How to cook tender lamb to perfection
What you need to know
BEST LAMB CUTS FOR SLOW-ROASTING
Lamb legs, shoulders and lamb shanks.
HOW TO SLOW-ROAST LAMB
A little prep
- Preheat oven to 140°C (fan forced). Bring lamb to room temperature for 15–20 minutes. This takes away the fridge chill and allows it to cook evenly.
- Drizzle lamb with oil and season with a little salt and pepper. Use a flavoursome rub or give it a simple, generous dusting of herbs like fresh rosemary or dried oregano.
- Use a roasting dish similar in size to your cut. Place lamb on a roasting rack or a bed of aromatic onion wedges or a handful of garlic cloves for extra flavour.
A long, slow roast
- Cover roasting dish with a sheet of baking paper as well as foil. Remove them for the second half of the cooking time so lamb browns.
- Cook very slowly for around 4 hours until the lamb is packed full of taste and so melt-in-the-mouth tender that it falls apart with the touch of a fork.
- If you roasted the lamb with garlic, squeeze the cloves over the meat – they’ll be deliciously sweet and mellow.
Rest and devour
- Remove lamb from oven, cover loosely with foil and rest for 10–20 minutes before serving.