Smoked Leg of Lamb Temp and Time: Bone-In and Boneless

Leg of lamb is the sliced lamb roast. It is leaner than the shoulder, quicker on the pit, and finished by doneness instead of tenderness, so it cooks more like a prime rib than a pork butt.

Where to pull it

The leg carries far less connective tissue than the shoulder, so it is cooked to a doneness the way a beef roast is. ThermoWorks pulls a smoked leg at 125 to 128°F and rests it 10 to 15 minutes, which carries the center to a 130 to 135°F medium rare. Probe the thickest part away from the bone, then check a second spot. A leg is uneven, and the narrow shank end runs ahead of the thick top.

Bone-in or boneless

Boneless legs are usually sold rolled and tied or in a net. They cook faster and more evenly and carve into clean slices, so leave the net on for the cook. ThermoWorks prefers boneless on a smoker because it is easier to find and carve, and because you can season the inside where the bone was. A bone-in leg takes longer, looks more traditional on the table, and needs carving around the bone. When bone-in legs are sold in halves, Craft Beering recommends the upper sirloin half, which cooks more evenly than the tapered shank half.

Time on the pit: 30 to 40 minutes a pound

Plan about 30 to 40 minutes per pound at 225 to 250°F. Foodie and Wine gives 2.5 to 3 hours for a boneless leg and 3 to 3.5 hours for bone-in at a medium-rare pull, and a large bone-in leg can run past 4 hours. Shape changes the clock as much as weight does. Start probing an hour before the low end of the estimate and let the reading make the call.

Season and smoke

Trim heavy outside fat and any silverskin, but keep a thin layer to baste the surface. A thin coat of Dijon mustard holds a garlic, herb, and lemon crust in place, and plain salt and pepper works too. Lamb takes smoke readily, so a mild fruit wood such as apple or cherry keeps the meat in front. Put the leg on fully thawed, with the probe in the thickest part.

Rest and carve

Rest the leg 10 to 15 minutes, tented loosely. Slice across the grain, thinly. On a bone-in leg, cut slices down to the bone along the thick side, then run the knife along the bone to free them, and turn the leg to repeat on the other side. Thin cold slices make good next-day sandwiches; refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.

Want it pulled instead?

A leg can also be smoked well past doneness until it pulls apart, around 195°F. It is leaner than the shoulder and dries out more on that long road, so for pulled lamb the smoked lamb shoulder guide is the better cut and the better plan.

If dinner slips

A rest is short quality time, and a hold is a scheduling tool with its own rules. Federal guidance limits cooked food between 40°F and 140°F to 2 hours total, or 1 hour above 90°F. Holding at 140°F or above for hours carries medium-rare lamb toward medium, so time the cook to finish close to dinner and let a slightly longer rest absorb a small delay. The 135°F holding figure sometimes quoted online comes from the FDA Food Code for inspected commercial kitchens; at home the floor stays 140°F.

Your next move

For a beef centerpiece on the same holiday table, the smoked beef tenderloin guide and the smoked prime rib guide carry the same doneness choice. The wood pairing guide compares milder and stronger woods, and the thermometer guide covers the probe this cook depends on.