Middle Eats Slow Cooker Roast Lamb Leg

Name: How To Make Insanely Moist Slow Roast Lamb
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 8 h
Total time: 8 h 30 min
Ingredients: bone-in lamb leg or lamb shoulder, trimmed of dry fat patches and silver skin, stamps removed; onions, roughly chopped; garlic, peeled; black peppercorns; salt; water; garlic cloves, sliced; black peppercorns; nutmeg, freshly grated; carrots, peeled or washed, cut into large chunks; potatoes, peeled, halved or quartered; shallots, peeled, whole; onion, roughly chopped; salt; black pepper; 100 ml stock

Source video by Middle Eats on YouTube. This recipe was adapted with strict source-fidelity rules and is marked for human review.

A Middle Eastern slow roast lamb adapted for the slow cooker. The meat is marinated overnight in a blended paste of onion, garlic, peppercorns and salt that acts as a wet brine and tenderiser. Instead of the original 4 to 6 hour wrapped oven roast, the lamb braises low and slow in the slow cooker until soft enough to pull from the bone. Carrots, potatoes and shallots cook alongside in a blended onion and stock dressing. A final blast in a hot oven gives the lamb its browned, crisp exterior.

Slow cooker notes: Original is a wrapped oven roast at 160C for 4 to 6 hours. Adapted by transferring the marinated lamb to the slow cooker on Low 8 hours or High 6 hours to replicate the moist, low-temperature braise. The parchment wrap is replaced by the slow cooker lid which traps steam and fat the same way. The roast vegetables and final browning step are kept in the oven, since the source's caramelisation cannot be achieved in the slow cooker. A short 200C oven blast at the end browns the lamb after the slow cooker stage.

Ingredients

Lamb

bone-in lamb leg or lamb shoulder, trimmed of dry fat patches and silver skin, stamps removed

Marinade

onions, roughly chopped
garlic, peeled
black peppercorns
salt
water

Studding and seasoning

garlic cloves, sliced (add late)
black peppercorns (add late)
nutmeg, freshly grated (add late)

Roast vegetables

carrots, peeled or washed, cut into large chunks (add late)
potatoes, peeled, halved or quartered (add late)
shallots, peeled, whole (add late)

Vegetable dressing

onion, roughly chopped (add late)
salt (add late)
black pepper (add late)
100 mlstock (add late)

Method

Trim the lamb leg or shoulder of any dry or shiny fat patches and silver skin. Cut around them with a sharp knife and pull them away. Remove any inspection stamps.
~10 min
Make the marinade. Add the chopped onions, garlic, black peppercorns and salt to a blender or food processor with a few tablespoons of water. Blend to a smooth, salty, very oniony paste.
~5 min
Place the lamb in a strong ziplock bag, pour over the marinade and massage it into the meat so it is evenly coated. Seal the bag, press out as much air as possible and refrigerate for at least 12 hours.
~5 min
Next day, remove the lamb from the bag and use a spatula to scrape off as much marinade as possible.
~5 min
Poke holes into the thicker parts of the lamb and stud each one with a slice of garlic and a few black peppercorns. Grate a small amount of nutmeg over the whole joint.
~5 min
Place the studded lamb into the slow cooker. Cover and cook on Low for 8 hours or High for 6 hours, until the meat is soft to the touch and pulls easily from the bone.
About an hour before the lamb is ready, prepare the vegetables. Peel or wash the carrots and cut into large chunks. Peel and halve or quarter the potatoes. Peel the shallots and leave whole.
~10 min
Make the vegetable dressing. Blend the onion with salt and black pepper, then add the 100ml stock in stages until liquid. Pour over the vegetables and toss to coat thoroughly.
~5 min
Spread the dressed vegetables on a tray and roast in the oven at 160C for about 1 hour, until caramelised and coated in the reduced onion mixture. Give them a toss and 10 minutes under the grill if they need more colour.
~60 min
Lift the cooked lamb out of the slow cooker onto a tray. Place in a hot oven at 200C, or under the grill for around 5 minutes, until the surface is well browned.
~10 min
Pile the roasted vegetables onto a serving platter and place the lamb on top. Wiggle the shoulder bone to pop it out, then tear the meat into chunks with forks and serve.
~5 min

Frequently asked

Leg or shoulder, which works better in the slow cooker?

Shoulder. The source notes shoulder has about 20% less meat than a leg but much more fat, so all of the meat ends up soft and juicy. For larger groups, two small shoulders are recommended over one large leg. Leg can run a little dry, especially the small muscle on the side.

Do I need to marinate overnight?

Yes. The source specifies at least 12 hours in the onion paste. The onion enzymes tenderise tough cuts and the salt acts as a wet brine that seasons the meat from the inside. Shorter marinade times will not give the same softened texture.

Why scrape the marinade off before cooking?

The source removes the onion marinade because it burns in the oven. In the slow cooker it also keeps the cooking liquid from turning into a bitter sludge. The flavour and tenderising have already done their work during the overnight marinade.

Can I skip the final oven browning?

You can, but the lamb will look pale. The slow cooker produces moist, tender meat but no browning, so a short blast at 200C or under the grill gives the joint its roast-look crust. The source even uses the grill in the original oven version when the meat is not browned enough.

Extraction notes (transparency): Source states no explicit quantities for any ingredient: onions, garlic, peppercorns, salt, water for blending, nutmeg, studding garlic and peppercorns, carrots, potatoes, shallots and onion for the veg dressing are all unmeasured. Only the 100ml stock for the vegetable dressing is given. All other quantities set to null. Servings not stated by source (only 'feeds loads of people' and 'two small shoulders' for many guests). Source is an oven roast adapted to slow cooker, isAdapted true.