Moroccan Roast Leg of Lamb (Slow cooked for 4 Hrs)

This roast leg of lamb is marinated with the Morrocan spice ras el hanout and slow-roasted in the oven for almost four hours until fork tender. We use both a dry rub and a wet marinade to pack as much flavor into the meat as possible.

One evening, I sat in a bustling Turkish restaurant, surrounded by the tantalizing aromas of spices and grilled meats. When the dish arrived at my table, I was immediately struck by its presentation.

I marveled at how food can transport us to distant lands and evoke memories of shared meals and new experiences. That evening in the Turkish restaurant will forever remain etched in my memory as a testament to the joys of culinary exploration and the magic of discovering new flavors.

Have you heard about the famous Moroccan Mechoui? It is a traditional way of cooking lamb or sheep in Moroccan cuisine. The word ‘mechoui’ means ‘roasted’ in Moroccan Arabic. A whole lamb or sheep is seasoned with spices and herbs and slow-roasted over a charcoal fire or traditional oven called ‘Farran’ until tender and juicy.

This recipe is inspired by Moroccan ‘Mechoui’ but uses a leg of lamb instead of the whole lamb and a home oven instead of the ‘Farran.’ We start with meat generously packed with seasoning and marinade. Then, we slowly roast it in the oven for 4 hours until the meat is fork-tender. Finally, we give it some high heat for that crust and color. The result is a show-stopper that your family and friends will think you are a pro.

Ingredients and substitutes (lamb with ras el hanut)

• Lamb -The leg of lamb is the upper part of the leg without the shank bone. The butcher will usually ask if you want it bone-in or boneless. Today, we are using bone-in. If you choose a boneless leg of lamb, you can still use this recipe. Another great cut of meat for this recipe is Lamb Shoulder. Learn more about cuts of lamb here.
• Veggies – If you plan to cook veggies with your meat, it’s always wise to use vegetables that will benefit from the long cooking process, such as potatoes, carrots, and parsnips. Today, I only use onions, shallots, garlic, and lemon for the pan to prop the meat up and encourage circulation.
• Fresh herbs – When making a dish like this, you want to try to buy fresh herbs. It makes a huge difference. Having said that, if dried herbs are all you have, go ahead and use them. One tbsp each would be a good measure to start. Adjust according to your preference.
• Paprika – I use this for color, but I also like a little zing. You can use sweet paprika, and yet I often go for the smoked hot paprika.
• Ras el hanout – This is a popular Moroccan spice mix that is made with a few other spices. It is readily available in most supermarkets. But you can also make it yourself (recipe below), and you probably already have the spices you need in your kitchen.

Step-by-step: Roast leg of lamb (Moroccan Spiced)

• Lamb – Trim excess fat from the leg of lamb and pat it dry.
  Pro tip – If the meat is wet, the marinade will slide off when cooking. So pat dry thoroughly.

• Dry rub – Combine all the dry rub ingredients in a small bowl. Then, generously apply it to the leg of the lamb on all sides. Leave to marinate on the counter for an hour.
  Pro tip – Be generous and rub the spices into the meat with your hands.

• Marinade – In a mortar and pestle, combine all the marinade ingredients until fairly coarse. Apply the marinade to the lamb, coating well on all sides. Leave to marinate on the counter for another hour or overnight in the fridge.
  Pro tip – You can marinate the lamb with the dry rub and wet marinade up to overnight. Thaw to room temperature for at least 2 hours before roasting.

• Oven – Preheat the oven to 400°F/ 200°C/ Gas Mark 6
• Roasting pan – Place the veggies in the roasting pan and pour the broth over them. Then, place the leg of lamb on the veggies and cover the roasting pan tightly with aluminum foil.
  Pro tip – Do not pour the broth on the leg of lamb, as it will wash down all the marinade.
• Slow roast – Transfer the roasting pan to the oven and reduce the oven to 325℉/165℃/Gas Mark. Leave to roast in the oven for 4 hours until fork-tender.
• Color—Increase the oven temperature back up to 400°F/ 200°C/ Gas Mark 6. Remove the aluminum foil and generously baste the lamb with the pan juices. Return the leg of lamb to the oven and roast for another 15 minutes until it is a nice golden color.
  Pro tip – Alternatively, you can also set the oven to broil for 5 to 10 minutes.

• Rest – Take the roast out of the oven and loosely tent it with aluminum foil. Let it rest for at least 15 minutes.
• Serve – Transfer the leg of lamb to a large serving platter surrounded by the roasting veggies. Serve the pan juices as gravy along with the lamb.
  Pro tip – We left the skin for the shallots and garlic. This makes them soft but still holds their shape. They are absolutely delicious.
• Enjoy!

Tips for the best Moroccan roast Lamb

• You want to choose a well-marbled piece of meat with a decent amount of fat on top. The fattier the meat, the more juicy and flavorful the roast.
• Always thaw the lamb before cooking – a few hours, at least 2 to 3 hours. Cooking chilled meat can result in uneven baking, causing the outer parts of the meat to overcook.
• A leg is a large chunk of meat and not much exposed. So, make sure to overseason the meat, because only some of it will penetrate the meat. The rest of it will get crusted on.
• Elevate the bone from the base if possible. This encourages even cooking by circulating the air.
• Don’t poke too many holes in the meat while checking for doneness. The moment you poke a hole in the meat, you will see juices flow out. You want these to stay in, so don’t make too many holes. 
• Let the meat rest after cooking. If you cut the meat too soon, all the juices will flow out of the meat and give you a dry roast. Instead, let the meat rest for at least 15 minutes, if not more.

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Frequently asked questions

Veena Azmanov

Moroccan Roast Leg of Lamb

5 from 36 votes

This roast leg of lamb is marinated with Morrocan spice ras el hanout and is slow-roasted in the oven for almost 4 hours until fork tender. We use both dry rub and a wet marinade to pack as much flavor into the meat as possible.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 4 hours hrs

Total Time 4 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Servings: 16 servings

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: Italian

Calories: 366

Video

Ingredients

 

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A Leg of lamb with bone is usually between 4 to 6 lbs (2 to 3 kgs)

• 5 – 6 lbs (2.5 kg) Leg of lamb with bone, trim excess fat

Dry rub

• 1 tbsp Kosher salt
• 1 tbsp Black pepper
• 1 tbsp Garlic powder
• 1 tbsp Paprika
• 3 tbsp Ras el hanout

Marinade

• 2 sprigs Rosemary fresh finely chopped
• 4 sprigs Thyme fresh finely chopped
• 1 large Lemon zest
• 6 – 8 large Fresh garlic cloves grated
• 3 inch Fresh ginger grated
• 4 tbsp Lemon juice
• 4 tbsp Olive oil
• 3 tbsp Honey or date syrup

For the roasting pan

• 2 large Onions halves
• 1 large lemon halved
• 2 large Garlic bulbs halves
• 1 lb (500 g) Shallots skin on (optional)
• 10 – 12 (250 g) Garlic cloves skin on (optional) I use fresh garlic shallots
• 2 cups (500 ml) Broth or stock chicken, beef, or lamb

Method

 

1. Lamb – Trim excess fat from the leg of lamb and pat it dry.
   5 – 6 lbs Leg of lamb
2. Dry rub – In a small bowl, combine all the dry rub ingredients. Then, generously apply the rub to the leg of the lamb on all sides. Let it marinate on the counter for an hour.
   1 tbsp Kosher salt, 1 tbsp Black pepper, 1 tbsp Garlic powder, 1 tbsp Paprika, 3 tbsp Ras el hanout
3. Marinade – In a mortar and pestle, combine all the marinade ingredients until fairly coarse. Apply the marinade to the lamb, coating it well on all sides. Let it marinate on the counter for another hour or overnight in the fridge.
   2 sprigs Rosemary fresh , 4 sprigs Thyme fresh , 1 large Lemon zest, 6 – 8 large Fresh garlic cloves , 3 inch Fresh ginger, 4 tbsp Lemon juice, 4 tbsp Olive oil, 3 tbsp Honey
4. Oven – Preheat the oven to 400°F/ 200°C/ Gas Mark 6
5. Roasting pan – Place the veggies in the roasting pan and pour the broth over them. Then, place the leg of lamb on top of the veggies and cover the roasting pan tightly with aluminum foil.
   2 large Onions, 2 large Garlic bulbs, 1 lb Shallots, 10 – 12 Garlic cloves, 2 cups Broth or stock , 1 large lemon
6. Slow roast – Transfer the roasting pan to the oven and reduce the oven to 325℉/165℃/Gas Mark. Leave to roast in the oven for 4 hours until fork tender.
7. Color – Increase the oven temperature to 400°F/ 200°C/ Gas Mark 6. Remove the aluminum foil and baste the lamb generously with the pan juices. Return the leg of lamb to the oven and roast for another 15 minutes until it is a nice golden color.
8. Rest – Remove the roast from the oven and loosely tent it with aluminum foil. Let it rest for at least 15 minutes.
9. Serve – Transfer the leg of lamb to a large serving platter surrounded by the roasting veggies. Serve the pan juices as gravy along with the lamb.
10. Enjoy!

Notes

 

1. You want to choose a well-marbled piece of meat with a decent amount of fat on top. The fattier the meat the more juicy and flavorful the roast.
2. Always thaw the lamb before cooking – a few hours at least 2 to 3 hours. Cooking chilled meat can result in uneven baking causing the outer parts of the meat to overcook.
3. A leg is a large chunk of meat and not much exposed. So, make sure to overseason the meat, because only some of it will penetrate the meat. The rest of it will get crusted on.
4. Elevate the bone from the base if possible. This encourages even cooking by circulating the air.
5. Don’t poke too many holes in the meat while checking for doneness. The moment you poke a hole in the meat you will see juices flow out. You want these to stay in so don’t make too many holes. 
6. Let the meat rest after cooking. If you cut the meat too soon all the juices will flow out of the meat and give you a dry roast. Instead, let the meat rest for at least 15 minutes if not more.

Red wine gravy (optional)

If you want. you can also make a red wine gravy using the pan juices below this leg of lamb, 

• Gravy – Place the roasting pan on medium-low heat. Add 1/2 cup red wine or stock and deglaze the pan by scraping with the edge of a spatula. Then, add 1 tbsp of flour and continue to deglaze while the flour thickens the gravy.
• Strain – Strain the gravy through a sieve of mesh to remove all the excess bits and pieces from the roasting pan.
  Pro tip – straining will give a wonderfully smooth gravy. You can also add 2 tablespoons of butter to enhance the flavor.

Equipment you will need

Roasting Rack

Cutting boards

Kitchen Knife

Nutrition

Serving: 227g | Calories: 366kcal | Carbohydrates: 15.4g | Protein: 24.6g | Fat: 22.5g | Saturated Fat: 9.6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 12.9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 687mg | Potassium: 0mg | Fiber: 2.2g | Sugar: 1.7g | Vitamin A: 0IU | Vitamin C: 0mg | Calcium: 0mg | Iron: 0mg

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