Weber Q Lamb Souvlaki With Greek Style Tzatziki Sauce
Time to dust off and fire up the Weber this weekend. It's barbecue time. Today I'm cooking a seasoned Weber Q lamb souvlaki with Greek-style Tzatziki sauce.
Ingredients
Lamb Marinade
- 700g leg of lamb or shoulder (boneless)
- ⅛ cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 1 brown onion small (sliced)
- 2 tsp oregano dried
- 1 tsp rosemary dried
- 1 tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
Tzatziki Sauce
- 1 cucumber large (skin-on & grated)
- 1 ½ cups greek yoghurt
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp dill fresh
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 tbsp mint fresh (optional)
Optional Toppings
- 4-6 pita bread
- 1 tomato
- 1 cup lettuce
- 1 cup cheddar cheese
- 1 red onion sliced
Instructions
Preparing the Lamb Marinade
- Begin trimming off the excess fat from the lamb, and peel away the membrane. Then cut into small 2cm cubes and place them into a medium-sized bowl.
- Add balsamic vinegar, oregano, rosemary, salt & black pepper to the bowl.
- Slice onion and, using your hands combine herbs and onion with the lamb making sure the lamb is fully coated in the marinade.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours. 8 hours would be ideal. This will help to tenderize the meat.
Preparing Tzatziki Sauce
- Grate cucumber on the largest side of your grater. There’s no need to peel the cucumber.
- Place the grated cucumber into a sieve over a bowl press the cucumber with the back of a spoon to remove excess water.
- In a bowl combine Greek yoghurt, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt and fresh herbs. Let the mixture rest for 10 minutes to allow the flavours to be absorbed. Taste Tzatziki and add additional lemon juice, salt and or herbs if required.
- Add grated cucumber to the bowl and mix. Refrigerate immediately until required.
Grilling Lamb Skewers
- Remove the lamb from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature for 1 hour. (See Note 1)
- Begin threading the lamb pieces onto each of the metal skewers. Try not to press the lamb closely together to allow even grilling.
- If you have the Weber Q breakfast plate, place it onto one side of your grill. (See Note 2)
- Pre-heat your Weber Q by turning the gas control knob/s to the START/Hi position and heat for 10 minutes with the lid down.
- Place the skewers onto the grill side of the Weber Q, turn the gas control knob down to medium heat. Family Q: turn the small gas control knob to low and the large gas control knob to the medium position. Then close the lid.
- Grill for 10-12 minutes turning halfway or until the internal temperature reaches 63°C (145°F)
- Once cooked, cover the lamb skewers with aluminium foil and rest for 10-15 minutes.
- Drizzle olive oil onto the breakfast plate and lightly toast the pita bread on both sides for 30 seconds per side. Try not to toast the pita for too long or it will dry out.
- Spread the desired amount of Tzatziki Sauce onto the pita and begin adding your toppings. ENJOY!
Notes
Note 1: Never place cold meat on a hot grill. It will be tough when eating. This is because meat tightens when refrigerated. Bringing the meat up to room temperature before grilling will allow the lamb time to relax. And you will enjoy evenly cooked, tender and juicy lamb.
Note 2: I’ve used the Weber Q breakfast plate to lightly toast the pita bread. I tried grilling pita directly on the grill and it was far too dry.
Add a drizzle of olive to the breakfast plate and toast pita until lightly golden.
