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, but you’ll be rewarded with tender lamb leg that can be pulled off the bone, served with a wickedly delicious rosemary garlic infused gravy.
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, 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.
And if blushing pink perfectly roasted lamb is what you’re after, try my Classic Roast Leg of Lamb – and yes, you really need a meat thermometer.
THE EASIER WAY TO ROAST LAMB LEG
If you’re after a much easier, less stressful way to roast lamb leg, cook it long and slow. You won’t need a knife to carve this. Just pull the meat off the bone with tongs.
And it’s Amazing. With a capital A!
Ahhh, lamb, how I love thee! Some people love learning how to do fancy cake decorations. I admire from afar – I highly doubt you’ll ever see a towering 3 tier cake on here.
But big hunks of meat slow roasted until the meat is so tender, you can pry it off with a fork, then drown it in a gorgeous gravy infused with garlic and rosemary flavours? THAT you will find here! 🙂
HOW TO MAKE SLOW ROAST LEG OF LAMB
The leg of lamb is roasted on a bed of onion, garlic and rosemary which 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.
All the lamb needs is a sprinkle of salt and pepper, drizzle of olive oil. Add beef broth/stock and water into the pan (keeps everything all nice and moist + makes pan juices for gravy), cover then slow roast until tender and fall apart and finish by roasting uncovered for a bit to get a beautiful brown crust.
HOW TO MAKE GRAVY FOR ROAST LAMB
Just set the pan on the stove, mix in flour, then the pan juices and water Cook until it becomes a gravy consistency, then strain. I doubt you’ll need extra salt but add a good grind of pepper if you’re so inclined.
A great gravy comes down to the flavour in the pan juices and this one knocks it out of the park!
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
More Roast Lamb Recipes
- Classic Roast Lamb Leg with Gravy (the type that’s perfectly blushing pink inside)
- Slow Cooker Roast Lamb (fall apart goodness in the convenience of your slow cooker)
- Slow Roasted GREEK Leg of Lamb (garlicky lemony fall apart deliciousness)
- Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder (the only way it should be done!)
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Recipe video above. A very forgiving, very easy way to roast a leg of lamb. It's not the carving sort - the meat is so tender, you can pull it off the bone with tongs. Lamb leg is actually quite lean, so the best way to slow roast a leg of lamb is to partially submerge it in liquid and roast it covered for most of the time. This way, the flesh is infused with flavour and absorbs moisture.
- 2.25 kg / 4.5 lb leg of lamb , bone in (or shoulder) (Note 1)
- Salt and pepper
- 1.5 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 / 750 ml beef broth , low sodium
- 2 cups / 500 ml water
- 4 tbsp / 50g flour (white)
- 1 cup / 250 ml water
- Salt and pepper , to taste
-
Preheat oven to 170C/335F (standard) or 150C/300F (fan/convection).
-
Place garlic, onion and rosemary in a metal roasting pan.
-
Place lamb leg right side up in the pan. (Note 2)
-
Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper and rub it in.
-
Turn lamb over and place it so it mostly sits on the garlic and onion. Sprinkle with more salt and pepper, rub it in. (Video helpful here)
-
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).
-
Place in the oven and roast for 4.5 hours. (See Notes for roasting time table)
-
Remove from the oven, remove foil. Turn lamb over. Check it to ensure the meat is tender (pry a bit off with a fork). If not, return, covered, to oven.
-
Return uncovered lamb to oven for a further 45 minutes or until well browned.
-
Remove lamb, spoon over pan juices generously. Transfer to serving platter, cover loosely with foil while you make the gravy (stays warm for 1 - 1.5 hours).
-
Use a large spoon to skim off some of the fat from the surface of the liquid.
-
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.
-
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.
-
The meat is tender so you will only need tongs to tear the meat off. Serve with gravy.
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. TRY THIS WITHÂ Truly Crunchy Roast Potatoes!
4. MORE ROAST LAMB: 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. 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.
LIFE OF DOZER
The time I had ambitions for him to be the next Kleenex puppy…
Wonderful looking recipe! What suggestion do you have for the beef broth substitute? I have one guest with a beef allergy
This looks delicious! I have a small 2lbs boneless leg of lamb. Should I reduce cooking time to about half of a 4lbs bone in roast? So want to try this recipe and do not want to overcook it.
Hi Shakila! Not half, about 75% of the total cook time should do it 🙂
I have a 7.5 pound leg to roast which your chart suggests will take over 6hrs @ 335. Looking at roasting times for other recipes, I’m seeing 20 -25 minutes per pound at similar temperature which would put my roasting time around 3 hours. I’m struggling to understand why there is such a big difference in roasting times. Can you help me understand the difference. Your results look so good, I want to give it a shot. Thank you.
Hi Dan! I think you can stick with the 6.5lb cook time for a leg that big 🙂 There comes a point when the increase in cook time per extra pound flattens out. The cook times are very different for this recipe because the 20 – 25 min per pound at a similar temp would yield a just cooked lamb leg which is the traditional way to cook this. This one is cooked much longer – beyond well done, until the flesh breaks down and becomes tender as pictured. it’s slow cooked 🙂
Rave reviews from everyone lucky enough to be at dinner today! The meat and the gravy were both delicious. Because the roasting time was so long, I had to start it yesterday and do the last couple hours today. I put the entire roasting pan in the fridge over night and all of the fat collected on the surface so it was easy to remove before going back in the oven for the last couple hours. Thank you for a recipe I will be sure to use many times in the future!
Terrific to hear Dan!! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback – N x
I never comment on recipes, this is actually the very first time but I feel I just have to let you know that I will never make my leg of lamb any other way. Ever. I’ve been using your recipe for a while now and every time it turns out absolutely beautiful. Thank you!
Probably the best roast leg of lamb I have ever made and that is coming from a New Zealander, every on love it, just fell of the bone
This was so delicious and that gravy was next level!
Just made this for the sixth time. Follow the recipe exactly. This is seriously good.
Permission to reprint your recipe & photo(s)? I am pairing roast leg of lamb with our upcoming Syrah release for our wine club members. Your recipe looks amazing. In the wine shipment we include a newsletter and in that is a recipe for pairing with the wine they are receiving. I am happy to give you a credit in print as well as link info to your website.
Thanks for considering this request,
Lynne
Lovely tender melt in your mouth leg of lamb. The gravy is a sensation. Only changes I made were to turn the lamb over for the last 30 mins so the top browned rather than the underside and added 1/2 a cup of red wine and 1/2 a cup of water rather than just one cup water to finish off the gravy. Make sure you skim off the fat before making the gravy as lamb creates a lot of it. Would definitely make this again.
Hi Nagi,
What time should we cook a half leg of lamb(1.1 kg) for?