbs for the most delicious entrée ever. You will love the big, bold flavors in this tasty lamb meal.

Lamb is one of my all-time favorite things to make and eat. If you love it as much as I do, try my Kofta or Scotch Broth Soup.

Boneless Leg of Lamb

Boneless leg of lamb is a leg that has been deboned for quicker cooking and ease of slicing and serving. You can purchase these from a local butcher or grocery store in the meat department. It’s almost 100% sold wrapped in a butcher’s twine netting so that it can hold its shape while cooking.

There are many ways to prepare a boneless leg of lamb, whether in the oven or smoker and with assorted ingredients stuffed in it, served on it, or alongside it. My recipe is for a smoked boneless leg of lamb, but the procedures and temperatures can perfectly be applied to cooking in the oven, although there will not be any smoky flavors.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Lamb – You will need a boneless leg of lamb for this recipe. However, these cooking procedures would also work for a bone-in leg of lamb.
• Oil – I use the oil from my garlic confit recipe. You can use plain olive or avocado oil for this recipe.
• Garlic – You will need roasted garlic or garlic confit cloves.
• Herbs – I used a combination of fresh thyme, rosemary, and flat-leaf parsley. You can substitute 1 to 1 for dry ingredients.
• Shallot – You will need a shallot for the sauce. However, you can substitute with a red, white, yellow, or sweet onion.
• Stock – I used beef stock for the sauce.
• Wine – Any cabernet sauvignon, merlot, shiraz, or blend is great.
• Seasonings – I use only coarse salt and fresh cracked pepper.

How to Make a Smoked Boneless Leg of Lamb

Start by removing the netting from the boneless leg of lamb and place it on a rack over a sheet tray.

Season the lamb on both sides with salt and pepper and place it on the rack and sheet tray for 24-48 hours in the refrigerator.

Preheat the smoker or oven to 225°.

Mix the oil with thyme, rosemary, parsley, roasted garlic cloves, salt, and pepper until combined.

Using a sharp knife, make 1” wide and deep incisions in 20-25 places about ½” to 1” inch apart from each other.

Stuff a roasted garlic clove in each slit until all the holes are filled.

Pour about 1/3 of the herb oil mixture over the inside of the lamb and spread it out.

Fold the boneless leg of lamb back over and place the netting around it again.

Use another 1/3 of the herb oil mixture over the outside of the lamb.

Place the lamb on a top rack in the smoker with a drip pan underneath. It’s important to use a drip pan. Smoke or cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 100° F.

Turn the heat up to 500° and cook it until it reaches 125° internally for medium-rare, 135° for medium, 145° F for medium-well, or 155° for well.

Remove it from the smoker or oven and place on a cutting board to rest for 15 to 20 minutes.

Take the drippings from the pan and place them in the freezer.

Add olive oil to a medium-sized sauce pot over medium heat.

Add in shallots and sauté until they are lightly browned.

Deglaze with the wine, turn the heat to high, and cook until there are 2 to 3 tablespoons of the liquid left.

Pour in the beef stock and cook until there is about 1 cup left.

Finish by whisking in the chilled pan drippings, optional minced fresh parsley, salt, and pepper.

Remove the netting from the lamb and thinly slice it.

Garnish with remaining 1/3 of herb oil and optional pan sauce. Try serving it with my Lebanese Rice.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Make-Ahead: This recipe is meant to be eaten as soon as it is done cooking and resting. However, you can make it up to 1 hour ahead of time and keep it warm at low temperatures in the oven, at around 225° F, before serving it.

How to Store: Place covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Cover and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for 1 day before reheating.

How to Reheat: Place the desired amount of meat in a medium-sized pan, add ¼ cup of beef stock or leftover sauce, and heat at 350° for 8-12 minutes or until hot. 

Chef Notes + Tips

• Any dry red wine will work for the sauce.
• You do not need to make the red wine brown sauce for this recipe.
• Try cooking this on the smoker or in the oven like a smoked pork shoulder to where the meat easily shreds apart. To do this, cook it at 225° until it reaches 170° F internally and then wrap it in foil or butcher’s paper. Cook wrapped at 225° F until it reaches 204° F internally. Rest it for 25-30 minutes before unwrapping and shredding.
• The pan sauce at the end is completely optional.
• You can make this in the oven using the same temperatures. However, place the lamb on a rack inside of a pan. Do not place the leg of lamb directly on an oven rack. Use a pan.

More Lamb Recipes

• Lamb Lollipops
• Braised Lamb Shank
• Rack of Lamb Persillade
• Greek Lamb
• Bone-In Leg of Lamb

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Boneless Leg of Lamb Recipe

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5 from 10 votes

This full-flavored boneless leg of lamb recipe is stuffed with roasted garlic cloves and crusted in herbs for the most delicious entrée ever.

Servings: 8

Prep Time: 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours hours 45 minutes minutes

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

• 3 ½ pound boneless leg of lamb
• 25-30 roasted garlic confit cloves
• 1/3 cup roasted garlic oil, + 2 tablespoons
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh thyme
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
• ¾ cup dry red wine
• 3 cups beef stock
• Coarse salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Instructions

• Start by removing the netting from the boneless leg of lamb and place it on a rack over a sheet tray. Be sure to keep the netting.
• Season the lamb on both sides with salt and pepper and place it uncovered on the rack and sheet tray for 24-48 hours in the refrigerator.
• About 30 minutes before the lamb is ready to be cooked, preheat the smoker or oven to 225°.
• Next, mix the oil with thyme, rosemary, parsley, 5 roasted garlic cloves, salt, and pepper until combined. Set it to the side.
• Remove the lamb and place it fat side down on the rack. Using a sharp knife, make 1” wide and deep incisions in 20-25 places about ½” to 1” inch apart from each other.
• Stuff a roasted garlic clove in each slit until all the holes are filled.
• Next, pour about a 1/3 of the herb oil mixture over the inside of the lamb and spread it out using a spoon, brush, or your hands. Fold the boneless leg of lamb back over and place the netting around it again.
• Use another 1/3 of the herb oil mixture over the outside of the lamb and spread it all around using a spoon, rush, or your hands, completely covering it.
• Place the lamb on a top rack in the smoker with a drip pan underneath. It’s important to use a drip pan. If you are cooking in the oven, place the lamb directly in a 13×9 pan and place it on the middle rack in the oven. Smoke or cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 100° F, which takes about 2 hours.
• Next, turn the heat up to 500° and cook it until it reaches 125° internally for medium-rare, 135° for medium, 145° F for medium-well, or 155° for well.
• Remove it from the smoker or oven and place on a cutting board to rest for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Optional Pan Sauce: If you want to make the pan sauce, take the drippings from the pan and place them in the freezer to chill quickly.
• For the sauce, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a medium-sized sauce pot over medium heat. Add in shallots and sauté until lightly browned, which takes about 2 to 3 minutes.
• Deglaze with the wine turn the heat to high, and cook until there are 2 to 3 tablespoons of the liquid left.
• Pour in the beef stock and cook until about 1 cup left, which takes about 10 minutes. Finish by whisking in the chilled pan drippings, optional minced fresh parsley, salt, and pepper.
• Remove the netting from the lamb and thinly slice it. Garnish with remaining 1/3 of herb oil and optional pan sauce.

Notes

Make-Ahead: This recipe is meant to be eaten as soon as it is done cooking and resting. However, you can make it up to 1 hour ahead of time and keep it warm at low temperatures in the oven, at around 225° F, before serving it.

How to Store: Place covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Cover and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for 1 day before reheating.

How to Reheat: Place the desired amount of meat in a medium-sized pan, add ¼ cup of beef stock or leftover sauce, and heat at 350° for 8-12 minutes or until hot. 

Any dry red wine will work for the sauce.

You do not need to make the red wine brown sauce for this recipe.

Try cooking this on the smoker or in the oven like a smoked pork shoulder to where the meat easily shreds apart. To do this, cook it at 225° until it reaches 170° F internally and then wrap it in foil or butcher’s paper. Cook wrapped at 225° F until it reaches 204° F internally. Rest it for 25-30 minutes before unwrapping and shredding.

The pan sauce at the end is completely optional.

You can make this in the oven using the same temperatures. However, place the lamb on a rack inside of a pan. Do not place the leg of lamb directly on an oven rack. Use a pan.

Nutrition

Calories: 290kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 28gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 80mgSodium: 259mgPotassium: 597mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 275IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 54mgIron: 3mg

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, French, Italian

Author: Chef Billy Parisi