How to Carve a Leg of Lamb in Just 4 Steps, Plus Recipes to Try (2024)

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Intimidating? Yes. Doable? Also yes.

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Updated on March 27, 2024

Equipment / Tools

Cutting board
Carving knife and fork
Serving platter

Materials

Bone-in leg of lamb

Instructions

Start cutting on the outside

Placing the leg of lamb on its side on a cutting board, start on the outside. Cut thin slices parallel to the bone until you reach the bone, and transfer them to a platter.
Cut perpendicular to the bone

Turn the leg onto the cut side so that it sits level, and then begin slicing the meat perpendicular to the bone. You won't hit the bone for the first few slices.
Slice above the bone

Once the knife hits the bone, continue slicing across the meat and above the bone until you reach the end of the leg.
Separate slices from the bone

To separate the meat slices from the bone, make a long horizontal slice along the top of the bone, and then transfer those slices to the platter.

Boneless Leg of Lamb Option

For whatever reason, you may opt for a boneless leg of lamb. Without the bone, a leg cut has a bit less of a strong lamb flavor. Boneless legs are generally more expensive than bone-in because the carving work has already been done and there's more meat to the pound.

Many boneless cuts of a leg of lamb are already rolled up and tied in netting by the butcher. While convenient, you still have to cut the netting open to season the inside of the roast. A butterflied leg of lamb, on the other hand, is also boneless but not tied—which makes seasoning easier—but you have to roll and truss the roast before cooking it.

Lamb Recipes to Try

If you've never tried tasting, much less cooking, lamb, you no longer have any excuse. If you're not ready to cook a leg of lamb yet, start with a pound of ground lamb. Whether you decide to go the boneless route or follow our bone-in leg-of-lamb carving instructions, practice using one of our recipes. Of course, you can also start with ground lamb fresh from your grocer's butcher counter.

Leg of Lamb

Grilled Lamb With Plum Mostarda and Blistered Shish*tos (boneless)
Spice-Rubbed Leg of Lamb With Chimichurri (bone-in)
Slow-Grilled Leg of Lamb (bone-in)

Ground Lamb

Grilled Lamb Flatbread With Feta
Spiced Lamb Meatball and Swiss Chard Stew
Spinach-and-Lamb Meatballs
Hot Honey Lamb Meatballs
Cheesy Lamb Burgers With Herb Mayo
Greek Lamb Burgers With Baked Eggplant Fries

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it better to cut lamb with or against the grain?

Like most meats, it's best to cut lamb against the grain. That cuts through the muscle fibers and makes the meat's texture tender and easy to chew.
How long should you rest a leg of lamb before serving?

For the juiciest meat, lamb requires a little rest before you start carving. That allows the juices to settle into the meat (rather than ending up on your cutting board). Let your lamb rest for at least 15 minutes before you start carving.

FAQs

Which cooking method is ideal for a leg of lamb? ›

Whether boneless or bone-in, the perfect leg of lamb should be either oven-roasted until blushing pink on the inside (with an internal temp around 130°F) or roasted long and slow for several hours until the meat is very tender and falls apart to internal temp around 175°F (I often use the slow cooker for that).

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Do you carve lamb with or against the grain? ›

While different cuts of lamb will require slightly different techniques, generally your carving technique should always boil down to one simple rule: always carve across the grain.

Do you cut fat off leg lamb before cooking? ›

Should I trim the fat off my leg of lamb? If it's ridiculously thick, you can take some of it off. (OR, cut shallow cross hashes in the fat layer–NOT so deep that you go down into the meat–so that it renders faster.) But I always leave a layer on and roast it fat side UP.

How long to leave lamb before carving? ›

Follow this tip: For a more tender and juicy piece of lamb, allow the meat to rest for at least 15 minutes after removing it from the oven. This is plenty of time for the meat's juices to redistribute throughout the cut, so they end up on your plate, and not on the cutting board.

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What knife do you use to cut a leg of lamb? ›

The chef's boning knife will be expected to work down the thighbone of a lamb leg without much collateral damage to the meat, and have enough stiffness in the blade to enable tough tendons to be cut with the extreme tip.