Simple Slow-Roasted Leg of Lamb With Beer

8 servings
4 hr 15 min

Need inspiration for Sunday lunch or holiday dinner? This recipe for slow-roasted leg of lamb is wonderfully simple. All you need for this lamb dish is garlic, rosemary, and your favorite beer.

If you are not a fan of lamb meat, this juicy roast is sure to win you over. It's the best slow-roasted leg of lamb recipe with only four ingredients!


Why it Works

  • Simple ingredients: With only four ingredients, this dish is chock-full of flavor!
  • No-fuss prep: Preparing this festive dinner is very easy and stress-free. You don't even need to mess with making gravy. The beer and meat juices take care of it on their own.
  • Versatile: This recipe goes with any side dish, from mashed potatoes to rice to pasta, and your favorite vegetables.
  • Abundant: It feeds a crowd, so it's perfect for dinner parties and holidays. Lamb is a tasty harbinger of spring and one of the most common dishes on the Easter holiday table. But think outside the box and swap your usual ham or turkey with this roast for Thanksgiving and Christmas.


We love our lamb, whether it's a leg baked in the oven or spit-roasted whole, chops that are grilled, or chunks cooked in a stew.


Without roast lamb, it’s hard to imagine any major celebration in the circle of family and closest friends. Best of all, this piece of meat is not difficult to prepare in your own home.



How To Serve It

  • We often toss cooked spaghetti with juices from the beer-roasted lamb and serve with a side of green salad and some crusty bread to sop it all up for a simple family Sunday roast dinner. It is by far our favorite!
  • Serve with potatoes baked in the roast juices or with other root vegetables, such as roasted carrots. It goes well with spring onions, peas, and green beans, as well as a red wine-based sauce or yogurt mint sauce.
  • Of course, you can get creative and try your spice blends for unique flavor variations.



Should I remove the bone from the leg?

Whether using a boneless leg or removing the bones is a matter of taste and availability. The bone gives it extra flavor.


How long does it take to cook this bone-in leg in the oven?Depending on its size, the preparation time may vary slightly.


The general rule is to roast for about 30 minutes per pound of meat (for well done), but it is better to process it at a lower temperature for longer than to shorten the process, which will dry it out.


Also, check out this nifty chart for cooking lamb.


Can I cook it in a slow cooker?

You can most definitely cook a leg of lamb in a slow cooker! If you want it nicely browned, you might give it 15-30 minutes in the hot oven at the end. At this point, also pour the beer over it.


Can I freeze leftover roasted lamb?

This dish is freezer-friendly. You can use up leftovers in this delicious cheesy casserole (instead of turkey) or freeze individual servings for up to three months.


Simple Slow-Roasted Leg of Lamb With Beer
Recipe details
  • 8  servings
  • Prep time: 15 Minutes Cook time: 4 Hours Total time: 4 hr 15 min
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Ingredients

  • ▢ 4 pounds bone-in leg of lamb
  • ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ▢ 3-4 garlic cloves sliced
  • ▢ 1 bottle of light beer
  • ▢ Sea salt
Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
With a tip of a small sharp knife, make slits all over the surface (about 15-20). Insert a sliver of garlic and a rosemary leaf cluster into each slit.
Rub the leg with olive oil, then generously season with salt on all sides.
Place the leg in a large, heavy-bottomed roasting or baking pan; cover and roast for 30 minutes.
Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue to cook for 3-4 hours. (Check it to ensure the meat is tender. If not, cover and return to the oven.)
Remove cover, pour over with beer and bake for additional 30 minutes or until the top is browned.
Remove the roast and let it rest for about 20 minutes covered with aluminum foil. Keep in mind the temperature will increase a few degrees once it rests.
Tips
  • Cut most of the fat off from the meat so that the sauce doesn't get too greasy.
  • Lamb has a gamey aroma, but it's partially neutralized with garlic and rosemary. You can prep it the night before baking so that it marinates in the fridge. Beer helps even further, making the meat less robust.
  • Remove from the refrigerator at least an hour before roasting and allow it to reach room temperature. This way, you will avoid the "shock" that the meat experiences when you transfer it from the cold to a hot environment, and the roasted meat will have a nicer color.
  • During roasting, cover the pan with a lid or aluminum foil to concentrate all the flavors into the meat.
  • If necessary, pour a cup of water around the meat to prevent it from burning.
  • Add beer only during the last 30 minutes of baking the leg. Otherwise, the beer sauce will taste bitter. The alcohol will cook down, so this dish is safe for kids to consume.
  • Lamb is best cooked either short for a rare, pink, and juicy inside, or long and slow, so it's fork-tender. Anything in between can leave the meat tough and unappealing.
  • For the medium-rare, cook until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part, not touching the bone, reads between 135-145 F.
  • For more info, follow the link to the original recipe.
All that's Jas
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