Mediterranean

Whole Leg of Lamb — Sous Vide → Kamado

Boneless leg butterflied, vacuum-sealed with rosemary and garlic, 57 °C for 10 hours. Then live fire: screaming kamado, 3 minutes per side. Medium-rare edge-to-edge, a crust you can hear break, and lamb flavor that fills the backyard.

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Main · Large-Format Protein · Signature
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Lamb — Leg (boneless, butterflied)
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8–10 (2.5 kg leg yields ~1.8 kg cooked meat)
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10 h SV + 40 min kamado setup + 8 min sear + 15 min rest ≈ 11 h 10 min

Precision Meets Fire

There is no better argument for the sous vide + kamado workflow than a whole leg of lamb. The leg is a beautiful problem: a 2.5-kilogram cut with two muscles that cook at different rates, a thick end that wants more time, a thin end that wants less, and a surface that needs char — the dark, bitter-sweet, almost-burnt edge that is the soul of lamb eaten outside. Cook it on the kamado alone and you chase the crust while the interior goes gray at the edges and raw at the center. Cook it sous vide alone and you get a perfectly pink, perfectly tender, perfectly boring slab that tastes like it's been poached.

The solution is not a compromise. It is a sequence. The sous vide sets the interior — 57 °C for 10 hours, which is enough time for the enzymes to soften the connective tissue in the leg's worked muscles without letting it go above medium-rare. Then the kamado, at its hottest — coals glowing white, grate dusted in ash — sears the exterior in three minutes per side. The interior, already at target, does not move. The exterior picks up smoke, Maillard, and the most important flavor on grilled lamb: char bitterness balanced by rendered fat. This is the backyard version of what a Basque asador does with a leg over oak embers for two hours. The technique is different; the result is the same.

Butterflied is the move. Bone-in is traditional and beautiful but the bone adds thermal mass that slows the SV phase and complicates the sear. Butterflying — opening the leg flat, so the thickness is roughly uniform at 35–45 mm — solves both problems and produces a piece of meat that can be carved across the grain into perfect slices. The bone becomes stock; the meat becomes dinner.

Ingredients

for 8–10 (2.5 kg leg yields ~1.8 kg cooked meat)

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Everyday

The Lamb

1 × 2.5 kg boneless leg of lamb, butterflied — from Whole Foods or a good grocery butcher counter. Ask them to butterfly and remove the silverskin and hard fat; leave a thin cap of soft fat.
Trimmed weight target: 2.3–2.5 kg after trim. Reserve trimmings + bone for stock.

The Dry Rub (T-12 h)

25 g kosher salt (≈ 1 % of meat weight — the dry brine ratio)
8 g freshly cracked black pepper
4 cloves garlic, microplaned
2 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
2 tbsp EVOO

The Sear Baste

60 ml EVOO
2 sprigs fresh rosemary (for the baste brush — also use as embers topper)
2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed

To Finish

Flaky sea salt (Maldon or equivalent)
Lemon wedges
Optional: mint-parsley salsa verde or mojo verde on the side (see Sauces & Condiments §Mojo Verde)

Substitution Notes

Can't butterfly? A bone-in leg works with SV 57 °C / 14 h (longer to account for bone thermal mass). Sear is the same; carving is harder (around the bone).
No fresh rosemary? 2 tsp dried rosemary in the rub is acceptable; skip the baste step — dried rosemary scorches. Use thyme branches instead.
No kamado? Cast iron over the hottest burner + blowtorch combo works for the sear. Miss the smoke element but keep the crust. Reference: Cross-Technique Workflows §SV → Fire Finish.

No Limits

The Lamb — Heritage Breed

1 × 2.5 kg boneless leg of lamb from Elysian Fields (purebredlamb.com) — American heritage breed raised on alfalfa, closest US equivalent to top European lamb. Ships overnight. Pablo has ordered from them ✓.
Alternatives (all verified): Border Springs Farm (heritage breeds, chef favorite), Shepherd Song Farm (grass-fed, whole/half lamb option, custom cuts), D'Artagnan (heritage lamb, overnight)
Spec the butcher: boneless, butterflied, silverskin removed, soft fat cap preserved, bone reserved separately for stock.

The Dry Rub — Spanish Pantry

25 g Maldon (Pablo has ✓)
8 g Tellicherry or Kampot black pepper, coarse-cracked
4 cloves Las Pedroñeras purple garlic (nuttier, less sharp — via La Tienda or Despaña online)
2 tbsp fresh rosemary from a single branch
1 tbsp preserved lemon, finely minced — skin + flesh (see Sauces & Condiments §Preserved Lemons)
2 tbsp Arbequina EVOO (Pablo has ✓)

The Sear Baste

60 ml Arbequina EVOO
4–6 sprigs fresh rosemary (half for baste, half thrown directly on embers during sear for aromatic smoke)
3 cloves Las Pedroñeras garlic, smashed

Infrastructure

Sous vide circulator (Pablo ✓) with large container capable of holding a 2.5 kg butterflied leg submerged
Chamber vacuum sealer or FoodSaver + large bags (Pablo ✓)
Kamado with oak or cherry wood chunks for the sear phase (not essential — lump alone works — but the smoke is what lifts the dish from 'good' to 'the backyard went quiet'). Reference: Fire and Smoke §Wood Selection.
Instant-read probe thermometer (Thermapen or equivalent) — verify 55 °C internal before plating.

Mise en Place

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T-12 h (night before SV): Trim lamb. Apply dry rub. Cover loosely (on a rack, uncovered, in fridge is ideal — surface dries for better sear). Return to fridge.
T-10 h 30 min: Pull lamb from fridge. Vacuum-seal with any remaining rub residue. Submerge in 57 °C SV bath. Set timer: 10 h.
T-1 h: Light kamado, bottom vent 50% open, top vent 25% open. Target 300 °C+. This takes 30–40 min to stabilize.
T-20 min: Remove lamb from SV bath. Cut bag open over a bowl (save all the liquid — it's a pan-sauce gold mine). Pat meat dry with paper towels. Critical — surface moisture kills sear.
T-10 min: Dust lamb very lightly with salt (the rub salt has already penetrated; this is surface-layer crunch).
T-5 min: Mix baste: 60 ml EVOO + smashed garlic + rosemary. Heat briefly in a pan (60 °C — just warm, not cooking) to infuse.
T=0 (sear phase): Kamado at 300 °C+. Toss oak/cherry chunks on the embers. Sear lamb (see method).

Method

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Dry Brine (T-12 h)

Lay the butterflied leg flat on a sheet pan. Inspect: any silverskin should be removed (it doesn't render and leaves a chewy seam), but leave the soft fat cap — it bastes the meat during SV and crisps on the kamado.

Mix the rub: 25 g salt + 8 g pepper + microplaned garlic + chopped rosemary + 2 tbsp EVOO. The EVOO binds the dry ingredients to the meat.

Rub every surface of the leg — both sides, into the creases of the butterfly, edges. Press, don't smear.

Place the lamb on a rack over a sheet pan. Leave it uncovered in the fridge for 12 hours. This dry-ages the surface: moisture wicks away, salt penetrates, and the exterior gets that slightly tacky skin that sears beautifully.

Do NOT skip the uncovered rack step. A wet surface on a kamado = steam = no crust. This 12 h is mandatory infrastructure.

Vacuum Seal + SV 10 h

Remove lamb from the rack. Any dry rub residue on the sheet pan: scrape up and include in the bag.

Vacuum-seal the lamb in a single large heavy-duty bag, flat-packed — the butterflied shape means it should lay flat at ~40 mm thickness.

Submerge in a 57 °C sous vide bath. Ensure the bag is fully below the water line — a plate or metal rack on top prevents floating.

Set timer for 10 hours. This is long enough for the enzymes in the leg's worked muscles (quadriceps, biceps femoris) to soften the connective tissue without the meat going past medium-rare. Walk away.

Timing flexibility: 8–12 h is the tolerance window. If the dinner timing moves, the lamb holds at 55–57 °C for up to 4 h past the 10 h mark without quality loss. It does NOT hold after 14 h — the texture shifts from tender to mushy as collagen fully dissolves.

Light + Stabilize Kamado

One hour before sear time, light the kamado.

Method: lump charcoal pyramid. Light 2–3 fire starters in the middle of the pile. Lid open, bottom vent 50%, top vent off.

Once flames are established (5–8 min): close lid. Bottom vent 50%, top vent 25%.

Let the kamado climb to 300 °C+ dome temperature. This takes 30–40 min. Don't rush — a rushed kamado has uneven heat and live flame instead of glowing coals.

When ready: the coals should be glowing white-orange beneath a thin ash layer, flames should be minimal (coals not flames), and the grate should be unstoppable-hot when you hover a hand over it.

Just before the lamb goes on: toss 2–3 oak or cherry wood chunks on the embers. They'll smolder and smoke during the sear. Do not soak the chunks — steam from wet wood produces acrid white smoke. Reference: Fire and Smoke §Wood Chunks.

The Sear (6 min total)

Remove the lamb from the SV bath. Cut the bag over a bowl — save the liquid. It's concentrated lamb-bag jus. Use for pan sauce (reduce + mount with butter) or freeze in cubes for future braises.

Pat the lamb aggressively dry. 3 passes with paper towels, both sides. Any remaining moisture will steam during the sear and prevent Maillard. This is the key common failure point.

Dust lightly with salt on both sides (a pinch per side — the rub salt is already in the meat; this is surface crunch only).

Place the lamb on the grate fat-cap side DOWN. Lid up. Do not move it.

3 minutes. During this time: baste the up-facing side 3 times with the warm EVOO-garlic-rosemary oil.

At 3 min: flip with long tongs. Meat-side down. 3 minutes more. Baste the now-up fat side.

At 6 min: probe the thickest point. Target 55 °C internal. If 53–55 °C: pull NOW. If <53 °C: 30–60 sec more and re-probe.

Never exceed 58 °C. Past this point, the SV magic — edge-to-edge medium-rare — is lost.

Rest + Carve

Transfer the lamb to a grooved cutting board. The grooves matter — a resting leg releases significant juice.

Tent loosely with foil. Not sealed — tented. A sealed foil wrap steams the crust you just worked for 11 hours to build.

Rest 12–15 minutes . This is not optional. The surface is at ~200 °C; the interior is at 55 °C; without rest, the first cut will release a flood of juice because the exterior is still driving heat inward.

At the 12–15 min mark: internal temp has equalized to 55–57 °C throughout, and the juices have redistributed into the muscle fibers instead of pooling.

Carve across the grain. The butterflied leg's muscle fibers run roughly parallel to its long axis — cut perpendicular to that direction.

5–6 mm slices. Thicker slices overwhelm the plate with lamb; thinner slices tear.

Shingle on a warmed platter. Drizzle with any juice from the board. Flaky salt over the top. Lemon wedges around the edge. Sauces in separate bowls, not on the meat.

Timeline

T-12 h — Trim + dry brine Trim silverskin. Microplane garlic + chop rosemary + mix with salt/pepper/EVOO. Rub all surfaces. Rack in fridge, uncovered.
T-10 h 30 min — Seal + SV start Vacuum-seal lamb flat. Submerge in 57 °C bath. Walk away for 10 hours.
T-1 h — Light kamado Lump charcoal pyramid. Bottom vent 50% / top vent 25%. Let coals ash over and dome hit 300 °C+.
T-20 min — Remove SV, pat dry Cut bag over bowl. Save liquid (stock/pan sauce). Pat meat rigorously dry — 3 passes with paper towels. Moisture = no crust.
T-5 min — Warm baste + wood on embers Warm EVOO + garlic + rosemary. Toss 2–3 wood chunks on the embers (oak for classic, cherry for subtle fruit).
T=0 — Sear fat side first Lamb fat-cap side DOWN on the grate. 3 min, lid open (direct fire). Baste the up-facing side 3× during this phase.
T+3 min — Flip Flip. Meat-side down. 3 min more. Baste the fat side. The rosemary sprigs on the embers are perfuming the smoke.
T+6 min — Probe check Target 55 °C internal at the thickest point. If 53–55 °C: pull. If <53 °C: 30 more seconds and re-probe. NEVER exceed 58 °C — past medium-rare the lamb goes from great to ordinary.
T+7 min — Rest under foil tent Transfer to grooved board. Tent loosely with foil. Rest 12–15 min. Internal will hold or rise 1–2 °C; surface equalizes; juices redistribute.
T+22 min — Carve + serve Remove foil. Carve ACROSS the grain (muscle fibers run roughly the long axis of the leg) in 5–6 mm slices. Shingle on a warmed platter. Flaky salt + lemon wedges + bowls of mojo verde on the side.