Boneless Leg of Lamb Recipe - Southern Cravings (2024)

FAQs

Does lamb leg get more tender the longer you cook it? ›

The leg and rack of lamb are perfect for herb-crusting and oven-roasting; since the shank and shoulder are a bit tougher, they fare well in stews or braises—the long cook time allows them to significantly break down and become fork-tender.

Whether boneless or bone-in, the perfect leg of lamb should be either oven-roasted until blushing pink on the inside (with an internal temp around 130°F) or roasted long and slow for several hours until the meat is very tender and falls apart to internal temp around 175°F (I often use the slow cooker for that).

For the perfect roast lamb, we recommend seasoning the surface of the meat, and then searing it, especially fat side down in a pan before roasting. Why bother with searing? Contrary to some stories, searing is less about locking in moisture, and all about improving the flavour!

Roast it in a rack in a 275°F (135°C) oven until it hits 125° to 130°F (52 to 54°C) for medium rare, about three and a half hours. Remove from the oven and rest for 30 minutes while you increase the oven temperature to 500°F (260°C). Return it to the oven for 15 minutes to brown. Remove the twine, carve, and serve.

Baking soda / bi-carb and cornflour/cornstarch are the secret ingredients that tenderise the lamb meat. It's a technique called “velveting” that is used by Chinese restaurants, and it's the reason why the meat in your favourite Chinese dishes are always so soft.

Fresh rosemary, fresh garlic, lemon zest, black pepper, and salt are simple but amazing flavors that pair amazingly with the lamb! Each of these ingredients adds its unique warmth and depth to enhance the flavor of the dish.

Washing beef, pork, lamb, or veal before cooking it is not recommended. Bacteria in raw meat and poultry juices can be spread to other foods, utensils, and surfaces. We call this cross-contamination. Some consumers think they are removing bacteria and making their meat or poultry safe.

You're not going to find too many bone-in legs of lamb at the grocery store. You have to order that from a butcher. Usually the fat cap is left on, but I wouldn't trim it down much. I'd leave it and score the fat in crosshatch marks, and then that fat makes it self-basting.

The juices need time to redistribute throughout the meat. Cut too soon and the juices will end up pooling on the cutting board, leaving you with a drier cut of meat. Follow this tip: For a more tender and juicy piece of lamb, allow the meat to rest for at least 15 minutes after removing it from the oven.

Should you baste a leg of lamb? ›

Baste the meat 2-3 times during cooking. Using a turkey baster or a large spoon, scoop the juices up from the corner of the pan, and drizzle back over the top of the joint.

A boneless leg is easier to carve, while bone-in can be a bit more difficult to slice. If you're looking for a more intense lamb flavor, bone-in is the way to go.

It is important to let the meat come to room temperature before beginning to ensure it will cook through evenly. It is also imperative to let the meat rest after cooking, 20 minutes is sufficient.

No matter how you decide to cook your beautiful cut of grass-fed lamb, seasoning is the essential first step. Start by setting your cut of lamb onto a wire rack set into a rimmed baking sheet and sprinkle generously on all sides with kosher salt.

If you have an extra 10 minutes, it's often worth browning the meat before slow cooking it. Browning or searing the meat in a hot pan caramelises its surface, which can give the final dish a richer, deeper flavour and colour. The high temperatures also help to render the fat on the surface of your lamb.

Slow-cooking lamb

Slow cooking in liquid transforms tougher cuts of lamb into fork-tender meat. Neck, shoulder and belly, either diced or as whole joints, are the best cuts for slow cooking and need to be cooked for at least 2 hrs at 150C to soften the meat.

The level of doneness for lamb largely comes down to personal preference. Pull it out of the oven too soon and it may be too undercooked and unappetizing for your taste. When cooked for too long, this tender cut can be quick to dry out. A deeply browned crust won't cut it for figuring out whether your lamb is finished.

Slow cooking is a long process that requires patience. If your meat is still tough, it may simply need more time for the collagen-rich connective tissues to break down fully. Ensure you follow recipe guidelines for cooking times but remember, these can vary depending on the specific cut and size of the meat.

Temperature is by far the most critical aspect of cooking lamb chops. Undercooking even tender lamb chops can render them unpleasantly chewy, while overcooking will lead to tough, dried-out meat. Rib chops should be cooked to about 130°F, while loin chops are better at 135°F or even 140°F.