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!
Hi Nagi –
I use your recipe alot, and they always turn out perfectly.
Tomorrow night I have several people coming for dinner and I want to serve slow cook leg of lamb. I was looking at this recipe of yours –
https://innovate-pulse.news/slow-roast-leg-of-lamb/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Looks great BUT my legs (2 @ 1kg each) are boneless or have been boned. Do you have a slow cooked recipe for boned legs? Or if not what would you suggest I chance in the above linked recipe?
Thanks for your time (& all your incredible content!)
Would it be possible to do this with shoulder or to adapt your 12 hour shoulder recipe to have more of the lemony garlicky flavours?
Use this method Kate https://innovate-pulse.news/slow-roasted-rosemary-garlic-lamb-shoulder/%3C/a%3E, or the 12 hour method and just sub in oregano for the rosemary and add some quartered and squeezed lemons and some extra garlic if you want it! N x
I made this last night for Greek Easter and it was amazing! Only thing is, I had a 5,5 lb bone-in leg and after 3,5 hrs it was good to go.
I’m glad you liked it Nick and thanks for that feedback! N x
Hi Nagi, how do I adapt if my joint is boneless? It’s 2.1kg. Many thanks
It might take a bit longer Gemma – just check it towards the end. N x
OMG this is amazing. The broth is so lemony/meaty – I’m using it in all kinds of dishes after this. The lamb falls apart and is so delicious- the best recipe again!
Woo hoo!! Thanks Matt! I’m so glad you liked it! N x
Absolutely to-die-for recipe Nagi! Made this for Easter and followed it to a T. I finished it uncovered in the Kamado over Mallee Root charcoal to give that wood smoke touch. Meat was fall apart tender but stayed juicy, and the sauce – just wow! Will definitely be making this again for special occasions. It impressed my Greek fiancé and her mum so you know it was good!
Oh wow Tom that sounds so good!! I love that you finished it in the Kamado – they are the bomb!! N x
Nagi, I’ve made this twice before with bone-in, as you specify in the recipe and loved how it came out. Could I make it with a boneless leg of lamb, as well? I just bought a boneless leg of lamb from Australia, hormone- free, at an excellent price, so will pass up buying local from my provincial Canadian farmers. Please advise about roasting without bone – assuming less time. I don’t want it to dry out. If it’s not a good match, I’ll prepare it another way. Thanks.
Hi Margaret – it’s surprising but a bone-in roast actually cooks faster as the bone conduct heat to the centre. The timing is more about the size of your roast and a boneless one will work fine with this method as the moisture makes it hard to dry it out. Good luck!! N x
Happy Easter Nagi,
Pulled leg of lamb from the freezer but noted it was a boneless leg of lamb approx 2.1 kgs. Im willing to give this a go but assuming the cooking time will be reduced. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.
Hi Nagi,
Attempting this for Easter, can i marinate the lamb overnight?
Thanks!
Yes that should be fine Alice! N x
Hi Nagi – can this be made in a Dutch Oven such as a Le Creuset?
Yes it can Eric – as long as you have one large enough to fit it! N x
Hi Nagi,
I’m planning on making this for Easter for my Greek in-laws (fingers crossed it goes well for me). My MIL finds almost any spice unbearable so I’m not sure if I should omit the paprika. Will the recipe be fine without it?
Thank you in advance 🙂
It isn’t a very noticeable spice once it is cooked in this dish Rachel! N x
Can I cook this the day before and if i do – how do I reheat?
Yes you can Joanne – just make the sauce and store it separately from the lamb in the fridge. On the day, cover the lamb with foil and reheat at 180C until warmed through then uncover and serve with the warmed gravy! N x
Nagi and team, If i wanted to back the temp off here, can i cook it longer ? Like 140 Deg C for total 7-9 hours ? Thoughts ?
Hi Cam – if you want to do 9-10 hours then I would cook it at 100C. Also make sure it’s very tightly sealed and check the liquid level to be sure it doesn’t dry out. N x
Quick one…. You’re saying to add the remaining ingredients which is the wine, stock and lemon juice which is 4 cups of liquid. You’re then asking to add hot water up to approx 1/4 to a 1/3 up to the side of the leg. If the pan is large that’s a lot of liquid N x ( ps catchya in WWMV again one day )
Hi Nagi, I cooked this for friends a few weeks back and it was a huge hit (as all your recipes are!)
Just wondering if this could be done in a slow cooker and if so, would any changes need to be made?
Hi Grace – just follow the instructions here and use the Greek seasonings – should be great! N x. https://innovate-pulse.news/slow-cooker-roast-lamb-leg/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
I grew up with lamb roast and rice pilaf. After removing the lamb roast, add water and tomato sauce to boil. Then add rice. Dollop with Greek yogurt. Sour cream can sub for Greek yogurt.
Your lamb roast looks beautiful!
This is an absolutely delicious recipe! Thank you Nagi. I threw some homegrown veggies in the pan for the last hour which soaked up the juices. So, so good!
This is amazing flavor but the cooking time was way shorter! I did a 5 lb half leg off lamb, bone in (had the butcher cut off part of the bone so I could fot into my roasting pan). After 30 mins of roasting at high temp, then turning over and cooking for 3.5 hours it was reading 207 degrees, which is ready for pulled lamb. This was done 3 hours before company were to arrive so I put my oven down to 180 to keep warm. It was amazing but now I know how quick it cooks. It cooks quicker with bone in…..hope this helps someone else.
Agreed! It is way less time than specified..beware.. it does not take 7 hours to cook a 7 lb leg of lamb with a American convection or conventional oven at 325 It’s really about 30 min per pound… but as a Greek it is truly the best home cooked lamb ever!
I did this rdcipe with a 2.5kg boneless lamb leg, and was not impressed. I can see this type of cooking being good for tougher cuts, like mutton, and this is not that different from lamb shank recipes. But for a nice leg of lamb you just lose a lot of the flavour cooking it so long. The uncovered cooking at the end… just dries out the meat that is above the waterline. Smelled good about the 3 hr mark. If I did this again I’d do 1.5 hrs fat down and 1 hr fat up after the initial searing. Boneless leg fits nicely in a casserole dish.
Hi Nagi, so looking forward to trying this recipe — please may I as for some advice: I have the leg of lamb in 3 x 1.3kg segments. Will this affect the cooking time, as they are smaller pieces? Thank you X
Hi Kate – as this is a braise it should work fine for those pieces. Check it at 1.5 or 2 hours (it’s ready when and you can pull it apart) then do the browning step. N x
So good Nagi! I’m usually quite nervous to cook lamb or beef roasts for fear of overcooking but this was the perfect alternative that the whole family enjoyed. Even my fussy daughter who is going through a “I don’t like meat that looks like meat” stage said this was “pretty good” (that’s a 5 star rating coming from her 😆).