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- Grilled vs slow-cooked leg of lamb
- How to make the best Morrocan baharat marinade
- How to butterfly a lamb leg
- How to marinade a butterflied leg of lamb
- Morrocan grilled leg of lamb pairings and side-dishes
- More delicious dinner recipes on the blog
- Grilled Butterflied Leg of Lamb in Moroccan Baharat Marinade Recipe
This is a simple but very tasty grilled butterflied leg of lamb dish that has been inspired by the traditional Mediterranean lamb dishes from Greek lamb kleftiko to the Middle Eastern, Moroccan and Turkish koftas and kebabs but with a cheats version of quick grilling, a good quality, deboned, butterflied lamb leg on a hot grill rather than slow cooking it. Infused with citrus, dates, mint oregano and Baharat which contains paprika, cumin and cardamom amongst other intense aromatics this is definitely a showstopper that is cooked in a matter of minutes on a hot bbq or grill pan.
Grilled vs slow-cooked leg of lamb
A large leg of lamb will make the centrepiece of any dinner table something special. In the spring, lamb is the meat of choice for a nice dinner party, a Sunday roast and of course a bbq. It is succulent meat with a sweeter flavour than most red meats. Slow-cooked in a marinade such as lemon juice, paprika and garlic oil as it is with the Greek way kleftiko, you will end up with a flavoursome meal intense with all the herbs and spices that have tenderised the meat and infused with all the flavours of the vegetables cooked alongside it.
Slow-cooked meat is certainly a treat and well worth the wait as of course is a Sunday roast that also takes some time to cook. With this grilled butterflied leg of lamb recipe we are treating the lamb leg as we would a large steak. This means we can cut the cooking time right down with no need for a long stint in the oven. Slow cooking will enhance flavours and alter the texture of the meat so that it just falls apart, but a decent lamb leg has a fantastic texture, especially cooked medium or medium-rare. In order to maximize on flavour so that even with a quick-cooking time we get a lamb steak that really hits the senses, we have introduced a marinade made with the citrus of limes, similarly to the lemon used in kleftiko and the intensely aromatic scents of baharat. This is a Middle Eastern spice blend used to flavour koftas, meat and fish and often just served as a condiment. The Turkish version includes mint which is a traditional pairing for lamb and in the Arab states of the Persian gulf where the name baharat comes from and simply means “spices”, they introduce dried limes. All these flavours permeate the grilled butterflied leg of lamb perfectly.
How to make the best Morrocan baharat marinade
To make the marinade, simply combine ⅓ of a cup of olive oil with the juice of two limes (lemons can be used too) with some date nectar, baharat spice mix and mint and oregano. You can use either fresh or dried herbs, it is entirely down to what you have. If you do not have a ready prepared baharat spice mix then use a mixture of all or some of the following. Paprika, coriander, black pepper, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, saffron, dried lime and dried rose. The whole purpose of flavourise dishes is to create a simple and fun cooking environment that really capitalises on flavour which often comes from a fusion of similarly thought out often traditional dishes from all over the world.
Marinades are said to work best if left overnight or for at least two hours but honestly, if you have only thirty minutes or so it doesn’t really matter as the marinade in itself will have uber amounts of flavour and can be spooned over whilst cooking at the end too. Just reserve some of your marinade aside before adding it to your meat to use at the end.
How to butterfly a lamb leg
Preparing the lamb leg is easy too. It also looks quite spectacular whilst grilling as well as when it finally hits the table before carving. If you can’t find a lamb leg without the bone, don’t worry you can remove it yourself. Simply place the lamb on the chopping board and insert a sharp knife to start cutting next to the bone.
Keep slicing down the bone until you have reached all the way across, then slice on the other side of the bone as close to the bone as possible until you can cut right underneath all of it, then remove it with your hands. Cut away any cartilage left and discard. If you have bought a deboned lamb leg already you will have it this stage already and all that is left is to butterfly the joint. You will have two sides of the rolled joint with one side larger than the other. The aim here is to create as much as one thickness to the whole leg as you can so that when you cook the meat it cooks at the same time. It will also allow a larger surface area of the meat to be penetrated by the marinade too. All these techniques are to reduce your preparation and cooking time. Start off with the smallest side of the lamb leg and with your knife make an incision into the thickest part of it and slice across the length of it as though you are unravelling a roll, then just flatten the surface as one. Turn your attention to the other side and again , make your incision into the thickest part. Copy what you did on the first side but due to the thickness of this side your cut will be deeper. When you have created the right depth, just flatten this side too. To go one stage further, and to make sure the joint captures as much of the flavour of the marinade as it can, we make extra slices into both sides of the leg to feather it. These grooves on both sides of the butterflied joint not only grab the marinade, they concertina the meat so that firstly, no part is really thicker than a couple of inches and secondly, so that the edges catch the flames of the bbq or the hot surfaces of the grill and start to char which adds another wonderful texture to your lamb.
What you have essentially prepared is a large steak with grooves that will not only aid your lamb with the cooking but will add to the visual effect of the dish.
How to marinade a butterflied leg of lamb
Once your lamb leg is cut to size, place it in either a bowl or a bag with the marinade and leave for however much time you have. If you don’t have much time, just remember to reserve some of the marinade before adding the meat to use at the end.
When you are ready to cook, get your grill nice and hot. Using some bbq tongs, place the lamb onto the hot grill and leave it on the bars and wait for it to be lashed at by the flames before turning it over. If you are using a grill pan, it is best to use a non-stick one. Treat the lamb as a steak and baste it with the marinade with a brush and cook it with the same timescales in mind. For a piece of lamb that is a couple of inches thick will be rare in about 9 minutes and medium rare in about 12 minutes.
When it is cooked to your liking, place it on a board and drizzle over the reserved marinade and rest for a few minutes. Then carve into 1cm slices and garnish with fresh green herbs such as mint, oregano and coriander/cilantro.
Morrocan grilled leg of lamb pairings and side-dishes
This is a fabulous grilled butterflied leg of lamb centerpiece (believe us, it makes the perfect BBQ gathering) and can be paired with loads of different dishes. Typically you would find this accompanied with some flatbreads and some dips such as hummus or spiced yogurts such as tzatziki or Greek yoghurt with a drizzle of spicy zhoug or rose harissa with some sesame oil. Olive oil with added za’atar or dukka is also nice as is a salad of onions, tomatoes and coriander/cilantro.
Oven-roasted chips are equally recommended as they can be prepared in no time at all. You can also spice them up with more Middle Eastern flavours such as Ras el Hanout to make them even more interesting. The choice, of course, is yours.
More delicious dinner recipes on the blog
Grilled Butterflied Leg of Lamb in Moroccan Baharat Marinade Recipe
Equipment
- Barbecue
Ingredients
- 750 g deboned leg of lamb
For the baharat marinade
- 80 ml (⅓ of a cup) of olive oil
- 60 ml of fresh lime juice (juice of 2 limes, or a 1 large lemon)
- ½ tablespoon of date nectar
- 2 teaspoons of baharat spice mix (you can find baharat spice mix in most super markets)
- 2 teaspoons of fresh or dried mint and oregano
Instructions
How to make the baharat marinade
- For the marinade, simply combine all the ingredients together and whisk. Reserve 2 tablespoons to drizzle at the end.
How to butterfly leg of lamb
- Butterfly the lamb leg by slicing into the small side first halfway deep and flatten the surface.
- Slice the larger side with the knife in a 45% angle halfway deep too and flatten out. Turn the lamb over and score equal slices across the leg.
- Turn the lamb over and score equal slices across the leg. Turn the leg over and repeat the scoring so that the joint has feathered grooves.
How to marinade
- Bbq for 9 minutes for rare, 12 minutes for medium rare and about 15 minutes for well-done.
How to grill the butterflied leg of lamb
- Bbq for 9 minutes for rare, 12 minutes for medium rare and about 15 minutes for well-done.
- Bbq for 9 minutes for rare, 12 minutes for medium rare and about 15 minutes for well-done.
- Place on a board to rest for a few minutes before carving into slices. Drizzle over the reserved marinade and garnish with fresh herbs and more baharat.
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