This meltingly tender Slow Cooked Lamb Shawarma is the stuff food dreams are made of!! Slathered in a deceptively simple shawarma spice rub then slow cooked until fall apart, the flavour and fragrance of this lamb is absolutely heavenly. This recipe is ideal for butterflied lamb leg OR lamb shoulder.
While it takes time to roast, it’s a very straightforward recipe – and will feed a crowd. Sensational for finishing on the BBQ! After more lamb centrepiece ideas? Browse all my roast lamb recipes!
Lamb Shawarma
This one’s for everyone who doesn’t have a charcoal spit in the middle of their kitchen….. and for Australia Day!!!🇦🇺 🇦🇺🇦🇺
Quick to prepare but tastes like you’ve been slaving away in the kitchen all day, this Lamb Shawarma is absolutely terrific for gatherings because it’s easy to make loads, can be cooked ahead then reheated. Or in the spirit of Australia Day, finish it on the BBQ!
This Slow Cooked Lamb Shawarma is 100% me. Big hunk of meat. Big flavours. Simple, fast prep, with big pay offs. Meltingly tender, fall apart meat, dripping with the beautiful roasting juices. Food made for sharing with family and friends. Food to pile onto platters to let everyone help themselves, rather than using tweezers to daintily plate up.
Rustic. That’s how I describe my food. As opposed to refined and elegant! 😂
Just remembering how good this was is killing me as I sit here on the couch late on a Wednesday night sipping on a green smoothie of all things. Suddenly, this spinach-kale-mango-pineapple-ginger smoothie is very unappealing. 😩
So, here’s how this Slow Cooked Lamb Shawarma goes down.
We start with a simple homemade Shawarma slather, my go-to mix that I use for my Chicken Shawarma and all things Shawarma on this site (Lamb Shawarma Chickpea Soup, One Pot Chicken Shawarma and Rice Pilaf). Nothing exotic in it, you’ll find all the spices at the supermarket: coriander, cumin, paprika, cayenne and cardamon. Plus olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Mix and slather.
Use butterflied lamb leg OR lamb shoulder
As for what to slather, take your pick – lamb shoulder or butterflied lamb leg.
In the recipe video, I’ve used lamb shoulder because I wanted to show how to pull the lamb apart in order to finish it on the BBQ. Also because I think lamb shoulder is not quite as popular as lamb leg but I rate it highly and I want to encourage people to try it! It’s usually cheaper than lamb leg and it’s fattier which means juicier (and better for reheating), making it ideal for gatherings.
Lamb shoulder
Lamb shoulder has a bone through it, like pictured below. Because the shoulder is cooked to fall apart perfection, the meat slides off the bone in 4 or 5 large pieces which you can then either slice, shred or BBQ to get an extra tasty crust on it / reheat (see the video, it looks SO GOOD!).
Butterflied lamb leg
When making Lamb Shawarma with lamb leg, I prefer to use butterflied lamb leg because you can rub the Shawarma slather into the meat better. Even if you leave the lamb to marinate, a bone-in leg of lamb is very thick so the marinade doesn’t penetrate right through to the bone. Though having said that, there is plenty of heavily flavoured roasting juices to drizzle all over the meat once sliced or shredded.
Lamb leg is leaner than shoulder but in this recipe, it’s cooked until meltingly tender. One of the “pros” of butterflied lamb leg is that it holds together in one piece even after hours of slow cooking making it easier to slice neatly. Also for handling on the BBQ – one piece rather than the multiple pieces of shoulder you’ll see in the video.
Whether you use shoulder or lamb leg, you’re going to end up with this – incredible tender lamb. Sliceable but shreddable (I also show this in the video).
What to serve with Lamb Shawarma
Now for the hardest part – choosing how to serve it. What will you do – make Lamb Shawarma Wraps (Doner Kebab style!) or pile it on a platter with couscous? 🙂 Here are some suggestions for what to serve this with:
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Lemon Herb Couscous – see recipe notes
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Homemade Flatbreads – add slices of tomato, shredded lettuce, raw sliced onion and a dollop of yogurt or Hummus. You could also use a Lemon Yogurt Sauce (use the sauce in the Chicken Shawarma recipe)
For a side salad, try this Middle Eastern cabbage and carrot salad (you’ll love the burst of freshness from the mint) or this Tomato Cucumber Chickpea Salad (option to skip the chickpeas).
🇦🇺HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY!! 🇦🇺 – Nagi x
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 Roast Leg of Lamb – infused with garlic and rosemary flavours, slow roasted until fall apart tender!
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Greek Butterflied Leg of Lamb – quick to cook on the barbecue, or stovetop and finish in the oven
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Slow Cooker Roast Lamb – fall apart goodness in the convenience of your slow cooker
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Slow Roasted GREEK Leg of Lamb – garlicky lemony fall apart deliciousness
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Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder – the juiciest, most succulent roast lamb you will ever have!
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See all Roast Lamb recipes
PS Jeez, my hands look extra small compared to that giant platter!!! 😂
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Slow Cooked Lamb Shawarma
Ingredients
- 2kg / 4 lb lamb shoulder (bone in) or 1.7 kg / 3.5 lb butterflied lamb leg (Note 1)
Shawarma Paste:
- 3 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp ground cardamon
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper (1/2 tsp = not spicy)
- 2 tsp smoked paprika (ordinary also ok)
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 cup / 65 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 2 - 3 tbsp / 40 - 60 ml lemon juice
Cooking:
- 2 cups / 500 ml water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F (standard) or 160C/320F (fan forced / convection).
- Place Paste ingredients in a bowl, starting with 2 tbsp lemon juice, and mix. It should be a wet paste that can be slathered onto the lamb (see video).
- Place lamb in a large roasting pan. Slather all over with paste. Optional: Marinate 24 hours (not mandatory, I usually skip).
- Position the lamb with the fat side up. Pour water around, cover tightly with foil.
- Roast 3 hours, removing from the oven 2 - 3 times to spoon over pan juices (ie baste).
- Remove foil. Meat should be tender - check with 2 forks.
- Baste again, then return to oven for 30 minutes to get a nice crust.
- Remove lamb from roasting pan - reserve juices.
Finish on BBQ, Optional (Note 2):
- Cool the lamb for 20 minutes or so (so it firms up slightly, easier to handle).
- If you used shoulder, pull the meat off the bone in 4 or 5 chunks (see video).
- Preheat BBQ to medium and oil if required.
- Coat lamb in pan juices. Sear on both sides until deep golden and a crust forms. Dab with pan juices on both sides.
Serving:
- Slice or shred lamb, as desired. Drizzle with plenty of juices.
- Make Lamb Shawarma wraps by serving with shredded lettuce, tomatoes and minted yoghurt (Note 3) or pile over Lemon Herbed Couscous (Note 4) and garnish with pomegranate seeds and parsley or chopped coriander/cilantro (if desired). Both pictured in post.
Recipe Notes:
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
LIFE OF DOZER
Someone is happy that I’m so terrible at butterflying lamb leg…. plenty of meat left on that bone!
Hi Nagi,
I have a 3kg lamb shoulder ready to go for this recipe! What do you suggest in terms of how long it should cook for in the oven?
Thanks so much! 🙂
Hi Brittany! I’d add 30 minutes 🙂 IT WILL BE SO GOOD!! N xx
Is that an extra 30 minutes covered? Or uncovered? Thanks!
Ditto here…slow cooker or instant pot recipe so we don’t have to spend hours in kitchen…:) Looks Yummy!
I’d love to do this in the crockpot. Any recommendations?
Well, ya know I had to stop by and check out this lamb shawarma goodness. Called my name! XOXO
This looks melt-in-your-mouth beautiful! Could I substitute pork butt or shoulder for the lamb? I love lamb, but my husband doesn’t!
Yes, yes deliciouse!! BUT, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT NEXT, DOZER HE IS HAPPY BOY,! Have you got over summer flu? Have good long W/end, here hot, humid, but Sunday will be shocker… Hot nights are worse.
Loved seeing the Shwarma recipe. Even though I have never heard of it(American) I love lamb but noticed the Pomegranate. Do you just sprinkle that over the top or does it have to do with the sauce? Didn’t see it called for in the recipe, But that’s what caught my eye!
I just love your blog and your recipes are delicious. Your potato salad is the bomb! I’m curious how you do the nutrition facts. I appreciate you listing them but how do you figure it out?
This looks delicious! If I wanted to make it in the slow cooker and then finish it in the oven to crisp up the top a bit, how long do you reckon I’d need in the slow cooker and at what temperature? Thanks so much!!
Yippee – you have just made up my mind! And, yes, I do have a lamb shoulder for tomorrow !! And I have all the spices: I must confess that since I know a few very good Middle Eastern spice merchants in Sydney I have oft bought their unctuous shawarma mixes . . . but shall make my own as soon as I get off this seat 🙂 ! Hope Dozer, you et al have a great Long Weekend . . .
Hi Nagi
Just wondered if you could do this in a pressure cooker?
Rustic. I’m all about that. Daintily placed food on a plate is not something I’m good at.
I worked in Kuwait for a few months a while back, and we ate schwarma all the time. granted it was usually chicken, but the seasoning were the same. I loved it. So much. And those pomegranate seeds…what a nice touch!
Yum! Must try this soon. I make up a big batch of the dry shawarma spices so I’m ready to make it any time. Haven’t tried with lamb, but my/your Chicken Shawarma is a recipe people now request! So I can imagine how good that land is. I only have a very old slow cooker–one of the original Crock Pots!–so I’ll have to cut the leg into 2-3 pieces. Lamb is on sale at one of our markets this week, so this is on the menu for sure!
Hi there Nagi and happy bone eating Dozer!. It is 12.32pm Toronto Canada off to Costco to buy Australian lamb leg for the shawarma
I wish my computer had smell-o-vision!!!
Be still my heart. You had me at shawarma! 🙂
Your recipes are must reads and I tend to make something of yours 4 days of the week. Sunday I made chicken shawarma which was devoured by my family. However the paste wasn’t a paste but very liquidity (if there is such a word). what would you decrease or add to make it look like your paste?
Yum. This looks great, of course all your meals look great. I see your Lamb Shawarma, fresh pita bread and a Greek salad in my future.
Bet you can’t take that bone away from Dozer once he chomps down on it…
Happy Australia Day. Don’t party too hard on Friday.
Sorry… you can’t serve it on such a gorgeous looking couscous and not sharing the recipe with us… 😉
Thank you for another great one!
Liran, the couscous is described in Recipe Note 4 above 🙂 I so agree it sounds delicious 😉
Hello Nagi, Can the recipe for lamb shwarma be cooked with a slow cooker or in an instapot? If so, can you provide timing?