Rotisserie Boneless Leg of Lamb With Lemon, Rosemary, & Garlic

A classic garlic-herb-citrus marinade perfumes this lamb roast, which is cooked to a perfect medium-rare with the help of charcoal and a spit.

By
Joshua Bousel
a photo of Joshua Bousel, a Contributing Writer at Serious Eats
Joshua Bousel
Joshua Bousel is a Serious Eats old-timer, having started sharing his passion for grilling and barbecue recipes on the site back in 2008. He continues to develop grilling and barbecue recipes on his own site, The Meatwave, out of his home base of Durham, North Carolina.
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Updated December 08, 2025
Boneless leg of lamb on a rotisserie, being basted with a bundle of fresh herbs.

Serious Eats / Joshua Bousel

Why It Works

  • A simple marinade of garlic, rosemary, olive oil, and lemon juice gives the lamb bold, herbaceous flavor while gently tenderizing the meat.
  • Grilling the tightly rolled and tied lamb on a rotisserie ensures a bronzed exterior and even cooking throughout.
  • Using a three-zone split fire with a drip pan beneath the spit prevents flare-ups and keeps the grill tidy.
  • Reserving some marinade for basting boosts browning and adds extra garlic-herb flavor as the lamb cooks.

Do other serious eaters out there have mostly lamb-adverse friends like me? I made this lamb along with a few racks of ribs and my modest-sized leg of lamb only slowly moved off the plate; the ribs disappeared.

This was no indication of how good the lamb was. Marinated in lemon, rosemary, and garlic, then tied and cooked on the rotisserie until medium-rare, the lamb was full of bright, fresh flavors embedded in a fairly smooth tasting piece of meat.

I really loved it, and was sure it would win over some of these lamb naysayers. But in the end, it was my folly for putting it against ribs—a pretty unequal battle in most people's eyes.

June 2011

Recipe Details

Rotisserie Boneless Leg of Lamb With Lemon, Rosemary, & Garlic Recipe

Prep 10 mins
Cook 55 mins
Active 60 mins
Marinating Time 60 mins
Total 2 hrs 5 mins
Serves 6 to 8 servings
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Ingredients

For the Lamb

  • 6 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt

  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest

  • 1 butterflied boneless leg of lamb, 4-5 pounds, trimmed of excess fat

For the Herb Brush

  • 3 sprigs rosemary

  • 10 sprigs thyme

Directions

  1. In a small bowl, whisk together garlic, rosemary, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and lemon zest.

    The marinade is whisked together in a glass prep bowl.

    Serious Eats / Joshua Bousel

  2. Place lamb in a large resealable plastic bag. Pour in all except 1/4 cup of marinade, reserving for later use. Seal bag and toss to thoroughly coat lamb. Marinate at room temperature for 1 hour. Remove lamb from marinade and roll into tight cylinder and tie securely with butcher’s twine.

    Closeup of the marinated and tied lamb leg roast.

    Serious Eats / Joshua Bousel

  3. Tie together ends of rosemary and thyme sprigs to create herb brush.

    Closeup of a tied bundle of rosemary and thyme perched atop a bowl of the reserved marinade.

    Serious Eats / Joshua Bousel

  4. Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and arrange coals on either side of charcoal grate and place a foil pan between two piles of coals. Run spit of rotisserie through middle of lamb and secure ends with rotisserie forks. Place on grill, cover, and cook at medium temperature. Baste lamb with reserved marinade using herb brush every 15 minutes. Cook until lamb registers 125°F (52°C) for medium-rare or 130°F (54°C) for medium on an instant-read thermometer inserted into center of roast. Remove to a cutting board and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Slice and serve.

    A boneless leg of lamb on a rotisserie that is being basted with a bundle of fresh herbs.

    Serious Eats / Joshua Bousel

Special Equipment

Grill, rotisserie attachment, chimney starter, disposable foil pan, butcher's twine, instant-read thermometer

Read More

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
856 Calories
60g Fat
2g Carbs
73g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6 to 8
Amount per serving
Calories 856
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 60g 77%
Saturated Fat 21g 107%
Cholesterol 264mg 88%
Sodium 502mg 22%
Total Carbohydrate 2g 1%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 73g
Vitamin C 4mg 20%
Calcium 38mg 3%
Iron 6mg 32%
Potassium 909mg 19%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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