April 22, 2021

Shawarma-Spiced Grilled Lamb

Name: Shawarma-Spiced Grilled Lamb
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 1470 min
Ingredients: 3 lbs. boneless leg of lamb (trim any excess fat and gristle. See NOTES section for more detailed explanation on how to prepare lamb.); kosher salt (to season lamb before coating with the marinade.); 1/4 cup olive oil; 2 tablespoons sumac (if you can't find Sumac at your local markets, you can order online. see NOTES section below for a link.); 1 tablespoon smoked paprika ((or regular paprika if that's what you have in your pantry)); 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder; 1/2 tablespoon onion powder; 3/4 teaspoons cayenne

There’s no chopping, slicing, or dicing in the prep for this fantastic recipe for Shawarma-Spiced Grilled Lamb. Simply combine the spices with olive oil, slather the spice rub all over the lamb, marinate overnight and grill the next day. Seems like there must be a catch…something more complex that’s needed. But it’s as simple as it sounds. And the taste…oh the taste. You’re in for a total treat.

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Wet-Rub Spices

Organize all of the shawarma spice rub ingredients – sumac, smoked (or regular) paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, and olive oil. Sumac can be found at high-end markets such as Whole Foods and Fresh Market or online.

Mix all shawarma spices together with the oil to form a wet paste.

Marinating Lamb with Spice Rub

Unroll boneless leg of lamb and cut the lamb into 2-3 big pieces as shown above. Place lamb pieces into a large baking dish. (See NOTES section in recipe below for detailed instructions on how to trim and prepare the lamb.)

butterflied leg of lamb pieces slathered in wet shawarma rub

Coat both sides of the lamb with kosher salt and then slather the shawarma wet rub on and thoroughly coat. Place in a large baking dish, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.

Grilling Shawarma-Spiced Lamb

then flip lamb and continue grilling for additional 8-12 minutes

Take lamb out of refrigerator one hour before grilling. Preheat grill on medium-high heat and grill lamb for 10 minutes on one side and then flip lamb over and cook for an additional 8-10 minutes, a total of approx. 20 minutes for medium-rare. If using an Instant-Read thermometer, temperature should be 125° to 130°. Transfer lamb to a plate or cutting board and let rest for 15 minutes before slicing.

Shawarma-Spiced Grilled Lamb

Slice and serve with Caramelized Fennel and Middle Eastern-Spiced Rice Pilaf with Peas and Pistachios. And thoroughly enjoy the melding of many delicious flavors in your mouth.

Print Recipe

Shawarma-Spiced Grilled Lamb

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

marinate overnight1

Total Time1 30

Course: dinner

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Keyword: boneless leg of lamb, dinner, gluten free, grilled lamb, smoked paprika, sumac

Servings: 6 people

Author: GFchow @ gfchow.com

Equipment

Instant Read Thermometer

Ingredients

3 lbs. boneless leg of lamb trim any excess fat and gristle. See NOTES section for more detailed explanation on how to prepare lamb.
kosher salt to season lamb before coating with the marinade.
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons sumac if you can't find Sumac at your local markets, you can order online. see NOTES section below for a link.
1 tablespoon smoked paprika (or regular paprika if that's what you have in your pantry)
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 tablespoon onion powder
3/4 teaspoons cayenne

Instructions

For marinade:

Mix all spices together with olive oil.
Place lamb in a large baking dish.
Season each side of the lamb with kosher salt.
Slather wet spice rub on all sides of lamb.
Marinate for at least 30 minutes or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight for best results.

For grilling:

Take lamb out of refrigerator and let sit at room temp for one hour.
Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
Spray grill with oil and place lamb on the grill.
For medium-rare, – cook for 10 minutes on first side and then flip and cook for an additional 8-10 minutes. 18-20 minutes total grilling (125° to 130° for medium-rare) For medium, cook 3 minutes longer. The times will vary according to the size and shape of the lamb leg, anywhere from 8 minutes for a 6-ounce piece to 20 minutes for a 1 1/2-pound piece. It's best to use the Instant-Read Thermometer so you cook the lamb to the exact temperature you desire.
Remove lamb from grill and let rest for 10-15 minutes.
Then slice across the grain and serve with Caramelized Fennel, if desired. (Recipe for Caramelized Fennel can be found by typing it in the GFchow recipe search box or by using the Recipe Tab and clicking on VEGETABLES, RICE & POTATO DISHES AND MORE.)

Notes

If you can’t find Sumac at your local markets, click here and order it online.

Often times boneless leg of lamb is tied or wrapped together to form it into a round roast. Be sure to untie/unwrap and lay the lamb flat. You may need to cut the lamb into 2-3 pieces. Then trim fat and remove any gristle.

Sometimes there’s very little work that needs to be done on the lamb and other times there’s more trimming and evening/butterflying that needs to be done. To simplify, ask your butcher to do the work!

If some of the meat pieces are very uneven, you may want to cut a flap to make the fatter lobes (pieces) thinner and flatter so that it’s the same thickness as the other pieces and cooks more evenly. To do this, use a sharp knife and working from the middle of the lobe, make a horizontal cut about halfway down from middle to top, most of the way through, and fold the meat out; in essence, you are butterflying the already butterflied leg of lamb.

My friend Lynne shared this recipe with me. Shawarma Rub is from the cookbook Israeli Soul.

If you like this recipe, you may also like these other GFchow recipes. Grilled Flank Steak and Scallions with Soy-Mirin Sauce, Mediterranean Grilled Chicken with Lemons and Olives, and Greek Salad with Homemade Dressing.

GLUTEN FREE DISCLAIMER

The recipes you find here are considered by me to be gluten free. However, it is up to you to make sure the ingredients you use are gluten free. Whenever possible, I will list specific brands of ingredients that I use, but always be sure to check the labels yourself to verify the item is gluten free.