Slow Roast Leg of Lamb

This Slow Roast Leg of Lamb is going to take your next Sunday roast to a whole new level! It’s ULTRA EASY and very forgiving. It does take patience as it takes 4 1/2 hours in the oven, but you’ll be rewarded with lamb leg that’s fall-apart tender with an incredible rosemary garlic infused gravy.

After more roast lamb ideas? Browse all my roast lamb recipes or take the Roast Lamb Matchmaker here which will lead you to your perfect recipe!

Slow Roast Leg of Lamb

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – lamb leg should either be roasted exactly such that it’s blushing pink inside – either whole or butterflied – or long and slow so it’s ultra tender.

Blushing pink = meat thermometer or holding-your-breath-cross-your-fingers for that moment when you carve, hoping for juicy lamb rather than grey and dry. If that’s what you’re after, use this classic Whole Roast Lamb Leg recipe or my Greek Butterflied Leg of Lamb for a quicker boneless version – and yes, you really need a meat thermometer.

This recipe is for the other way – long and slow, the sort of meat you pull off the bone with tongs. It’s much easier, less stressful, and you don’t need a thermometer.

And it’s Amazing. With a capital A!

How to make a Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb

All the lamb needs is a sprinkle of salt and pepper, drizzle of olive oil, then beef stock/broth and water in the pan which keeps everything all nice and moist + makes pan juices for gravy, cover then slow roast for 5 hours until tender and fall apart.

For an incredible hands-off version of this slow roast leg of lamb, try the Slow Cooker Roast Lamb!

1. Roasting bed – Put garlic, onion and rosemary in the roasting pan. This is the bed on which the lamb is roasted and it serves three purposes:

   1) to keep the lamb elevated out of the pan juices for even cooking;
   2) flavour the flesh that’s in contact with it; and
   3) flavours the pan juices which is used to make the gravy.
   

2. Season – Sprinkle the lamb leg all over with salt and pepper. In this photo, the lamb leg is the right side up which is covered with a thin layer of fat.

3. Upside down – Turn the lamb upside down and pour the liquids around it. Lamb leg is quite lean so it benefits from slow-cooking submerged in liquid which helps keep the meat moist. If you roast it like a regular lamb leg (right side up, exposes, no foil cover), the meat would end up terribly dry.

4. Drizzle the surface with oil (just the exposed surface, no need to turn the lamb over).

5. Slow roast – Roast for 4 1/2 hours at 170°C/325°F (150°C fan-forced) or until the meat on the underside that was submerged in the liquids can be easily pried apart using two forks.

6. Brown – Turn the lamb over then roast uncovered for 20 to 30 minutes or until it’s nicely browned all over.

   The lamb is now ready! But it’s important to rest it for at least 15 minutes before serving which will allow the juices in the meat to redistribute throughout the meat fibres (makes the meat juicier). So transfer it to a platter and loosely cover with foil to rest while you make the gravy.

How to make the gravy for slow-roasted meat

A great gravy comes down to the flavour in the pan juices and this one knocks it out of the park! All the tasty lamb roasting juices plus the garlic, onion and rosemary is what makes this gravy so good. Here’s how to make it – it’s a cinch!

1. Heat – Set the pan on the stove with all the liquid that it’s in it, including the garlic and onion which will look like a mushy sludge by now but adds a stack of great flavour into our gravy. Turn the stove on to heat the pan juices then scatter the flour over and mix it in.

2. Whisk in water then simmer until it becomes a gravy consistency.

3. Strain into a bowl, pressing all the tasty sludge out of the garlic and onion. (I really need to think of a better word that “sludge” 😆)

4. Pour into a gravy jug and it’s ready to use!

Sides to serve with roast lamb

Complete your meal! Here are a few suggestions for sides that go really well with roast lamb:

Potatoes au Gratin (Dauphinoise)

Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots

Baked Mac and Cheese

Creamy Buttery Mashed Potato

Cheesy Mini Potato Gratin Stacks (Muffin Tin)

Paris Mash (Rich Creamy Mashed Potato)

Creamy Mashed Cauliflower

Rocket Salad with Balsamic Dressing and Shaved Parmesan

Pea, Cabbage, Parmesan and Mint Salad

Side Dishes

Side Salads

I promised this was easy, and I meant it. It’s forgiving because if the meat’s not tender enough, you can just stick it back in the oven until it is – and you can cook for even an hour beyond necessary and it’s still going to be juicy.

If the gravy gets too thick, no dramas, just add a splash of water. If the gravy is lumpy, no worries, because in this recipe, it’s strained.

In short – it’s pretty hard to stuff up. If you’re a roast lamb first-timer, just give yourself a couple of extra hours because this lamb reheats great in the microwave or oven, as does the gravy.

Sunday night roast is never going to be the same again! – Nagi x

Just before you go!

Saturday 11 April 2020 – That you are here, looking at this roast lamb recipe for Easter 2020 fills my heart with happiness because it says that you are in some way able to hold onto Easter traditions, despite being stuck at home and unable to celebrate with extended family.

But for many healthcare workers around the world, including my hometown of Sydney, they will be working too hard to celebrate Easter. These brave men and women who are literally risking their lives to save ours.

I feel morally obliged to do something, so I am running a program where you can buy a meal from a local business for our overworked Frontliners. Too exhausted to cook, many are turning to fast food and those who try to cook are faced with empty supermarket shelves.

If you would like to Shout A Meal for a Sydney Frontliner to express your thanks, please click here for my fundraiser and here is more information about my program “Shout A Meal”.

Thank you for reading, and Happy Easter! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.

Slow Roast Leg of Lamb

Author: Nagi

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 5 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Total: 5 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Main

Western

4.96 from 387 votes

Servings6 people

Tap or hover to scale

Print

• 2692
• 33838

Recipe video above. A very forgiving, very easy way to roast a leg of lamb, where the meat is slow-cooked until it's tender enough to pull it off the bone with tongs. It is not the blushing pink flesh carving sort (use this traditional Roast Lamb recipe if that's what you're after).

Lamb leg is lean, so to slow cook it's best to partially submerge in a flavoured liquid which keeps the flesh moist plus infuses with flavour. I'm using garlic and rosemary in this recipe – classic lamb flavours!

**IMPORTANT** Lamb leg is lean so it should only be cooked for 1.5 hours until blushing pink & juicy (per this traditional Roast Lamb recipe) or slow cooked for 4.5 hrs until fall apart (this recipe). Anything in between is tough and not nice! For more roast lamb recipes, browse the recipe collection or take my Roast Lamb Matchmaker to find your perfect recipe!

Ingredients

CupsMetric

• ▢ 2.25 kg / 4.5 lb leg of lamb , bone in (or shoulder) (Note 1)
• ▢ 1 1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt (double for flakes)
• ▢ 1/2 tsp black pepper
• ▢ 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• ▢ 1 whole garlic head , unpeeled, cut in half horizontally
• ▢ 1 onion , quartered (unpeeled is fine)
• ▢ 2 rosemary sprigs (2 = whisper of rosemary flavour, 4 sprigs = stronger flavour)
• ▢ 3 cups beef stock/broth , low sodium (or homemade)
• ▢ 2 cups water

Gravy:

• ▢ 4 tbsp plain flour (all-purpose flour)
• ▢ 1 cup water
• ▢ Salt and pepper , to taste

Cook ModePrevent screen from sleeping

Instructions

ABBREVIATED

• Season leg with salt and pepper, place upside down on garlic, onion and rosemary. Pour liquids in, drizzle with oil, cover with foil. Roast 4 1/2 hours at 170°C/335°F (150°C fan) until meat is pull-apart tender. Flip, return to oven 20 – 30 minutes at 200°C/390°F (180° fan) until well browned. Make gravy while resting.

FULL RECIPE

• Preheat oven to 170°C/335°F (150°C fan-forced).
• Place garlic, onion and rosemary in a metal roasting pan.
• Season lamb: Place lamb leg right side up in the pan. (Note 2) Sprinkle the surface with half the salt and pepper and rub it in.
• Turn lamb over and place it so it mostly sits on the garlic and onion. Sprinkle with remaining salt and pepper, rub it in. (Video helpful here)
• Add liquids and cover: Drizzle lamb with olive oil. Pour broth and water around the lamb – it won't cover it, that's ok, the lamb sinks into it. Cover with foil (don't use a lid, you want a bit of liquid to steam out).
• Slow roast: Place in the oven and roast for 4 1/2 hours. (See Notes for roasting time table)
• Check meat: Remove from the oven, remove foil. Turn lamb over. Check it to ensure the meat is tender enough to pry a bit off easily with a fork. If not, return, covered, to oven.
• Brown lamb: Return uncovered lamb to the oven and roast for a further 40 minutes or until well browned all over. (Don't increase the temperature as then it doesn't brown as evenly)
• Rest: Remove lamb, spoon over pan juices generously. Transfer to serving platter, cover loosely with foil while you make the gravy (stays warm for 1 – 1 1/2 hours).

Gravy:

• Skim fat: Use a large spoon to skim off and discard some of the fat from the surface of the liquid.
• Add flour: Place pan on the stove on medium high. When the liquid bubbles, add flour. Use a whisk to mix it in – this may take a few minutes as the liquid reduces.
• Add water: Once it looks like sludge (see video), whisk in 1/2 – 1 cup of water until it becomes a gravy consistency to your taste. Adjust salt and pepper to taste – I rarely add extra salt.
• Strain gravy into a bowl, pressing juices out of the onion etc. Pour gravy into jug.

Serving:

• The meat is tender so you will only need tongs to tear the meat off. Serve with gravy!

Recipe Notes:

1. LAMB CUT: This recipe can be made with a leg or shoulder of lamb. Shoulder has more fat running through it than leg, so you can actually roast it uncovered (here’s my Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder recipe), but this recipe will also work with shoulder. This recipe is designed for lamb leg because it’s leaner, so it benefits greatly from slow roasting partially submerged in liquid so it doesn’t dry out. Cooking it this way also infuses it with flavour.

2. The upper side of the lamb leg has more meat so we want to roast that partially submerged in the liquid for most of the cooking time. The upper side of the lamb is rounder and usually has more fat. The underside has less fat and is more flat.

3. Essential side – Truly Crunchy Roast Potatoes!

4. More roast lamb recipes: Ultra Tender Slow Cooker Roast Lamb, Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder, Classic Roast Lamb with Gravy (i.e. it’s blushing pink inside) and Slow Roasted GREEK Leg of Lamb (delish lemon garlic flavours!).

5. Roasting Times (this cook method is pretty forgiving so round up to determine cook time eg if your lamb is 1.8kg, use the 2 kg cook times):

6. Gluten-free gravy – Skip the flour. Mix 2 1/2 tbsp cornflour/cornstarch with 3 tbsp water and use in place of the flour.

Servings – Allow ~350g/12 oz uncooked bone-in meat weight per person, so a 2.25kg /4.5 pound leg will serve ~6 people. I know this sounds like a lot of meat per person, but you lose more weight with slow cooked meats than roasting leg to blushing pink. plus the bone is sizeable and nobody can carve every scrap of meat off the bone. 🙂

Make-ahead – This is best served freshly made as leg is quite lean so it just isn’t as succulent when reheated. It stays warm for 1 hour so you needn’t worry about being 100% precise with cook timing. Leftovers will keep for 3 to 4 days in the fridge, or freezer for 3 months.

Nutrition per serving assuming 10 servings.

Nutrition – Calories in the nutrition are higher than actual because I do not know how to adjust for the fat that is skimmed off the liquid before making the gravy. I usually throw out about 1/3 cup which means the calories is probably closer to 500 calories per serving, and that’s assuming all the gravy is consumed.

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 322gCalories: 605cal (30%)Carbohydrates: 6.5g (2%)Protein: 56g (112%)Fat: 38g (58%)Saturated Fat: 15g (94%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 2.8gMonounsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 198mg (66%)Sodium: 809mg (35%)Potassium: 712mg (20%)Fiber: 0.5g (2%)Sugar: 0.8g (1%)Vitamin A: 10IUVitamin C: 1.2mg (1%)Calcium: 4mgIron: 4.7mg (26%)

Keywords: Roast Lamb Leg, Slow Roast Leg of Lamb

Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @recipe_tin.

Originally published May 2017. Updated for housekeeping matters April 2020 and 2026 – no change to recipe!

More Roast Lamb Recipes

I love a good roast lamb – so I’ve shared a few over the years! Here are some of my favourites – or browse the whole recipe collection.

Roast Lamb Leg with Gravy

Greek Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb

Slow Cooker Roast Lamb Leg

Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder

Slow Cooked Lamb Shawarma

Roast Lamb

Best of Sunday Supper Roasts

Roast Chicken

Standing Rib Roast (Prime Rib)

Pork Roast with Crispy Crackling

Marinated Roast Beef

Chicken Brine – for the juiciest roast chicken of your life!

Slow Cooker Pork Loin Roast

Lemon Garlic SLOW COOKER Roast Chicken

Roasts

Life of Dozer

The time I had ambitions for him to be the next Kleenex puppy…

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave