An electric smoker works with a heating element similar to those found in a kitchen oven to burn wood pellets that produce smoke and heat for cooking food. Pellets are available in a variety of woods, such as hickory, apple, cedar and mesquite, to create different flavors and aromas in the smoked food. You can smoke a leg of lamb in your electric smoker over a period of hours, depending on the weight of the meat.
Remove the lamb from the packaging and blot dry on all sides with a clean towel.
Place the leg of lamb in the casserole dish and pour olive oil over the meat. Rub the oil onto all surfaces.
Season the lamb to your preference. Crushed rosemary and garlic sprinkled over the leg of lamb are often used seasonings. For added flavor, pierce the flesh in several places with a knife and push a peeled clove of garlic into each slit.
Refrigerate the lamb for at least three hours, or overnight, if possible.
Fill the hopper on your electric smoker with wood pellets. Applewood is a good choice for smoked lamb, although you can use any wood you prefer. Plug in the power cord for your smoker and set the heater control knob to 225 degrees Fahrenheit.
Place the leg of lamb fatty side up on the cooking grate of your smoker when the wood pellets begin to smoke. Close the cover. During the long smoking process, the fat will slowly melt downward and through the leg of lamb, tenderizing the meat and adding flavor.
Smoke the lamb for 20 minutes per pound, checking the hopper once an hour to add more wood pellets if needed to maintain smoke.
Pierce the thickest part of the leg with a meat thermometer near the end of the smoking time. The meat is done when it registers an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit for bone-in lamb or 145 degrees Fahrenheit for a de-boned leg.
Transfer the smoked leg of lamb to a serving platter with hot mitts. Let the lamb rest five minutes before carving so the juices can recirculate through the meat.