BBQ Asian Leg of Lamb

The BBQ - an iconic Australian symbol, and a wonderful way of cooking outdoors. From the early days of the billycan, to hot, steamy damper, and finally the campfire-cooked catch of the day, Australians have made outdoor cooking a fundamental part of eating.

We Aussies relish alfresco dining, enjoying prime cut meat, poultry, and seafood, cooked to perfection with an abundance of salads - and of course plastic plates and cutlery, because who wants their weekend filled with washing up! During the outrageously hot summers, nothing tastes better with a barbie than a cold potato salad, with the freshness of vegetables and herbs.

To add to this wonderful array of backyard banquets, I’d like to introduce my BBQ Asian Leg of Lamb. It fits the Australian outdoor food philosophy to a T. A magnificent prime cut of meat, cooked on the coals in a throw-away baking dish - and feeds a crowd! That’s what we call a win, win, win! Good food, good friends, no worries!

 Ingredients

1.4 kg leg lamb

½ bunch coriander, roots included

½ bunch mint, roots included

1 red chilli

2 large kaffir lime leaves

½ Spanish onion

2 limes, juice of

2 tbsp. brown sugar

1 generous pinch salt

You will need:

1 x large store bought foil tray (large enough to fit a lamb leg)

Method

1.    Turn on the BBQ

2.    Lay the lamb leg on a clean chopping board, fat side up. Score the fat one way, then the opposite. Place the lamb leg in the store bought foil tray and set aside

3.   Make the marinade. Place the remaining ingredients in a food processor and blitz until it becomes a rough paste, about 30 seconds

4.    Pour the marinade over the leg of lamb and use your hands to rub the marinade all over the lamb (you may want to use rubber gloves). Cover with cling film, place in the fridge and marinade for 3 hours

5.    Turn on your BBQ and let it heat up. Take the lamb out of the fridge and remove the cling film

6.    Sit the foil tray with the lamb leg on the flat plate of the BBQ. Put the lid down and cook for 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until cooked through. You can check this by inserting the lamb with a metal skewer, if the juice runs clear, its cooked, if its slightly red, it needs a little longer

7.    Cover with foil and rest for 20 minutes. Serve