What To Marinate Lamb In

Marinades are an excellent way to enhance the flavour and tenderness of lamb. By coating your meat with a flavourful mixture, you can create a meal that is both delicious and easy to prepare. Explore 5 of the best lamb marinades including lamb marinades for bbq, using our favourite lamb marinades for lamb steaks, lamb chops, and diced lamb.

Explore 5 of the best lamb marinades, including lamb marinades for BBQ, lamb steaks, lamb chops and diced lamb.

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Marinades are incredibly versatile and perfect for infusing lamb with a variety of flavours depending on your personal tastes and preferences. Whether you’re wondering how to marinate lamb for a BBQ or looking for the best lamb marinade for a delicious midweek meal, marinating is a simple yet effective method to elevate your dishes. All you need to do is mix the ingredients of your marinade together, ensure the marinade is coating your meat, leave the meat to marinate in the ingredients for a few hours, then grill or cook your meat in the oven. This makes marinating ideal for those who like to meal prep as you can prepare the meat in advance and then cook when needed.

How to marinate lamb

Making a lamb marinade couldn’t be easier. Simply mix all of the ingredients until fully combined, then cover your meat with the marinade, and allow the flavours to fully infuse by placing your lamb in the fridge for several hours. For best results, let the lamb marinate in the refrigerator for about 5 to 6 hours.

A resealable freezer or sandwich bag works well for keeping your meat and marinade together, but you can also use a glass dish. Just be sure not to overcrowd the meat to ensure even marination.

Avoid using materials that might react negatively with the acids in the marinade, as this could spoil your meat.

Marinating lamb is ideal for those who like to meal prep, as you can prepare the meat in advance and then cook when needed.

What’s the best lamb marinade?

If you’re wondering what to marinate lamb in, the key is to choose a marinade that complements the rich flavours of lamb. Marinating beforehand not only enhances the taste but also improves the texture of the meat, making it more succulent and flavourful, especially if you are going to a BBQ.

Read on to discover our favourite recipes for lamb marinades.

5 best lamb marinades

Here are our butcher’s favourite lamb marinades:

• Greek lamb marinade – vibrant, zesty and fresh
• Balsamic lamb marinade – fragrant and sweet
• Honey and mint marinade – a unique classic
• Italian lamb marinade – herby and citrusy
• Hoisin lamb marinade – sweet and aromatic

When preparing your lamb marinade, you can easily scale up or down based on the amount of meat you’re using. Each marinade recipe here is designed to cover up to 1 kilo of lamb.

Greek Lamb Marinade

This Greek-style lamb marinade is bursting with flavour and will infuse your lamb chops and lamb steaks with a vibrant, zesty, and citrusy finish. The combination of herbs and spices typical of Greek cuisine complements lamb exceptionally well. This marinade for lamb not only makes a delicious standalone dish when paired with a fresh side salad or grilled vegetables, but it also pairs exceptionally well with a feta salad.

Ingredients:

• 5 tbsp olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• Juice from 2 large lemons
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp dried rosemary
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

Balsamic Lamb Marinade

This flavourful lamb marinade combines a small number of common pantry ingredients to create a delightful mix of tangy and sweet flavours. The marinade offers a well-rounded depth that makes your lamb dish both tasty and refreshing.

Ingredients:

• 6 tbsp olive oil
• 4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

Honey and Mint Lamb Marinade

Mint and lamb are a classic pairing, popular in European, Middle Eastern, and Asian cuisines. This mint lamb marinade enhances your meat with refreshing minty notes and a subtle underlying sweetness from honey. The combination brings a vibrant freshness and depth of flavour to your lamb dishes.

Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp of oil
• Juice from 2 lemons
• 1 tsp chilli flakes, to taste
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp dried mint

Italian Lamb Marinade

This Italian-style lamb marinade boasts a rich and complex flavour that pairs perfectly with lamb. It’s ideal for complementing a range of side dishes, including grilled vegetables, fresh salads, or crispy chips.

Ingredients:

• Juice from 2 lemons
• 6 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 4 cloves of garlic, crushed then minced
• 3 tsp dried thyme
• 3 tsp dried oregano
• 3 tsp dried basil
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

Hoisin Lamb Marinade

Hoisin sauce, originating from Cantonese cuisine in China, is a sweet and aromatic sauce commonly used as both an accompaniment and cooking ingredient. Its versatility makes it a great addition to a wide variety of dishes.

Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 3 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 6 garlic cloves, crushed and minced
• 1 tbsp honey
• 4 tbsp spring onion, minced
• 1 tsp salt

How to season lamb

If you don’t want to marinate your lamb or don’t have time, you can simply season your lamb meat. Simply combine your seasoning ingredients in a bowl, then rub the lamb with oil before coating it evenly with the seasoning. Make sure you get an even covering on your lamb.

It’s best to season your lamb when you take it out of the fridge to rest before cooking. This allows the flavours infuse with the meat.

The best lamb meat seasoning

The best lamb seasoning complements the rich, sweet flavour of the meat. You can keep it simple with the likes of salt, pepper and garlic or go classic with rosemary and thyme. Alternatively, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean flavours work well.

Here are our lamb seasoning recommendations:

• Salt and pepper – keep things simple and let the flavour of the lamb speak for itself
• Garlic – whether you use full or minced cloves or garlic salt, the flavour enhances the lamb taste
• Rosemary and thyme – flavoursome, woody herbs that enhance the earthy lamb flavour
• Mustard – the tangy taste that’s a little different from the norm
• Mint – a classic pairing with lamb that’s made to impress
• Harissa – bringing a fiery flavour for the more adventurous
• Cumin – a flavourful spice that works well for adding a tasty crust to lamb

Get experimental and try blending flavours to see which lamb seasoning your family will love.

For a deeper understanding of the science of marinades, check out our blog post on the Guide to Marinades. It explains how different marinade ingredients interact to improve the flavour and texture of meat and offers tips for getting the most out of your marinade. We also have several other marinade recipe blog posts for chicken, pork, and beef.