This is how the Greeks make roast lamb – cooked until tender, half braised in a garlic lemon flavoured liquid that transforms into a luscious sauce – no mucking around with gravy! This Greek Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb takes hours and hours to roast, but it is EASY, virtually foolproof and very hands off. A perfect centrepiece for Easter, Sunday Roast or any other occasion for feasting!!
After more ideas? Browse all my roast lamb recipes!
Fork-tender, authentic Greek Slow Roast Leg of Lamb
All around the world this weekend, there will be gatherings of family and friends to celebrate Easter. I was quite interested to learn that ham is very popular in America. Here in Australia, it’s all about roast lamb and seafood.
I love a good roast lamb! I’ve shared quite a few of them – from a classic Roast Lamb Leg, to a Slow Roast Leg of Lamb (fall apart tender!), Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder and even a Slow Cooker Roast Lamb.
But this one I’m sharing today is not just another lamb roast. It’s a Greek one. Rubbed with a simple spice mix, slow cooked until tender, half braised so it sucks up all the yummy lemony garlicky herby flavours.
No carving knife required. See?
Aussies love their lamb. In my family, Sunday Night Roast Dinners are an occasion that triggers fiery correspondence between us kids as we debate the menu. You can read one such dialogue in this Slow Roasted Rosemary Garlic Lamb Shoulder, along with my self proclaimed family title as Roast Queen.
The thing with roasting a leg of lamb is that unless (and even if) you have a meat thermometer, it is actually quite hard to cook the roast perfectly so it is blushing pink on the inside, moist and juicy. It can take just 20 minutes for a leg of lamb to go from perfect to dry.
It can even overcook while resting. Truly. Been there, done that – cutting into the lamb straight out of the oven to take a peek, grinning smugly when I spied pink, set it aside to rest for 30 minutes, then when I carved it, there was not a hint of pink left.
I was temporarily dethroned as Roast Queen when that happened. I’d like to say I stepped down like a good sport, but no, I was overthrown 😤. I’m taking back the title for this Greek lamb though!!
Flavour, flavour, flavour, juicy, juicy, juicy, easy, easy, easy. That’s what this Greek Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb is all about. As long as you allow for sufficient cooking time, it is really hard to go wrong with this.
In true Greek form, this lamb is packed with extra flavour by stuffing bits of garlic into incisions made all over the lamb, then it’s rubbed with paprika and garlic powder. Add a simple braising liquid to keep it beautifully moist and to infuse it with even more flavour, then cook it long and slow.
Oh! The other advantage of this Greek Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb? NO MUCKING AROUND TO MAKE GRAVY! The braising liquid reduces down to an intensely flavoured sauce that needs to be generously poured all over the lamb. This is how it is supposed to be. And I’m not complaining!!!
This lamb does take hours to roast. Hours upon hours. 7 hours for a 3.5kg/7lb leg of lamb, to be precise. But it’s hands off, low maintenance time.
And at the end of it, look at what you get!! Now THIS is a step up from the usual Sunday night roast! – Nagi x
PS Greek Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb is pictured here with my. They really are….well, crunchy!! 😉
Try these on the side
Truly Crunchy Roast Potatoes – outrageously crunchy!
Greek Lemon Roast Potatoes – loaded with Greek flavours
Lemon Potato Salad – skip the mayo, go for fresh lemon flavours
Greek Salad – big, fresh and juicy
More Roast Lamb Recipes
I love a good roast lamb – so I’ve shared a few over the years!
Classic Roast Lamb Leg with Gravy – the classic, perfectly blushing pink inside
Slow Cooker Roast Lamb – fall apart goodness in the convenience of your slow cooker
Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder – the juiciest, most succulent roast lamb you will ever have!
Slow Cooked Lamb Shawarma – flavour bomb! Your favourite Lamb Shawarma, slow roasted and piled over couscous or stuffed in pita bread
See all Roast Lamb recipes
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Greek Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb
Ingredients
- 12 cloves of garlic, peeled
- 7 lb / 3.5 kg leg of lamb (Note 1)
- Salt and pepper
- 3 tsp paprika powder
- 3 tsp garlic powder (or sub with onion powder)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 large onions, quartered (white, brown, yellow, red)
- 10 sprigs of thyme
- 3 sprigs rosemary
- 3 tsp dried oregano
- 3 dried bayleaves (or 5 fresh)
- 1/2 cup / 125 ml lemon juice (2 – 3 lemons), plus more to taste
- 1 1/2 cups / 375 ml white wine (or sub with chicken broth/stock, low salt)
- 2 cups / 500 ml chicken broth (liquid chicken stock)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 240°C/465°F (220°C fan). (Note 2)
- Use a small knife to make around 25 incisions all over the lamb, with most on the top.
- Cut around 6 cloves into slivers and stuff them into the incisions.
- Sprinkle the lamb generously all over with salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder. Drizzle with olive oil and rub all over the lamb.
- Place the lamb in a roasting pan and roast for 30 minutes or until it has a nice brown crust.
- Remove from the oven. Turn the oven down to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan).
- Turn the lamb upside down. Pour / place all the remaining ingredients in the pan around the lamb (including remaining garlic cloves). Fill the roasting pan with hot water so it comes up about 1/4 – 1/3 of the way up the height of the lamb.
- Cover with lid or with baking/parchment paper then 2 layers of foil. Bake for 3.5 hours. (Note 3) Top up water if it dries out (e.g. Might happen if your lid is loose)
- Remove the roast from the oven and remove the lid/foil. Turn the lamb over so it is the right side up.
- Cover again and roast for a further 2 1/2 hours, or until you can pull meat apart with forks.
- Remove cover and roast for a further 20 – 30 minutes (to brown). (Note 3)
- Remove from the oven and transfer lamb to serving platter. Cover loosely with foil and rest for 30 – 40 minutes.
- Strain liquid into a clear jug. The fat will rise to the top. Scoop/pour most of it off – I get 3/4 – 1 cup. There should be 2 – 3 cups of Sauce left. Adjust salt, pepper and lemon to taste.
- Serve lamb with the Sauce on the side and Truly Crunchy Roast Potatoes (heat oil while lamb is in the oven, then cook potatoes when the lamb is resting).
Recipe Notes:
4. Adapted from this Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb by Kalofagas.MORE ROAST LAMB
Slow Cooker Roast Lamb Leg with Gravy – The most succulent lamb leg you’ll ever have!
Classic Roast Lamb – Perfectly pink and juicy inside, with a killer gravy!
Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder – My favourite cut of lamb for roasting! Super tender, incredible flavour, and so forgiving!
LIFE OF DOZER
Oh, look who made an appearance when I pulled this out of the oven. Sorry Dozer, no lamb for you! Too much garlic – bad for you!
OMG Nagi!!! I will never roast a lamb any other way. Ever again. This recipe was perfect. Thank you sooooo much!!
Woah! High praise! So glad you loved it Jacqui! N x
Hello Nagi, am I able to cook this in a slow cooker? Or is it preferable to cook in a roasting tray and in the oven? Thank you kindly in advance.
Hi Mirielle! I think it will work great to do the slow cook in the slow cooker then finish it in the oven to brown it 🙂 I would probably do 10 – 12 hours, depending on leg size.
I am making this tomorrow for Christmas, I will let you know how it turns out! My father is Greek and has made this many times, delicious, since his passing, I want to continue the tradition.
Oh Sharon! I’m sorry to hear your father is no longer with us. But I’m so delighted to hear that you’re making this in his memory. Merry Christmas to you! N xx
Excellent! Lamb turned out perfect! Juicy and tender, best recipe I have found in years, thank you for sharing.
WOO HOO! I am so glad you enjoyed it Sharon, thank you so much for letting me know! N xx
Hey Nagi, was going to make this, but 7 hrs seems like a long time. I prefer my lamb pink on the inside, but the photos show a lamb that looks well done. Sorry don’t mean to criticize, but don’t want to cook the lamb for 7 hrs and have a dried out lamb. Just looking for some assurances here
Hi Paul! No need to apologise at all 🙂 This is a slow roasted lamb so the meat is pull apart and tender. So yes, no pink inside! For traditional roast lamb, I go for pink too – here’s my recipe, it is a perfect blushing pink inside! -> https://salesdock.info/roast-lamb-leg-with-gravy/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Can this be made ahead? I assume I could remove the fat when chilled, but how would you store and reheat this?
Hi Steve! Yes this reheats quite well ) I would keep the fat so when you reheat it, you can use it to baste. So I would cool then refrigerate covered. Then take out of the fridge and bring to room temperature, then reheat at 180C/350F for around 30 minutes covered, then take the foil off , baste it generously with juices and bake uncovered for 10 min to make skin nice and crispy.
Does the leg of lamb need to be room temp before put in oven? I know that would be the case for prime rib. ??????
Hi Kimberly! Nope no need to because it’s cooked for sooooo long! 🙂
Hi Nagi! Looking forward to trying this (Today!). I have two leg of lambs, each weighing in at about 1 lb 12 oz. We raise our own. I’m wondering if the cooking time will be drastically different? I plan to do each one in its own dutch oven.
Hi Caitlin! Yes it will be less but I am not sure by how much if you do both at the same time. Guessing 4 hours in total? In the same roasting pan. 🙂
Hi again, not sure if I ever commented that this was AMAZING, and very well loved at my Slow Food potluck. 🙂 I am planning to make it again this weekend and am wondering if you’ve tried this recipe with shoulder? Thanks!
I’m SO GLAD to hear that Caitlin! I haven’t tried this exam recipe with shoulder but it’s guaranteed to be a hit 🙂 Shoulder is even juicer than leg, perfect for this recipe! N x
I am going to make this on Saturday as it looks so delicious and I love recipes that I can just leave so I can be with my friends instead of cooking. I have 8 for dinner and have bought 2 boneless legs weighing 3.2kg in total! I’m Just not sure how long to cook it for as timings are for legs with bones! Thanks so much I am so glad I found this blog I love all your recipes xx
Hi Emma! The cook time is not much different for boneless vs bone in by weight 🙂 Just follow cook times by weight. Hope you loved it!!
I will be getting a whole leg of lamb from a local butcher. He is telling me it will be 12 pounds in weight. How do I adjust the cooking time for that size?
Hi! Um….a 12 pound lamb leg?? Is that really a leg or is that a whole side of lamb?? I’m sorry I can’t guess, that’s just so much bigger than anything I have ever seen!
Had friends over for dinner last night and made this. It was a huge hit. Everyone enjoyed it!
I’m so glad to hear that Mary! Thank you for letting me know! N x
I am about to put my lamb in the hot oven to braise but I don’t know which way is upside down?
Would you mind telling me?
Thanks so much!!!
My brother purchased a roast of Lamb that was preseasoned… I didn’t want to buy it mainly because we both deal with HBP and most meats that comes like that are very salty… I’m looking forward to tasting it but if it’s to salty I won’t eat it… I made him Lamb chops on the grill a few months ago and he ate til he couldn’t eat no more… I seasoned them myself and they turned out to be pretty good… I’m not looking forward to this one… What are your thoughts on buying preseasoned meats… Thank you
Hi GeGe! I tend not to because I like to control the flavour and salt myself 🙂
Well Nagi… It wasn’t bad I actually was surprised bcuz it had no flavor whatsoever… Lol… I think the reason was my brother added to much water and added potatoes and yellow tomatoes… He’s always trying to experiment with flavors… I told him when he gets his own place…. He can experiment all he wants… Thanks for responding
Sorry for the delay responding Beth, I’m too late! If you look at the photos, the finished lamb is presented right way up 🙂 The rounder dome side of the lamb is the right way up, the flatter side is the underside. N x
Hi Nagi
This recipe sounds amazing, but is it possible to cook in a slow cooker? Perhaps I can roast in the oven first to crisp up?
Hi Jayne! Yes you can – if it will fit! Mine won’t fit 🙂 I would just slow cook it first, THEN crisp it in a stinking hot oven. 🙂 N x
I’m swooning! this looks so delicious. Pink lamb? Uh uh.
vicky
I hope you try it Vicky! It really is incredible! 🙂
Your recipes are the best and inspire me to try things I would otherwise never dare – because they WORK! In fact, although I have just unsubscribed from almost every other website I was getting emails from, I just subscribed to yours!
Now I need to expose my ignorance, is chicken broth the same as liquid chicken stock? (i have Campbells brand in my pantry, wondering if I can use it for this tonight!)
Thanks!
Hi Rebecca! I’m so glad you try my recipes, thank you!!! And please don’t ever apologise about asking me a question 🙂 That’s why I blog! yes chicken broth is the same as liquid chicken stock. I’m actually going to add that to the recipe. I use Campbells too!
Thank you for replying 🙂 It was a big hit!
I’m thrilled to hear Rebecca! Thank you so much for letting me know! N x
I have a 3kg boneless lamb leg. How long should the cooking be for each step? Thanks
Hi Duy! Please see the cook times table in the recipe 🙂
Made it, loved it, devoured it!!! My in laws, husband and three boys were very impressed. Thank you Nagi for another fabulous, fabulous recipe. I did 2x 1.7kg lamb legs with bone in and 2 shanks. It took 4.5 hours in my oven and it was magic. Gorgeous brown crust with crunchy bits protecting the inner soft, succulent, melt-in-your-mouth tender lamb. Thank you so so much. Very happy campers over here!!
WOO HOO! I am SO GLAD you enjoyed this Rachel, thank you SO MUCH for coming back to let me know! N x
I never ask questions on blogs, but this will be my third question today. Sorry. I don’t have bone in leg of lamb. Our butcher cut them out. Do I just shorten the cooking time? Any guesses by how much? Also, our lambs must have been tiny because my leg of lamb packages are only about 3 – 4 pounds. Thank you so much. I can’t wait to try your lamb recipes because I was getting ready to throw our lamb out. I haven’t been able to make anything that my family likes.
I’m glad you are asking questions Gayle! I’m happy to help!!! I think about 4 1/2 hours will be enough for a boneless leg. Shorten the roasting step #2 under the 4LB weight (in the roasting table in the recipe) to 2 hours and make roasting step #3 1.5 hours. That should do it!
Hi Nagi, Your lamb looks AMAZING! I couldn’t get a 3.5kg leg of lamb so have two pieces instead – one shank end leg piece and one fillet end piece each weighing about 1.3kg (ie 2.6kg total). I was planning on roasting both pieces in the same pan but unsure about roasting time…do you think use the same time as for a 2.5kg leg or would I need to reduce the cooking time? Thanks in advance for your advice 🙂
Hi Su! I think around 4 hours will be enough for those smaller pieces. 🙂 I hope you love it!
Thanks so much Nagi. Made this in the weekend and 4hrs was the perfect amount of time 🙂 Super delicious and falling off the bone! Everyone loved it! Also made your crunchy roast potatoes which were the perfect accompaniment and totally scrumptious. Served with green beans and baked spiced olives…food coma!
Yes yes YESSSS!!! I am SO GLAD you enjoyed this Su, thank you for letting me know!! PS Aren’t those potatoes insane? I could seriously eat a whole pan to myself!!
Thankyou so much. I made it for Mother’s Day lunch yesterday and everyone loved it!! Much easier as I like my meat well done and most like med-rare but this way of cooking everyone was happy! Only problem was I was up at 6:30 to get it in the oven :0
BA HA HA!!! 6.30am?? But WORTH it, no?? 😉
Hi Nagi
Loving making so many of your delicious recipes…I LOVE your site. Now when I Google a food I want to add to a recipe I just Google ‘such and such recipe tin eats’ as I just want to find your stuff! Anyway I have a 1kg half leg. ..can this work? What cooking times? Xx
Hi Yvie! Thank you so much for your lovely message, you made my morning! 🙂 Hmm, for 1kg I think about 4 hours should suffice?? I do hope you love it! Shorten the Step 3 roasting part (table in the recipe for roasting times). 🙂