A smoked leg of lamb is a holiday showpiece that is easier than it looks. Herb crust, gentle smoke, and pulled at a rosy medium-rare. Set your serving time below.
How long to smoke a leg of lamb
At 225°F, plan about 38 minutes per pound; hot and fast at 325°F runs closer to 25. Pull to your doneness: medium-rare around 130°F is the sweet spot, with carryover adding a few degrees on a roast this size. Bone-in carries more flavor; boneless carves easier. Racks, loins, and chops run on different clocks, so check the lamb smoker times by cut if you are cooking something smaller.
The herb crust
Garlic, rosemary, thyme, and olive oil, worked into a lightly trimmed surface, clings and forms a fragrant crust. Leave a thin fat cap to baste the meat as it renders.
Leg of lamb on a pellet grill
225°F with oak or pecan, pull at medium-rare, and rest before carving against the grain. A reverse sear adds a crust if you like.
FAQ
What temp is smoked leg of lamb done? Medium-rare around 130°F is ideal; 140°F for medium. Lamb dries and turns livery when overcooked.
How long does a leg of lamb take? Roughly 38 minutes per pound at 225°F. The calculator plans it to your weight and dinner.
Bone-in or boneless? Bone-in is juicier and more flavorful; boneless is easier to carve and cooks a bit faster.
How Much Leg of Lamb Do I Need to Buy and Cook?
Fine-tune trim & cook loss
Lost to trim: - · lost to the cook: -
💲 Compare price: boneless vs bone-in
How Much Lamb Per Person (Serving Size Chart)
| Guests | Raw Leg of lamb to buy | Trimmed (on the smoker) | Cooked (served) | Good pick |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-5 | 3.2 lb | 2.6 lb | 2.0 lb | ~3.2 lb (sizes vary) |
| 6-10 | 6.4 lb | 5.1 lb | 4.0 lb | ~6.4 lb (sizes vary) |
| 11-15 | 9.6 lb | 7.7 lb | 6.0 lb | ~9.6 lb (sizes vary) |
| 16-20 | 13 lb | 10 lb | 8.0 lb | ~13 lb (sizes vary) |
| 21-30 | 19 lb | 15 lb | 12 lb | ~19 lb (sizes vary) |
| 31-40 | 26 lb | 21 lb | 16 lb | ~26 lb (sizes vary) |
| 41-50 | 32 lb | 26 lb | 20 lb | ~32 lb (sizes vary) |
Raw weight to comfortably feed the top of each range at an average appetite (~0.40 lb cooked per person), no leftovers. Bump up a size for hearty eaters, light sides, or leftovers.
Leg of lamb prices: retail vs wholesale
Leg of Lamb costs about $14.99 a pound at the grocery store this week and $10.04 a pound wholesale. The lowest advertised price is in the Alaska at $9.49 (10 stores). USDA data: grocery ads running Oct 3-9, wholesale trades through Oct 9.
$14.99/lb national grocery ad average for Leg, Boneless (ads running Oct 3-9, 37 stores)
$10.04/lb wholesale, Lamb leg, boneless, tied (IMPS 234) – USDA boxed-cut trades, Oct 5-Oct 9, 37,516 lb traded. The shelf price also covers cutting, packaging, labor, shrink and the store’s margin, and a supplier quotes above this for their margin, spec and delivery.
By region this week: Alaska $9.49 · Northeast $14.99
See prices for every cut → · How much should you buy? · Cooking for money? Price the whole job
Source: USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (Market News + LMPRS mandatory reporting), tracked daily by MeatSmokingCalculator. Retail = advertised grocery feature prices; wholesale = national boxed primal values. Not a quote – your store and supplier will vary.
Where leg of lamb finishes. Pull temperature on one thermometer, against the safety floors; the faint ticks are every other cut on the chart.
Times & temperatures
| Style | Method | Pit temp | Approx time | Pull / done temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boneless | Slow and Low | 225°F / 107°C | ~38 min/lb | Rare 120°F · Medium-Rare 130°F · Medium 140°F · Medium-Well 150°F · Well 160°F |
| Boneless | Hot and Fast | 325°F / 163°C | ~25 min/lb | Rare 120°F · Medium-Rare 130°F · Medium 140°F · Medium-Well 150°F · Well 160°F |
📊 See the full smoking times & temps chart for every cut →
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Written by John Kirker, who built the first meat smoking calculator in 2011. Times come from cooks we have actually run and logged; temperature and feel decide the finish, never the clock alone.
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