Butterflied Lamb Raan on the Kamado Joe

Lamb raan is so good done this way!

There is nothing like a traditional Indian lamb Raan.

The flavours are amazing. Today, however I decided to make my lamb raan a bit different to the authentic way of cooking it.

I promise you… Try this and you’ll be hooked. Juicy medium-rare lamb just doesn’t get much better!

 

So what’s different about this lamb raan?

Lamb raan is usually marinated and slowly cooked, covered in the oven until well-done and tender. It is also almost always cooked on the bone for flavour.  

I decided that the top quality leg of lamb sent to me by my friends at Swaledale Butchers is far too good to cook well done.

So I butterflied it and let it soak in a marinade for 3 days. Then I fired up the Kamado Joe and turned this classic recipe into something even better.

Although I do agree that cooking meat on the bone does add to the flavour, this marinade is all you need to cook lamb raan to perfection.

Can I use other cuts of meat?

Yes. In fact, lamb raan is traditionally cooked with mutton or goat.

This is why it is usually slowly cooked until well-done. These meats need to cook longer than lamb to become tender.

So if using mutton or goat, I recommend cooking it the traditional way, low and slow until cooked through.

Planning ahead…

If you want to eat lamb raan at a restaurant, you usually need to call ahead because the marination time is very important.

So you will need to plan ahead if you want to make this.

Let the lamb raan marinate for at least 24 hours. 48 to 72 hours is even better.

I don’t have a Kamado Joe. Can I still make this recipe?

Yep. The Kamado Joe does make it easier as it comes with heat deflectors that make roasting over indirect heat.

You could use any kettle barbecue though.

Just fire up you charcoal and pour it all on one side of your barbecue. Then place a drip tray on the other side that is half full of water. The water will help ensure your meat cooks to perfection as it heats up and steams.

This isn’t necessary with a Kamado Joe and other types of ceramic barbecues.

Step by step photos. 

Let’s talk charcoal…

A good quality charcoal made without any nasty smelling igniting chemicals is always going to be best!

I get my charcoal from Big K.

As I was cooking this meat for a good 30 minutes on indirect heat, I chose slow burning briquettes that maintain a good heat. I also mixed in some lump wood for flavour. 

If you like this lamb raan recipe, you might like to try some of these too…

Railway lamb curry
Kashmiri lamb rista
Keralan lamb curry
Crispy stir fried lamb

Yield: 6

Butterflied Lamb Raan on the Kamado Joe

Print

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Additional Time 1 days

Total Time 1 days 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 leg of lamb, surface fat removed and butterflied
• 10 garlic cloves, cut into thin slivers
• 2 tbsp white distilled vinegar
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
• 3 tbsp melted ghee, for basting
• Flaky sea salt, to taste
• FOR THE MARINADE
• 4 tbsp mustard oil, brought to smoking point in a pan and then allowed to cool.
• 6 green bird’s eye chillies, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp ground coriander
• 1 tbsp tandoori masala
• 4 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder (more or less to taste)
• 1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
• 6 generous tablespoons crispy fried onions, shop bought fine
• 1 tbsp salt, plus extra to taste
• 2 tbsp white distilled vinegar
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
• 500g (2 cups) Greek yoghurt, whisked

Instructions

1. Place the butterflied leg of lamb on a clean surface and try to flatten it some by making slits across the meat. This will also give you more surface area for the fantastic marinade.
2. Now take a sharp knife and make holes all over the meat. Stick the garlic slivers deep in the holes and then rub the meat all over with two generous tbsp of garlic and ginger paste, 2 tbsp lemon juice and 2 tbsp vinegar. Season with a little salt.
3. Place all of the marinade ingredients except for the yoghurt in a food processor and blend to a smooth paste. Put this paste in a bowl with the whisked yoghurt and whisk some more until it is well combined. Rub this marinade all over the meat being sure to get it right into the slits you made. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 24 to 48 hours. The longer the better and yes, you can marinate for a shorter time if needs must.
4. When ready to cook, build an indirect heat fire in your barbecue. Close the lid and open the air vents until you reach a cooking temperature of about 190c/375f. I use a Kamado Joe barbecue which features an indirect heat deflector that can be placed under the meat but if you have kettle barbecue without that feature, just place a drip pan under the meat on the cooler side of the barbecue.
5. Always cook a big piece of meat like this by the internal temperature and not time. Rub off as much of the marinade as you can and retain it. Place a meat thermometer in the meat and cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 51c/125f om the thickest part of the meat. Mine took 30 minutes to reach that heat but that means nothing. Cook to temperature, not time. It’s ready when it’s ready.
6. Transfer the meat to a plate and baste it with a little melted ghee. Then build up your fire for direct heat cooking. I usually cover the barbecue and open the vents to bring it up to a good searing temperature of 370c/700f.
7. Once you have a good searing heat, place the meat over direct heat on the grill and sear for a a minute or two per side. That’s all it should take. Transfer to a serving platter and cover with foil to rest for a good 15 minutes.
8. When ready to serve, slice the meat thinly across the grain. The thinner pieces should be medium and the thicker pieces will be medium rare. Drizzle with the any remaining ghee and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. I like to serve this with coriander chutney or heat up the remaining marinade until simmering and drizzle that over the meat.
   

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Disclaimer: All of the products mentioned in this recipe were sent to me to try with my recipes. A big thank you goes out to Kamado Joe, Kamado Space (That’s the beautiful barbecue table I use.) Swaledale Butchers, Thermapen and Big K Charcoal. I highly recommend all these products. This lamb raan was amazing!