Lamb Tandoori-style on the steel Kamado

My latest cooking project was a butterflied boneless leg of lamb prepared Tandoori-style marinated by my wife according to this recipe:


 Tandoori-spiced Grilled Lamb

Ingredients

2-1/2 lbs. boneless leg of lamb, butterflied

2 cups plain whole milk yogurt

1 small onion, diced

6 large cloves of garlic, roughly chopped

2 tspn. ginger root, roughly chopped

2 tspn. garam masala

2 tspn. ground cumin

1 tspn. ground coriander

¼ tspn ground fennel seed

¼ tspn. fresh ground black pepper

1 tspn. olive oil

½ tspn. cayenne pepper (+ or- to taste)

Juice of ½ lemon

1 tspn. salt (+ or – to taste)

Directions

Using paper towel, dry the lamb and set aside.  In a large nonreactive (glass or stainless steel) bowl, combine remaining ingredients and mix well. Add the lamb, turn to coat, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for 8 hours or up to 2 days.

When ready to cook, wipe off all the marinade and discard.

Here it sits in the marinade after 24 hours in the cooler.

And here it is with the marinade wiped off.

I placed it on the Kamado Kooker which was steady @ 500F with the lower and upper drafts both on position 3. I placed an additional rack above the lump charcoal fire. On that rack I placed an empty metal pan to act as a diffuser. So, this was cooked indirectly but with no liquid and no wood chips.    

                                             

I seared it on both sides briefly and then  closed the dome. 

The temperature on the dome thermometer

was adjusted again to just below 500F by opening both drafts and then returning both to position 3.

I monitored the internal temperature of the meat with a remote temperature probe and took it off at 160F

which was reached in about 45 minutes.

Here it is done on the grill.The diffuser pan obscures the view of the 

coals beneath.

It was was cooked to medium and amazingly delicious. It was quite moist and the spices permeated it thoroughly. I'm anxious to do this again and I don't plan any changes.