Boneless Leg of Lamb Recipe - Southern Cravings (2024)

FAQs

How long do you cook boneless lamb legs for? ›

To calculate cooking times, for medium, cook 25 minutes per 500g, plus 25 minutes and for well done cook 30 minutes per 500g and an extra 30 minutes. Allow to rest before serving.

Whether boneless or bone-in, the perfect leg of lamb should be either oven-roasted until blushing pink on the inside (with an internal temp around 130°F) or roasted long and slow for several hours until the meat is very tender and falls apart to internal temp around 175°F (I often use the slow cooker for that).

A boneless leg is easier to carve, while bone-in can be a bit more difficult to slice. If you're looking for a more intense lamb flavor, bone-in is the way to go.

For the perfect roast lamb, we recommend seasoning the surface of the meat, and then searing it, especially fat side down in a pan before roasting. Why bother with searing? Contrary to some stories, searing is less about locking in moisture, and all about improving the flavour!

The leg and rack of lamb are perfect for herb-crusting and oven-roasting; since the shank and shoulder are a bit tougher, they fare well in stews or braises—the long cook time allows them to significantly break down and become fork-tender.

Whether you choose the leg with or without the bone, the cooking method is the same: season the leg of lamb and cook it to 125°F (52°C) using a leave-in thermometer. Just know that a boneless leg will take less time.

Lower temp = more succulent meat – Tough cuts like lamb shoulder need slow-cooking to tenderise them. The lower the roasting temperature, the less total moisture evaporation and thus juicier meat.

Before roasting lamb, remove it from the refrigerator and allow it to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. A piece of meat at room temperature will roast more evenly. Use a roasting rack to ensure even browning and heat circulation around the meat.

Cooking Instructions

The netting should be left on to hold the de-boned pieces together. Directions: Leave the netting on a boneless cut of lamb until it is fully cooked, then cut it off with a pair of kitchen shears being careful not to cut or burn yourself.

Washing beef, pork, lamb, or veal before cooking it is not recommended. Bacteria in raw meat and poultry juices can be spread to other foods, utensils, and surfaces. We call this cross-contamination. Some consumers think they are removing bacteria and making their meat or poultry safe.

Should I brown my lamb before slow cooking? ›

If you have an extra 10 minutes, it's often worth browning the meat before slow cooking it. Browning or searing the meat in a hot pan caramelises its surface, which can give the final dish a richer, deeper flavour and colour. The high temperatures also help to render the fat on the surface of your lamb.

Usually the fat cap is left on, but I wouldn't trim it down much. I'd leave it and score the fat in crosshatch marks, and then that fat makes it self-basting. If you're ordering American lamb versus Australian or New Zealand lamb, the fat is completely different. American lamb is fattier.

A quality leave-in thermometer like the​ ChefAlarm​®​ tracking your internal temperatures while you roast, of course! Lamb is often served on the rare side, seldom passing medium rare, ​130–35°F​(54–57°C).

In our experience, we found most lamb cuts, whether a rack of lamb or lamb loin chops, taste best when served medium rare. So, the meat's internal temperature should reach 130 degrees Fahrenheit (54 degrees Celsius). It will have a nice, juicy pink center, and seared exterior.

Lamb shoulder has more flavour and is easier to cook than lamb leg. Virtually foolproof, minimal effort, and incredible meat that is so tender that you won't need a knife to carve this! Want to upgrade to the Rolls Royce version? Try the Ultimate 12 Hour Roast Lamb or browse the entire Roast Lamb recipe collection.

This part of the animal works hard, so the meat from a lamb's shoulder is full of flavour. It takes a while to become tender, but this means it's a great choice for stewing and slow-roasting. To maximise the flavour, cook lamb shoulder on the bone so the meat simply falls apart when pulled with a fork.