This grilled butterflied leg of lamb marinated in yogurt is a mediterranean specialty that uses yogurt and mint marinade to tenderize and flavor the meat.
Lamb is one of those cuts of meats where you either love or hate it. Luckily for my family, we love it! Most people who hate lamb say it’s because of it’s overwhelming aftertaste or smell. The preparation of this delicious meat is pretty important.
One of our favorite ways to serve lamb is grilled, either skewered or straight up, like with this Grilled Yogurt Marinated Leg of Lamb.
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Recipe highlights
- Simple: This leg of lamb recipe requires minimal prep work. You do not have to de-bone a lamb yourself because you can find boneless leg of lamb very easily at the grocery store. I break down all the steps to make it easy to follow. The yogurt marinade is also extremely easy to whip up.
- Marinade: If you are surprised by my use of yogurt as a marinade, don’t be. The active bacteria in yogurt helps break down protein, thus making your lamb super moist and tender. Marinating our meats not only adds flavor, but it also tenderizes the meat. A yogurt marinade works more slowly than the traditional acid version, so you will need a good 12 hours of marinating time. I also use yogurt marinate chicken for Persian chicken kebab (jujeh kabab).
- Mediterranean feast: When I first made this recipe, my family and I couldn’t get over how tender and delicious the lamb turned out. Seasoned with mint, basil and even oregano, you can picture yourself on the Mediterranean and savoring every bite of this meal. I like to serve it rustic style, with fresh herbs (sabzi khordan), flat bread, mast-o khiar (yogurt with cucumbers) and pickles and olives.
Ingredients you need
- Boneless leg of lamb: You can buy it already deboned or remove it from the bone yourself.
- Plain yogurt: Use plain full fat yogurt. The better quality yogurt you use, the better marinade it will make.
- Lemon juice: You can use freshly squeezed or bottled lemon juice.
- Onion: The acid in onion breaks down the meat beautifully. You will grate the onion and use its juice.
- Garlic: Use fresh garlic and not garlic powder.
- Dried herbs: I used dried mint and dried basil. You can also use dried oregano and dried parsley. I find that dry herbs work better in the yogurt marinade than fresh.
- Black pepper
Step-by-step directions
- Trim lamb. Using a sharp knife, open lamb up and cut into the larger chunks of meat so that it is of even thickness. Remove and discard the larger deposits of fat, reserving some fat on the meat which will add flavor during the grilling process. Place lamb in a large non-reactive pan, like a glass casserole dish.
- Marinate the lamb. In a small bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients. Pour marinade over the lamb, covering all parts of the lamb entirely. Massage the marinade into the meat. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 8 hours and up to 24 hours.
- Bring lamb to room temp. About an hour prior to grilling, remove lamb the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature. This helps cook the lamb evenly.
- Sear lamb. Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Sear lamb on one side, about 7 minutes, then flip over to sear the other side.
- Cook until done. Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking the lamb until a meat thermometer inserted to the center of the meat reads 145ºF for medium-rare, 160ºF for medium and 170ºF for well-done.
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Recipe tips and FAQs
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A butterflied boneless leg of lamb will cook more quickly on the grill than a bone-in leg of lamb. So cook until the center of your lamb is 145ºF for medium-rare, 160ºF for medium and 170ºF for well-done. I can not stress enough the importance of using a meat thermometer.
I purchased my leg of lamb already deboned. You can, of course, remove the bone yourself or you can try my Grilled Leg of Lamb with Rosemary which has the bone still on.
There will also be large chunks of fat. Although much of the fat will render while on the grill, I still like to remove the larger chunks of fat and sinews before I marinate the lamb. I am sharing my video for my stuffed leg of lamb so you can see how I do this.
Storing/Freezing Instructions
TO STORE: Store any leftover lamb in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
TO FREEZE: You can also freeze leftovers. Transfer to a resealable bag or freezer safe container and freeze for up to 4 months.
TO REHEAT: Like steak, I prefer to reheat leftovers NOT in the microwave, but sauté in a hot pan with olive oil or butter.
Whether you are cooking a bone-in or boneless leg of lamb, cook until the internal temperature reaches 140ºF/60ºC. This is the temperature whether you are grilling your lamb outdoors or roasting it indoors.
When grilling a boneless leg of lamb on a charcoal grill, preheat grill to medium-high heat. Sear lamb on one side, about 7 minutes, then flip over to sear the other side. Depending on how thick the butterflied lamb is, it should only take about 7-10 minutes to cook each side.
Grilled Butterflied Leg of Lamb Marinated in Yogurt
Ingredients
- 4 ½ lb butterflied boneless leg of lamb
- 1 ½ cup plain yogurt
- ½ cup lemon juice
- 1 onion grated with juice
- 5 large garlic cloves crushed
- 2 teaspoon dried mint
- 2 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Open lamb up and cut into the larger chunks of meat so that it is of even thickness.
- Remove and discard the larger deposits of fat, reserving some fat on the meat which will add flavor during the grilling process.
- Place lamb in a large non-reactive pan.
- In a small bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients.
- Pour marinade over the lamb, covering all parts of the lamb entirely. Massage the marinade into the meat.
- Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 8 hours and up to 24 hours.
- About an hour prior to grilling, remove lamb the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature.
- Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
- Sear lamb on one side, about 7 minutes, then flip over to sear the other side.
- Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking the lamb until a thermometer inserted to the center of the meat reads 145ºF for medium-rare, 160ºF for medium and 170ºF for well-done.
- Allow meat to rest 5-10 minutes prior to carving and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
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Written by Laura Bashar
Hi, I’m Laura, a certified professional cook and cookbook author living in San Diego. I have been sharing my family’s favorite recipes inspired from all over the world since 2008. Let’s cook up something fun!
wow Laura jan this looks gorgeous and I love your side dish choices. and your little veterinarian princess sounds so cute. kisses for her
You can’t take the “Persian” out of this girl! : )
We love lamb in my house. Unfortunately it’s hard to find, but when we do we gobble it up. Love the marinade and recipe! Thanks for being a part of the YBR 🙂
Fantastic adaptation of a Saudi classic!
Different Mediterranean spice profile altogether. The Saudi’s use a complex mixture of everything from cinnamon and cloves to dried Persian limes and marinate for at least a day. Then slow roast (200F) for hours or if a bedu – make a fire pit and bury it in the sand.
Great to find this on tasteologie!
Thanks,
Laura
What a yummy recipe! And loved your picture!! Tempting!
Thank you!
Awww your daughter is such a sweet girl. She wants to be a vet? How wonderful, from such an early age she knows what she wants to be! I’m one of people who are hesitant to eat lamb. In Japan only northern island of Japan called Hokkaido uses lamb but it’s not commonly eaten meat. I think I first tried lamb since I came to the US. I liked some lamb prepared very nicely (grilled) but didn’t like lamb in hot pot (Chinese hot pot). Like you said it was smell. However, my husband loves lamb and he often complains… Read more »
Persians use lamb all the time, traditionally, more than beef. When stewed for several hours or grilled, the meat is tender and flavorful. And not stinky at all!