Fire-cooking fanatic The Smokin’ Elk (AKA Elky) is a pioneer of the UK BBQ community. Serving up incredible recipes for his Instagram and YouTube following, his cheeky personality and fun cooking style shows just what BBQing is all about. 

Last year Elky went on a mission to cook 195 dishes from around the world, while this year he created a weekly YouTube series called The Lockdown BBQ Show where he and co-host BBQ Explorers discuss the latest cooks, equipment and tips in the UK BBQ community. 

Seeing as many people’s holidays haven’t happened this year, Elky decided to create this recipe to bring a taste of holiday home. This Greek-inspired leg of lamb with simple tomato orzo is perfect all cooked over the fire on a nice late summer’s day.

You can also watch him cook this dish over on his YouTube channel. 

Temperatures

The lamb is ready to eat when the internal temperature reaches 55 – 60°C. 

Ingredients

For the lamb

• 1 leg of lamb
• 6 tbsp rapeseed oil
• 6 garlic cloves, crushed
• 3 tbsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp dried rosemary
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp chili flakes
• 2 lemons
• Salt & pepper

For the orzo

• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• 400g orzo
• 600ml lamb stock
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• Pinch of cinnamon
• Salt & pepper

Directions

To make the lamb

• Score the fat on the lamb with a sharp knife. You want to form a diamond pattern.
• Combine all of the marinade ingredients and set half aside to use for basting. Rub the rest of the marinade all over the lamb, making sure to cover it completely. Cover and leave in the fridge overnight.
• If using a BBQ with a rotisserie, get your coals lit and dial in your temperature to around 190 – 200°C. If using an oven, preheat to 190°C.
• Feed the lamb leg on to the rotisserie rod, pop it in your BBQ and close the lid. Alternatively, place on an oven rack over a baking dish and place in the oven.
• Baste the lamb with the remaining marinade every 15 minutes using either a few sprigs of rosemary or a basting brush.
• The lamb is ready to eat when the internal temperature reaches 55 – 60°C. Remove and rest for 30 minutes.

To make the orzo

• Gently sweat down the onion until soft. Add the tin of tomatoes, oregano, cinnamon, salt and pepper then stir. Cook for a couple of minutes.
• Add in the orzo & the lamb stock and stir to combine.
• Bring to the boil then simmer until the orzo is nice and soft and the stock has been absorbed.
• Carve the lamb, serve with the orzo and enjoy

The Smokin' Elk

Fire Cooking Fanatic, BBQ School owner

@thesmokinelk

"I'm Elky, also known as The Smokin' Elk. I absolutely love cooking to fire and the Thermapen helps me up my game by cooking to the perfect temperature, every time. It's the one BBQ tool I wouldn't be without!"