Boneless Leg of Lamb Recipe - Southern Cravings (2024)

FAQs

Is it better to cook leg of lamb with bone or boneless? ›

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.

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!

Lamb leg is lean, so to slow cook it's best to partially submerge in a flavoured liquid which keeps the flesh moist plus infuses with flavour. I'm using garlic and rosemary in this recipe – classic lamb flavours!

The leg and rack are the most tender cuts of meat on a lamb, and are at their best when roasted. Roasting is a "dry heat" cooking method, meaning that you do not add any liquid to the meat as you cook it. Tougher cuts of lamb, such as shank and shoulder, are best for braising and stewing.

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.

There is no need to rinse raw lamb before cooking because this creates a cross-contamination hazard and is not necessary.

Place the lamb on the smoker, fat-cap side down. (This will help protect the meat from any direct heat. If cooking in an offset smoker, place the lamb fat-side up.) Insert Signals' probe into the very center of the meat.

Admittedly, searing isn't strictly necessary for the cooking process. Technically speaking. The meat will cook just fine without searing. (And any surface bacteria will die during cooking anyway.)

Should lamb be cooked slow or fast? ›

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.

Instead of cooking to prepare lamb for service, any cut of boneless lamb can be thinly sliced and tossed in a bowl with a small amount of bicarb soda and corn starch then chilled to tenderize. For our quick cuts 1-2 hours is enough, but our shoulder and leg cuts would need at least 8 hours or overnight.

When meat is sliced with the grain, it often results in tougher, chewier pieces. Follow this tip: The grain of the meat refers to the direction in which the muscle fibers run. Always slice lamb against the grain, cutting across the muscle fibers rather than with them.

Reducing the heat, covering and adding water to the tray keeps it moist. It means the spice rub doesn't burn, and adds to the pan juices for sauce making. Cooking slow for over 7 hours allows the fat to render over time yielding a seriously tender and fall apart roast.

Allow the lamb to sit for at least 40 minutes at room temperature: this allows the salt to penetrate the meat. If you aren't pressed for time, or want extra flavorful/tender results, consider salting your cut of lamb hours in advance (even overnight) and let it rest on a rack uncovered in the fridge.

Boneless legs are easier to carve, but a leg of lamb with the bone will have a stronger flavour and will retain the heat well (which will cause it to cook quicker).

If you're using a boneless lamb leg, you may need to adjust the cooking times slightly, as boneless cuts can cook faster than bone-in ones. Shoulder roast: Cooking a lamb shoulder roast is a bit different from a lamb leg due to the shoulder's higher connective tissue content.

To maximise the flavour, cook lamb shoulder on the bone so the meat simply falls apart when pulled with a fork. Recipes using lamb shoulder are fail-safe crowd pleasers – try this slow-cooked shoulder with roasted vegetables for a perfect Sunday lunch or roast in fragrant spices for a more feisty dish.

First, boneless meat will cook faster. There is less muscle and connective tissue to deal with, and the bone isn't slowing down the transfer of heat. This means that you can prepare a meal in less time, which is helpful if you prefer something quick and easy.