Grilled Lamb Skewers

Easy Grilled Lamb Skewers

I made these skewers for a garden dinner party with friends, and they were such a hit! I made the simple marinade the night before and let the lamb cubes luxuriate in it for a full 24 hours. Before the dinner party, I just popped the lamb on the skewers, covered them with cellophane, and passed them over to my grill-master husband when it was time for dinner.

I also thought it would be special to serve them with a lovely side of refreshing tzatziki! It’s a Greek yogurt dip made with cucumber, fresh dill, garlic, and lemon. So simple to make and a perfect complement to lamb! Just serve it with a spoon and folks can smother the skewers to their taste.

Ingredient Notes

thyme, rosemary & oregano – Unless the stems are woody on the rosemary, or the stems just don’t look very nice on the oregano, you won’t need to remove the leaves before placing them in the food processor. The thyme also doesn’t need to be removed from its stems, either, as long as your food processor has a fine mince or “purée” setting that will really chop everything to teeny, tiny bits.

lamb – I used lamb leg that had already been cut into cubes, but I cut them even smaller to 2”x2” which I find is a nice size for skewers. If you’re not sure where to find lamb leg cubes, I found mine on Fresh Direct.

garlic – You really can’t overdo the garlic here. The recipe calls for 15 cloves, but if you wantonly ignore suggested garlic amounts when you make other people’s recipes (like I do) by all means, use more if you want to turn the flavor up even higher.

smoked paprika – If you don’t have smoked paprika, you can also substitute with chili powder, cumin, or even Old Bay seasoning. And if you’d like to spice it up, feel free to add a good sprinkle of cayenne pepper too!

How to Make This Recipe Step-by-Step

1. In a food processor add 15 peeled garlic cloves, 2 tbsp. rosemary, 2 tbsp. thyme and 2 tbsp. oregano (this is about ½ ounces of stems, each). Process until garlic and herbs are very well minced. 

2. Combine minced herbs and garlic with ½ cup olive oil, ½ tsp. smoked paprika, ½ tsp. onion powder, ¼ tsp. salt and ¼ tsp. fresh pepper. Set aside.

3. Slice 3 pounds of lamb into 2”x2” cubes (if they aren’t already cubed in that size).

4. In a large mixing bowl, coat lamb in marinade. Cover with cellophane and let it sit for at least 4 hours. I like to let it set for a full 24 for maximum flavor.

5. Remove lamb and place cubes on skewers (if wooden, make sure they’ve soaked in water for 30 minutes). Don’t worry if the olive oil has solidified a bit, it will melt and help to crisp up the lamb once placed on the grill.

6. Heat grill to medium-high. If you prefer medium-rare, grill for 5-7 minutes until internal temperate reaches 130 F. For medium, 8-10 minutes until internal temperature reaches 140 F., and for well done, 12-15 minutes until internal temperature reaches 155 F. 

Recipe Notes

To check the internal temperature of your lamb, use a meat thermometer like this one. It takes all the guesswork out of grilling to perfection.

If you want to reheat the lamb skewers, cover them with foil and bake at 400 F. for 10-15 minutes. 

You can marinate the lamb for up to 48 hours if you wish, but no less than 4 hours to get a nice flavor.

The size of your lamb cubes will really affect grill time, so if your cubes are larger or smaller than 2”x2”, you’ll just have to more closely monitor the internal temperature of your lamb as it grills.

I highly suggest serving these skewers with a side of tzatziki! Especially if you add cayenne pepper to make them spicier!