Lamb Entertaining

Barbecued lamb leg on a brick with chimichurri

Name: Barbecued lamb leg on a brick with chimichurri recipe
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1 x 3 kg lamb leg, bone in; 3 bunches rosemary, leaves picked from 1 bunch; 1 bunch marjoram, leaves picked; 20 pickled white anchovy fillets, drained; 10 garlic cloves, halved; Extra virgin olive oil, for brushing and drizzling; Juice of 2 lemons; 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped; 3 garlic cloves, bruised; Grated zest & juice of 1 lemon, plus extra if needed; 3 thyme sprigs, leaves picked; Handful of mint, leaves picked, roughly chopped; Handful of flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked, roughly chopped; Handful of coriander, leaves picked, roughly chopped; 1 tsp finely chopped bird’s-eye chilli, seeds removed; 1/2 tsp toasted and ground cumin seeds; 150ml extra virgin olive oil

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by Colin Fassnidge

Chef and My Kitchen Rules judge

Sep 01, 2020

“Many of us have cooked a chook stuffed with a tinnie on the barbecue, so here’s my barbecue hack for lamb, which takes things to the next level! You will need one clean household brick to make this dish, and you’ll need to start the recipe the day before,” says Colin. You will need a kitchen thermometer for this recipe. This is an edited extract from The Commonsense Cook by Colin Fassnidge, (Plum, $39.99). Photography by Alan Benson.

1 x 3 kg lamb leg, bone in
3 bunches rosemary, leaves picked from 1 bunch
1 bunch marjoram, leaves picked
20 pickled white anchovy fillets, drained
10 garlic cloves, halved
Extra virgin olive oil, for brushing and drizzling
Juice of 2 lemons

Chimichurri

1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, bruised
Grated zest & juice of 1 lemon, plus extra if needed
3 thyme sprigs, leaves picked
Handful of mint, leaves picked, roughly chopped
Handful of flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked, roughly chopped
Handful of coriander, leaves picked, roughly chopped
1 tsp finely chopped bird’s-eye chilli, seeds removed
1/2 tsp toasted and ground cumin seeds
150ml extra virgin olive oil

Method

1.

Using a small paring knife, slice 20 small incisions into the lamb to make 20 small pockets on the top and bottom of the leg. Stuff the pockets with the picked rosemary and marjoram leaves, anchovy fillets and garlic. Brush the lamb leg with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate, uncovered, overnight.
2.

The next day, preheat a gas barbecue grill on high for 1 hour before you want to start cooking.
3.

Meanwhile, grab a regular house brick and soak it in a bucket of cold water for 1 hour.
4.

Place the brick in the middle of the barbecue grill and scatter the remaining rosemary bunches on top of the brick (this acts as a trivet, which keeps the lamb away from the hot grill and stops it from overcooking).
5.

Place the studded lamb leg on top of the brick, then close the lid and leave for 10 minutes to come back up to temperature. Reduce the heat to low and cook the lamb for 20 minutes, then turn it over and cook for a further 20 minutes or until the lamb is caramelised all over with an internal temperature of 54 ̊C on a kitchen thermometer. Alternatively roasted in a 220°C fan-forced oven for 1 hour 15 minutes-1 hour 30 minutes or until cooked to your liking.
6.

Meanwhile, to make the chimichurri, place all the ingredients in a blender or the bowl of a food processor and blitz to a chunky or smooth sauce, depending on your preference. Taste and add a little extra lemon juice for acidity if you think the sauce needs it.
7.

Remove the lamb from the barbecue and set aside to rest for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with olive oil and the lemon juice.
8.

Carve the lamb and serve with the chimichurri on the side. Any leftover chimichurri will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.