This deliciousPulled Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb recipe is boneless and slowly roasted to perfection. You’ll be amazed at the tender succulent lamb when it’s ready to enjoy!
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I'm a huge fan of slow cooked lamb. Whether it’s lamb shanks, lamb shoulder, or lamb leg – cooked long and slow is my favorite way to enjoy them.
They become so tender you can effortlessly pull the meat apart with just two forks.
I didn’t grow up eating lamb, it was something the hubs introduced me to. We were dating and he went off to Israel for his sister’s wedding… and he came back gushing about the street vendors selling lamb shawarma.
I knew it was then my privilege to learn how to cook it. So I went to work.
I researched and through trial and error I developed my own recipes. I came up with up with my lamb shank recipe, my lamb lasagna and my yummy lamb meatballs. And now fast forward to today we’ve got… the most delicious Slow Roast Leg of Lamb.
It’s so tender and flavorful and it truly melts in your mouth.
For this version of roast lamb you cook it on a very low heat in the oven for several hours. When it’s finished cooking it literally falls apart and melts in your mouth.
You can add extra veggies toward the end of the cooking cycle and turn the pan juices into a gravy.
Or you can skip all of that and serve the meat wrapped in pita bread with fresh tomatoes, feta cheese, red onion cucumber slices and a creamy tzatziki sauce.
Any way you “pull it” it will be delicious!!
Here’s how the magic happens…
How do you cook lamb so it's tender?
Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.
Separate your herb stems into two bundles and tie each bundle off with kitchen twine.
Remove the netting from the lamb leg. Pat dry with some paper towels. Trim some of the fat off the top of the leg with a serrated knife.
Make 15-20 small 1-2 inch deep slits all over the lamb. Insert the garlic cloves (or pieces) into the slits and press them in firmly.
Then tie your lamb leg up with some kitchen twine like a present. (Here's a great simple guide video from Le Cordon Bleu showing how to tie any roast!)
Salt and pepper the lamb on all sides. And rub it with olive oil.
Heat your Dutch oven to high heat on the stove top and sear the lamb leg on all sides for 2-3 minutes.
Remove it from the heat, add the onion slices to the bottom of the Dutch oven, and set the lamb on top in the center.
Now add the carrots, the herb bouquets and more garlic all around the edges of the pan.
Pour white wine and chicken stock into the pan but not over lamb – pour it in around the sides (you don’t want to wash the salt and pepper off the meat). Sprinkle salt and pepper on the veggies and herbs.
Place the lid tightly on the pan, transfer it to the oven, and slow roast on 300 degrees for 4 hours and 45 minutes. If your roast is smaller you will want to cook it less time.
Remove the lid and add the potatoes and more cut carrots if desired. Put the roast back in the oven uncovered for 1 more hour. Then remove the lamb from the oven.
It's an easy lamb roast recipe that comes out so tender and delicious!
It's also a pretty forgiving recipe because if the meat is not tender enough at the end of the cook time, you can just stick it back in the oven until it shreds effortlessly.
And if you end up cooking it an hour longer than necessary it’s still going to be juicy and tender.
If you're like me and love gravy then you'll want to strain and save those yummy pan juices.
To make a gravy, drain the pan juices off the lamb and veggies, into a medium saute pan. Bring to medium heat.
In a small bowl, make a slurry of 3 tablespoons of flour and 4 tablespoons of water, then slowly whisk into the pan juices. Simmer for 5-6 minutes, whisking occasionally. If it gets too thick just add some water or chicken stock and simmer for a few minutes.
Taste and add salt and pepper if desired.
Serve the lamb leg and vegetables, sliced or shredded, with the warm pan juice gravy in your favorite gravy boat.
I can’t wait for you try it - It’s gonna be over the top delicious my friend.
It’s truly the perfect meal for a Sunday Supper with family and friends or your annual Easter dinner celebration!
Yield: 16 Servings
Pulled Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb
(Adapted from Athony Bourdin's "Les Halles" cookbook)
This deliciousPulled Slow Roasted Leg of Lambrecipe is boneless and slowly roasted to perfection. You’ll be amazed at the tender succulent lamb when it’s ready to enjoy!
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time5 hours 45 minutes
Total Time6 hours 15 minutes
Ingredients
- 6 pound boneless lamb leg (6-6.5 pounds - See Note)
- 20 whole garlic cloves, peeled (15 will be inserted into the roast, the rest will be cooked alongside it)
- 1½ teaspoons salt (divided)
- 1 teaspoon pepper (divided)
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large onions, sliced in ½ inch rings
- 8 large carrots, peeled and cut into 3-inch pieces (divided)
- 20 stems of parsley, divided in half
- 10 stems of thyme, divided in half
- 4 stems of rosemary, divided in half
- 2 cups dry white wine (not sweet wine – I used chardonnay)
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1.5 pounds baby red potatoes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- Separate herb stems into two bundles and tie each bundle off with kitchen twine.
- Remove the netting from the lamb leg. Pat dry with some paper towels. I trimmed some of the fat off the top of the leg with a small serrated knife.
- Use a small knife to make 15-20 small 1-2 inch deep slits all over the lamb. Insert the garlic cloves (or pieces of the cloves) into the slits and press them in firmly.
- Use kitchen twine to tie the lamb leg up securely… like a present! (If you've never done this, see this video on how to tie a roast).
- Salt and pepper the lamb on all sides, then rub with olive oil.
- Heat Dutch oven to high heat on the stove top, and sear the lamb leg on all sides for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the onion slices to the bottom of the Dutch oven and set the lamb on top in the center.
- Now add half of the cut carrots, the herb bouquets and the rest of the garlic all around the edges of the pan.
- Pour white wine and chicken stock into the pan but not over lamb – around the sides (you don’t want to wash the salt and pepper off the meat.) Sprinkle ½ teaspoon salt and pepper on the veggies and herbs.
- Now place the lid tightly on the pan, place it in the oven, and slow roast on 300 degrees for 4 hours 45 minutes.
- Remove the lid and add the potatoes and the rest of the carrots. Put the roast back in the oven uncovered for 1 more hour.
- To make gravy from the cooking liquid, drain the pan juices off the lamb and veggies into a medium saute pan. Bring to medium heat.
- In a small bowl, make a slurry of 3 tablespoons of flour and 4 tablespoons of water, then slowly whisk it into the pan juices. Simmer for 5-6 minutes, whisking occasionally. If it gets too thick, just add some water or chicken stock and simmer for a few minutes. Salt and pepper the gravy to taste.
Notes
I find it helpful to partially smash the garlic cloves... this loosens the skins and makes them easier to remove.
The cook time will vary based on the size of the lamb. Base your cooking time on these ranges. However if the meat is not tender enough at the end of the cook time, you can just stick it back in the oven until it shreds effortlessly.
- 4 - 4.5 lbs: Cook 3 hours 45 min, then add potatoes, then cook 60 more minutes
- 5 - 5.5 lbs: Cook 4 hours 15 min, then add potatoes, then cook 60 more minutes
- 6 - 6.5 lbs: Cook 4 hours 45 min, then add potatoes, then cook 60 more minutes
Nutrition Information
Yield
16Serving Size
4-6 ounces lamb plus veggies
Amount Per ServingCalories 558Total Fat 31gSaturated Fat 12gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 16gCholesterol 159mgSodium 377mgCarbohydrates 16gNet Carbohydrates 14gFiber 2gSugar 3gProtein 46g
This nutrition card uses an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. This estimate is not a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice!
