Red Gold Leg of Lamb with Roasted Veggies
This Red Gold leg of lamb can be cooked in two ways: over indirect heat in a Weber or similar kettle braai, or in a conventional home oven. The ingredients and flavour mixture stay the same. Only the heat setup changes.
The lamb, potatoes and carrots begin cooking first. The red onion and pumpkin are added later so that the softer vegetables do not become mushy before the lamb is ready. Red Gold Concentrate, olive oil, lemon juice and rosemary form a simple flavour coating for both the meat and vegetables.
Recipe at a glance
- Serves: approximately 4–6 people
- Preparation time: approximately 20 minutes
- Weber method: indirect heat at 190–230 °C
- Oven method: 180 °C conventional or 160 °C fan-forced
- Expected cooking time: approximately 1¼–1½ hours
- Resting time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
- 1.2 kg leg of lamb
- 2 tablespoons Red Gold Concentrate
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon rosemary
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 4 potatoes, cut into large pieces
- 4 carrots, cut into large pieces
- 1 red onion, cut into quarters
- 1 cup pumpkin, cut into cubes
Which Red Gold should you use?
All three Red Gold varieties can be used in this recipe:
- No Burn: full roasted flavour without chilli heat.
- Mild: gentle green chilli flavour with the seeds removed.
- Hot: stronger chilli heat from red chillies with their seeds.
Prepare the lamb and vegetables
- Mix the Red Gold Concentrate, olive oil, lemon juice, rosemary, salt and black pepper.
- Spoon about one third into a separate bowl for the vegetables before the mixture comes into contact with the raw meat.
- Rub the remaining mixture over the leg of lamb.
- Place the lamb, potatoes and carrots in a roasting pan. Spoon some of the reserved vegetable mixture over the potatoes and carrots.
Now choose either the Weber method or the oven method below.
Method 1: Cooking the lamb in a Weber
Set up the Weber for indirect heat
Arrange the coals along the sides of the kettle, leaving an open area in the centre. Place the roasting pan over this open area rather than directly above the coals. Close the lid and allow the temperature to settle between 190 and 230 °C.
Indirect heat turns the Weber into an outdoor oven. Hot air circulates around the lamb and vegetables while the food remains protected from the direct heat of the coals.
Cook the lamb
- Place the prepared roasting pan in the Weber’s indirect zone. Close the lid and roast for 45 minutes.
- Open the Weber, turn the potatoes and carrots, and add the red onion and pumpkin. Spoon the remaining vegetable mixture over them.
- Close the lid and cook for another 30–45 minutes. Start checking the lamb’s internal temperature after approximately 60 minutes.
- Remove the lamb when it reaches your preferred internal temperature. Cover it loosely and rest it for 15 minutes before carving.
- If the vegetables are still too firm, leave them on the Weber while the lamb rests.
Method 2: Cooking the lamb in the oven
Preheat the oven
Preheat a conventional oven to 180 °C or a fan-forced oven to 160 °C. Position a rack near the centre of the oven. The lamb and vegetables are roasted uncovered so that they can brown.
Cook the lamb
- Place the prepared roasting pan on the centre oven rack and roast for 45 minutes.
- Turn the potatoes and carrots, then add the red onion and pumpkin. Spoon the remaining vegetable mixture over them.
- Return the pan to the oven and roast for another 30–45 minutes. Start checking the lamb’s internal temperature after approximately 60 minutes.
- If the Red Gold coating or vegetables are becoming too dark before the meat is ready, cover the pan loosely with foil.
- Remove the lamb when it reaches your preferred internal temperature. Cover it loosely and rest it for 15 minutes before carving.
- If necessary, return the vegetables to the oven while the lamb rests.
How do you know when the lamb is ready?
Cooking time is only a guide. The shape and thickness of the leg, the amount of bone and the stability of the cooking temperature all affect the actual cooking time.
Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the lamb without touching the bone:
- 60–65 °C: medium
- 70 °C or higher: well done
The internal temperature may rise slightly while the lamb rests. Resting also allows the juices to redistribute before the meat is carved.
Can you use lamb ribs instead?
Yes, but lamb ribs should not be treated as though they are the same cut as a leg of lamb. Use the same Red Gold flavour mixture. For a lamb rib roast, use indirect Weber heat at 140–160 °C or an oven set to approximately 160 °C. Allow roughly 75–90 minutes, but use the thickness and tenderness of the meat as your final guide.
Add the potatoes and carrots after approximately 20 minutes, followed by the onion and pumpkin later. Lamb ribs intended to become very soft and pull away from the bone require a lower temperature and a much longer cooking time.
Practical cooking tips
- Keep the Weber lid or oven door closed as much as possible to maintain a steady temperature.
- Cut the potatoes and carrots into similarly sized large pieces so they cook more evenly.
- Reserve the mixture for the vegetables before the remainder touches the raw lamb.
- Use the cooking time for planning, but rely on a meat thermometer for the final decision.
- If the meat is ready before the vegetables, remove and rest the lamb while the vegetables continue cooking.
- Always rest the lamb before carving it.
Serving the lamb
Carve the lamb across the grain and serve it with the roasted vegetables and pan juices. No complicated side dish is necessary – the lamb and four vegetables already make a complete campsite or Sunday meal.
Choose your flavour: buy Red Gold Concentrate online or find a Red Gold stockist.
Cooking note: Actual cooking times vary according to the cut and cooking conditions.