Cooking Guide: Roast Lamb
This is our guide to cooking bigger lamb joints, here we give you easy to follow instructions for perfectly roasted, delicately flavoured lamb no matter the cut and how to slow cook the same joints to give a more rich and umptuous result.
Either way remove all packaging from the lamb & keep a note of the weight of the lamb joint. Remember for larger roasting joints it's advisable to remove your joint from the fridge minimum an hour before cooking, longer if you can. Season & score, flavour as desired, we have a few ideas below.
With roasting joints, always allow for at least 30 minutes resting time after cooking but longer if you can, trust us it won't go cold! Especially if covering the meat with foil.
INGREDIENTS
The basics
- Lamb legs, shoulders or rolled saddle
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste
- Olive oil/rapeseed oil or butter - your choice!
The extras.
- Herbs - a few sprigs of rosemary and mint are a classic choice, but feel free to get creative here
- Chilli, anchovies, tomato, olives, garlic, capers...
- Mint, rosemary, wild garlic and fresh lemon juice
- Onions, carrots, celery...
METHOD
ROASTED JOINTS
Leg
Preheat the oven to 210°C/190°C fan/gas 6. Roast for 20 mins. Lower the oven temperature to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4 & cook for another 15-20 mins per 500 g (e.g., 1 hr – 1 hr 20 mins for a 2 kg leg) depending on how you like your lamb cooked. If you have a meat probe, the core temperature should read 55°C medium & 70°C for well done.
Shoulder
Preheat the oven to 210°C/190°C fan/gas 6. Roast for 20 mins. Add 1 pint of water or lamb stock to the bottom of the roasting tray, cover with foil. Lower the oven temperature to 170°C/150°C fan/gas 3 & cook for 40 mins per 500 g (e.g., 3.5 hr total cooking time for a 2.7 kg bone-in shoulder, 3 hr for 2.2kg shoulder boned).
Rolled Saddle
Preheat the oven to 210°C/190°C fan/gas 6. Roast for 15 mins. Lower the oven temperature to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4 & cook for 20 - 25 mins per 500 g (e.g., 40 - 50 mins for a 1 kg saddle cooked to medium). If you have a meat probe, the core temperature should read 55°C medium & 70°C for well done.
SLOW COOKED JOINTS
Leg
Preheat the oven to 210°C/190°C fan/gas 6. Roast for 20 mins. Add 1 pint of water or lamb stock to the bottom of the roasting tray, cover with foil. Lower the oven temperature to 140°C/120°C fan/gas 1 & cook for 5 – 6 hours or until tender, turning once after 2.5 hours.
Shoulder
Preheat the oven 210°C/190°C fan/gas 6. Roast for 20 mins. Add 1 of pint water or lamb stock to the bottom of the roasting tray, cover with foil. Lower the oven temperature to 140°C/120°C fan/gas 1 & cook for 5 – 6 hours or until tender.