This is how the Greeks make roast lamb – cooked until tender, half braised in a garlic lemon flavoured liquid that transforms into a luscious sauce – no mucking around with gravy! This Greek Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb takes hours and hours to roast, but it is EASY, virtually foolproof and very hands off. A perfect centrepiece for Easter, Sunday Roast or any other occasion for feasting!!
After more ideas? Browse all my roast lamb recipes!
Fork-tender, authentic Greek Slow Roast Leg of Lamb
All around the world this weekend, there will be gatherings of family and friends to celebrate Easter. I was quite interested to learn that ham is very popular in America. Here in Australia, it’s all about roast lamb and seafood.
I love a good roast lamb! I’ve shared quite a few of them – from a classic Roast Lamb Leg, to a Slow Roast Leg of Lamb (fall apart tender!), Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder and even a Slow Cooker Roast Lamb.
But this one I’m sharing today is not just another lamb roast. It’s a Greek one. Rubbed with a simple spice mix, slow cooked until tender, half braised so it sucks up all the yummy lemony garlicky herby flavours.
No carving knife required. See?
Aussies love their lamb. In my family, Sunday Night Roast Dinners are an occasion that triggers fiery correspondence between us kids as we debate the menu. You can read one such dialogue in this Slow Roasted Rosemary Garlic Lamb Shoulder, along with my self proclaimed family title as Roast Queen.
The thing with roasting a leg of lamb is that unless (and even if) you have a meat thermometer, it is actually quite hard to cook the roast perfectly so it is blushing pink on the inside, moist and juicy. It can take just 20 minutes for a leg of lamb to go from perfect to dry.
It can even overcook while resting. Truly. Been there, done that – cutting into the lamb straight out of the oven to take a peek, grinning smugly when I spied pink, set it aside to rest for 30 minutes, then when I carved it, there was not a hint of pink left.
I was temporarily dethroned as Roast Queen when that happened. I’d like to say I stepped down like a good sport, but no, I was overthrown 😤. I’m taking back the title for this Greek lamb though!!
Flavour, flavour, flavour, juicy, juicy, juicy, easy, easy, easy. That’s what this Greek Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb is all about. As long as you allow for sufficient cooking time, it is really hard to go wrong with this.
In true Greek form, this lamb is packed with extra flavour by stuffing bits of garlic into incisions made all over the lamb, then it’s rubbed with paprika and garlic powder. Add a simple braising liquid to keep it beautifully moist and to infuse it with even more flavour, then cook it long and slow.
Oh! The other advantage of this Greek Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb? NO MUCKING AROUND TO MAKE GRAVY! The braising liquid reduces down to an intensely flavoured sauce that needs to be generously poured all over the lamb. This is how it is supposed to be. And I’m not complaining!!!
This lamb does take hours to roast. Hours upon hours. 7 hours for a 3.5kg/7lb leg of lamb, to be precise. But it’s hands off, low maintenance time.
And at the end of it, look at what you get!! Now THIS is a step up from the usual Sunday night roast! – Nagi x
PS Greek Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb is pictured here with my. They really are….well, crunchy!! 😉
Try these on the side
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Truly Crunchy Roast Potatoes – outrageously crunchy!
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Greek Lemon Roast Potatoes – loaded with Greek flavours
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Lemon Potato Salad – skip the mayo, go for fresh lemon flavours
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Greek Salad – big, fresh and juicy
More Roast Lamb Recipes
I love a good roast lamb – so I’ve shared a few over the years!
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Classic Roast Lamb Leg with Gravy – the classic, perfectly blushing pink inside
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Slow Cooker Roast Lamb – fall apart goodness in the convenience of your slow cooker
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Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder – the juiciest, most succulent roast lamb you will ever have!
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Slow Cooked Lamb Shawarma – flavour bomb! Your favourite Lamb Shawarma, slow roasted and piled over couscous or stuffed in pita bread
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See all Roast Lamb recipes
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Greek Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb
Ingredients
- 12 cloves of garlic, peeled
- 7 lb / 3.5 kg leg of lamb (Note 1)
- Salt and pepper
- 3 tsp paprika powder
- 3 tsp garlic powder (or sub with onion powder)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 large onions, quartered (white, brown, yellow, red)
- 10 sprigs of thyme
- 3 sprigs rosemary
- 3 tsp dried oregano
- 3 dried bayleaves (or 5 fresh)
- 1/2 cup / 125 ml lemon juice (2 - 3 lemons), plus more to taste
- 1 1/2 cups / 375 ml white wine (or sub with chicken broth/stock, low salt)
- 2 cups / 500 ml chicken broth (liquid chicken stock)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 240°C/465°F (220°C fan). (Note 2)
- Use a small knife to make around 25 incisions all over the lamb, with most on the top.
- Cut around 6 cloves into slivers and stuff them into the incisions.
- Sprinkle the lamb generously all over with salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder. Drizzle with olive oil and rub all over the lamb.
- Place the lamb in a roasting pan and roast for 30 minutes or until it has a nice brown crust.
- Remove from the oven. Turn the oven down to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan).
- Turn the lamb upside down. Pour / place all the remaining ingredients in the pan around the lamb (including remaining garlic cloves). Fill the roasting pan with hot water so it comes up about 1/4 - 1/3 of the way up the height of the lamb.
- Cover with lid or with baking/parchment paper then 2 layers of foil. Bake for 3.5 hours. (Note 3) Top up water if it dries out (e.g. Might happen if your lid is loose)
- Remove the roast from the oven and remove the lid/foil. Turn the lamb over so it is the right side up.
- Cover again and roast for a further 2 1/2 hours, or until you can pull meat apart with forks.
- Remove cover and roast for a further 20 - 30 minutes (to brown). (Note 3)
- Remove from the oven and transfer lamb to serving platter. Cover loosely with foil and rest for 30 - 40 minutes.
- Strain liquid into a clear jug. The fat will rise to the top. Scoop/pour most of it off - I get 3/4 - 1 cup. There should be 2 - 3 cups of Sauce left. Adjust salt, pepper and lemon to taste.
- Serve lamb with the Sauce on the side and Truly Crunchy Roast Potatoes (heat oil while lamb is in the oven, then cook potatoes when the lamb is resting).
Recipe Notes:
4. Adapted from this Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb by Kalofagas.MORE ROAST LAMB
Slow Cooker Roast Lamb Leg with Gravy – The most succulent lamb leg you’ll ever have!
Classic Roast Lamb – Perfectly pink and juicy inside, with a killer gravy!
Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder – My favourite cut of lamb for roasting! Super tender, incredible flavour, and so forgiving!
LIFE OF DOZER
Oh, look who made an appearance when I pulled this out of the oven. Sorry Dozer, no lamb for you! Too much garlic – bad for you!
Can I cook this the day before and if i do – how do I reheat?
Yes you can Joanne – just make the sauce and store it separately from the lamb in the fridge. On the day, cover the lamb with foil and reheat at 180C until warmed through then uncover and serve with the warmed gravy! N x
Nagi and team, If i wanted to back the temp off here, can i cook it longer ? Like 140 Deg C for total 7-9 hours ? Thoughts ?
Hi Cam – if you want to do 9-10 hours then I would cook it at 100C. Also make sure it’s very tightly sealed and check the liquid level to be sure it doesn’t dry out. N x
Quick one…. You’re saying to add the remaining ingredients which is the wine, stock and lemon juice which is 4 cups of liquid. You’re then asking to add hot water up to approx 1/4 to a 1/3 up to the side of the leg. If the pan is large that’s a lot of liquid N x ( ps catchya in WWMV again one day )
Hi Nagi, I cooked this for friends a few weeks back and it was a huge hit (as all your recipes are!)
Just wondering if this could be done in a slow cooker and if so, would any changes need to be made?
Hi Grace – just follow the instructions here and use the Greek seasonings – should be great! N x. https://www.recipetineats.com/slow-cooker-roast-lamb-leg/
I grew up with lamb roast and rice pilaf. After removing the lamb roast, add water and tomato sauce to boil. Then add rice. Dollop with Greek yogurt. Sour cream can sub for Greek yogurt.
Your lamb roast looks beautiful!
This is an absolutely delicious recipe! Thank you Nagi. I threw some homegrown veggies in the pan for the last hour which soaked up the juices. So, so good!
This is amazing flavor but the cooking time was way shorter! I did a 5 lb half leg off lamb, bone in (had the butcher cut off part of the bone so I could fot into my roasting pan). After 30 mins of roasting at high temp, then turning over and cooking for 3.5 hours it was reading 207 degrees, which is ready for pulled lamb. This was done 3 hours before company were to arrive so I put my oven down to 180 to keep warm. It was amazing but now I know how quick it cooks. It cooks quicker with bone in…..hope this helps someone else.
Agreed! It is way less time than specified..beware.. it does not take 7 hours to cook a 7 lb leg of lamb with a American convection or conventional oven at 325 It’s really about 30 min per pound… but as a Greek it is truly the best home cooked lamb ever!
I did this rdcipe with a 2.5kg boneless lamb leg, and was not impressed. I can see this type of cooking being good for tougher cuts, like mutton, and this is not that different from lamb shank recipes. But for a nice leg of lamb you just lose a lot of the flavour cooking it so long. The uncovered cooking at the end… just dries out the meat that is above the waterline. Smelled good about the 3 hr mark. If I did this again I’d do 1.5 hrs fat down and 1 hr fat up after the initial searing. Boneless leg fits nicely in a casserole dish.
Hi Nagi, so looking forward to trying this recipe — please may I as for some advice: I have the leg of lamb in 3 x 1.3kg segments. Will this affect the cooking time, as they are smaller pieces? Thank you X
Hi Kate – as this is a braise it should work fine for those pieces. Check it at 1.5 or 2 hours (it’s ready when and you can pull it apart) then do the browning step. N x
So good Nagi! I’m usually quite nervous to cook lamb or beef roasts for fear of overcooking but this was the perfect alternative that the whole family enjoyed. Even my fussy daughter who is going through a “I don’t like meat that looks like meat” stage said this was “pretty good” (that’s a 5 star rating coming from her 😆).
Thank you thank you thank you. I’m not so great in the kitchen until now with your recipe’s. We had this last night and it was a hit with my husband and our guest’s and so easy to cook. I’m now doing one new recipe each week from your collection. You have given me confidence in the kitchen
I made this last night for my father’s birthday. The whole family loved. It was very tender and full of flavour. Thank you for a great recipe and simple instructions.
Happy to help! N x
My mother used to put garlic cloves inside the lamb, using the handle of the garlic press. Then, she wrapped in with bacon. Yum!
In this recipe, when you say right side up you mean fat side up? For the very first step (browning) should it be fat side up or fat side down? it is a bit confusing.
Hi Kelly…yes you start the lamb fat (right) side up, then flip it as per Step 7, then flip it back to finish…I hope that helps! N x
Hi Nagi, thank you for this wonderful recipe! I’m interested in using this recipe for lamb shoulder however… can you please advise what kind of adjustments I need to make? Thank you for all you do, this is one of my favourite cooking websites!
Hi Kevin..if you want the Greek flavours, I would use my recipe here: https://www.recipetineats.com/slow-roasted-rosemary-garlic-lamb-shoulder/#wprm-recipe-container-20877 but sub the rosemary with fresh oregano and replace 1/4 cup of the water with fresh lemon juice. Let me know how it turns out! N x
Hi Nafi
What about boneless leg of lamb? How much would be the cooking time? Thanks!
Cooked this is a cast iron dutch oven with a lid. Only had a 1.25kg leg as there’s just me. . Used dried herbs and the paprika and garlic salt but no fresh garlic as I can react to too much garlic. Used chicken stock and white wine and rather than lemon juice just quartered a large lemon and added plus a quartered onion. Cooked in total of just over 3 hours basting with the liquid a few times and added pumpkin, brussel sprouts and carrots about halfway through. It was so good and the veg soaked up all the yummy juices. Served with Nagi’s cripsy roast potatoes and I was in heaven. A good recipe that can be adjusted as needed. The resting time is very important. Lots of leftovers in the freezer
Hi Nagi,
Can I make this using lamb shoulder?
Sure can Vanessa!! N x
Thank you Nagi, I have a 2.2 kg lamb shoulder (bone in) should I use the same cooking time and instructions for the leg or different?
Or should I use the cooking instructions/time for the slow roast lamb shoulder recipe
Nagi, can’t thank you enough for your amazing recipes and detailed info on exactly what we need to know to make a cracker dish! You are the best!
First time roasting lamb leg boneless.
I’m slow cooking at 225 degrees in a large pie pan. It’s throwing out a lot of liquid. Enough to almost cover the meat. Is this normal? I’m basting. Should I remove some liquid?
I’m trying to make this now, but after taking it out the first time to turn and wrap the lamb in foil I am not looking forward to checking liquid levels and turning the lamb with a scorching hot pan full of liquid several times! I think next time I’ll find a recipe that doesn’t take so much handling.
An update on my own comment: I’m surprised no-one has commented on how much handling of the meat this recipe actually involved.
Following the instructions, I had to pack this in foil three times (Initial, checking liquid, turning lamb), all with a scorching hot pan full of liquid. It was really hard to get two layers of foil tightly on the two last times. The lamb came out really dry and I’m guessing I probably failed to get it a tight seal at some point.
Let me say it’s not fun to spend 8 hours cooking a $60 lamb leg and the main topic of conversation over dinner is how dry the lamb is. I have to say I see why you were dethroned as Roast Queen 🙁
This recipe gets 4.9 stars from 90+ reviews. Unfortunately I think it must have been something you did. Yes the foil is a bit tricky but I just made this and it was the best lamb I’ve ever tasted. Tender, falling off the bone and flavoursome. Maybe you could try it with a roasting pan that has a lid so you don’t need the tin foil 🙂
Hi! What kind of paprika for this? hot or smoked (sweet)?
Thank you!!!