Hanging Leg of Lamb with Five Spice and Rosemary Roast Potatoes

There is something brilliant about hanging a whole leg of lamb in the Charlie. It looks impressive, but more importantly, it cooks beautifully. The heat moves all the way round the meat, the fat renders slowly and bastes as it drips, and the tray below steadily builds the base of your gravy. This is slow charcoal cooking at its best. No rush. Just steady, gentle heat.

The secret to this recipe is the addition of five spice. It works quietly in the background. You hardly taste it as five spice. It simply adds warmth and another layer of flavour that works incredibly well with slightly smoky, roasted meat.

Ingredients

For the lamb

• 1 whole leg of lamb, bone in
• Sea salt
• 2 to 3 teaspoons Chinese five spice powder
• 6 to 10 garlic cloves
• Fresh rosemary sprigs

For the roasting tray

• 2 onions, roughly chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 sticks celery, chopped
• 2 dried bay leaves
• Small handful dried oregano
• 200 ml water

For the fire

• Good quality lumpwood charcoal, about half to three-quarters of a football-sized pile
• We recommend Stag Charcoal for clean, steady heat
• 1 small chunk of oak hardwood, roughly palm-sized
• A few dry rosemary sprigs
• 2 to 3 dried bay leaves

For the roast potatoes

• Floury potatoes, parboiled
• Whole carrots
• 1 whole head of garlic, sliced horizontally through the middle
• Extra fresh rosemary
• Reserved lamb fat

Prepare the lamb

1. Pat the lamb completely dry with kitchen paper. A dry surface gives you a better deep brown finish during the long roast.
2. Using a small drill bit, carefully drill a hole through the shank bone near the end. Thread a sturdy butcher’s S hook through and make sure it is secure and balanced.
3. Mix sea salt generously with the five spice powder. Season the lamb all over and be confident with it.
4. Using a small knife, make small, deep pockets across the meat. Push in garlic cloves and short sprigs of rosemary. Do not overdo the cuts. Just enough to carry flavour into the leg.
5. Leave the lamb at room temperature for a full hour before cooking. This allows the salt to start working into the meat, helps it cook evenly and encourages a proper dry brown finish.
6. Do not sear the meat. A hard sear tightens the outside and works against the long, gentle cook you are aiming for. The steady charcoal heat will naturally build a rich crust over time.

Charlie Oven setup

1. Place the charcoal directly onto the fire grates, towards the back of the oven. You are creating indirect heat so the lamb hangs clear of the fire.
2. Use half to three-quarters of a football sized pile of good quality lump charcoal. Never briquettes.
3. Light the charcoal and bring the oven to 120°C (or 250°F). You do not need to wait for the charcoal to burn down to embers.
4. Just shy of the target temperature, close both vents to one inch open (ie with a knuckle's worth of room between the vent pulls and the outside face of the oven). You want a steady, low temperature that will tick along for hours.
5. Add one small palm-sized chunk of oak directly onto the hot coals. Oak works beautifully with lamb. Too much wood will overpower the meat.
6. Add the dry rosemary sprigs and bay leaves straight onto the coals. As they warm, their oils are released and perfume the oven. No soaking needed.
7. Slide the Charlie roasting tray onto a lower rack so it sits directly beneath where the lamb will hang.
8. Add the onions, carrots, celery, dried oregano, bay leaves and 200 ml water to the tray.
9. Hang the lamb from the top rack position so it sits centrally and clear of the fire. The leg should hang completely exposed above the tray, not resting on it, so the heat can circulate all around and the fat can drip freely into the vegetables below.

The cook

1. Close the oven and keep it closed as much as possible.
2. Cook at 120°C (or 250°F) for 4 to 6 hours. The longer you go within that window, the more the collagen breaks down and the softer the lamb becomes.
3. Every hour, open briefly and baste the outside with the juices from the tray below. Work quickly and close the oven again to keep the temperature steady.
4. If the tray looks dry, add a splash more water.

Rest and finish

1. Lift the lamb out and rest it lightly covered for at least 45 minutes, up to an hour.
2. While it rests, open the vents fully and, if needed, add a little more charcoal to bring the oven up to 200°C (or 390°F). Just shy of the target temperature, close both vents to one inch open.
3. Carefully remove the roasting tray. Spoon off and reserve the clear lamb fat from the top. This is gold for your roast potatoes.
4. Strain and press the vegetables, bay and juices to create the base of your gravy. Spoon out of the roasting tray into a pan. You'll need the roasting tray again for your potatoes. Reduce in a pan if you want a richer finish.

Roast potatoes in lamb fat

1. Toss your parboiled potatoes and whole carrots in the reserved lamb fat. Add the halved head of garlic and a few extra sprigs of fresh rosemary. Season well.
2. Return everything to the roasting tray and place it back into the oven on a middle rack at 200°C (or 390°F).
3. Roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour until the potatoes are crisp, golden and edged with sticky garlic and rosemary.
4. Carve or pull the lamb, spoon over some of the reduced juices and serve with those crisp potatoes and carrots.

Why cook this in Charlie

Hanging the lamb allows the charcoal heat to move all the way round the meat. Charlie’s open fuel placement keeps airflow clean and steady, giving you reliable low-temperature control and gentle smoke.

A small palm-sized piece of oak adds just enough character. Rosemary and bay warm on the coals and perfume the oven. The dripping lamb fat builds flavour in the tray below, so your gravy and potatoes carry the true taste of the roast.

This is charcoal-roasted lamb done properly, and it is exactly what the Charlie was built for.