Pulled Lamb (Middle Eastern Slow Cooked Lamb)

A plate with pulled lamb and herb garnish.

4.96 from 21 votes

Pulled Lamb (Middle Eastern Slow Cooked Lamb)

This Middle Eastern slow-cooked lamb is a showstopper! This is an excellent recipe to make for a special occasion for a weekend dinner. The slow-roasting will take time, but trust me it is so worth it! Serve the Pulled Lamb with vermicelli rice, fresh chopped salad and Greek yogurt.

Prep Time15

Cook Time5

Total Time4 15

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Levantine, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern

Servings: people

Author: Luay Ghafari

Cost: $30

Equipment

Dutch oven, Braiser or roasting dish with tall sides

Ingredients

Aromatics

2 Red onions - Peeled and quartered
2 Whole garlic bulbs - Cut in half horizontally or broken into garlic cloves
5 Sprigs of rosemary
10 Sprigs of thyme
3-5 Bay leaves

Spice Rub

1 ½ tbsp Kosher salt - If using table salt, cut the amount by half
2 tsp Baharat (7-Spice blend) - You can use equal parts ground cumin, coriander and cinnamon
2 tsp Garlic powder - Use salt free garlic powder, not garlic seasoning
1 tsp Fresh cracked black pepper
½ tsp Ground cardamom - Optional but recommended

Lamb

4-5 lbs Boneless lamb shoulder or leg - see note
2-3 tbsp Olive oil
1 cup Chicken stock - 250ml
½ cup White wine - 125ml, optional (replace with more stock)

Instructions

Prepare the roasting pan. To a roasting pan or braising dish, add the quartered onions, garlic, rosemary, thyme and bay leaves.
Season the lamb. In a small bowl, combine salt, 7-spice, garlic powder, black pepper and cardamom. Rub the entire surface of the lamb with the dry mix, making sure to get in any crevices (If your lamb came wrapped in mesh, remove the mesh and open it like a book to season all over). Roll it back up and secure it with twine or the mesh it came with. Place the lamb on the aromatics with the fat side up. Drizzle a little olive oil all over the lamb and the aromatics.
Sear. Preheat your oven to 500F/260C. Place the pot or roasting pan in the oven for 20 minutes. This will help brown the aromatics and add more depth of flavor.
Slow Roast. Lower your oven to 300F/150C. Add the chicken broth and optional white wine to the roasting dish, cover with foil or lid, and place it back in the oven to slow roast for 4-5 hours undisturbed.
Broil. After 4-5 hours, the meat should be quite tender. If not, slow roast for another hour. Remove the lid or foil, baste the meat with some of the lamb juices and crank up the oven to broil on high for 10-15 minutes. You want the top of the lamb to brown slightly. Don’t burn it!
Rest and Serve. Let the lamb rest for 10-20 minutes before you transfer it to a serving platter. Serve your roast lamb with your favorite sides. Feel free to squeeze a little fresh lemon juice over the roast.

Notes

Cut of lamb: I recommend using a deboned shoulder of lamb or leg of lamb but feel free to use bone-in cuts if that’s what you have access to. Remember that the leg of lamb will be dryer than the shoulder.

I recommend using a roasting dish with tall sides or a Dutch oven or braiser with its own lid.

Is the lamb a little dry? Don’t throw away the cooking liquid. You can decant the roasting juices if you like and let the fat rise to the top and spoon it away. The roasting juices can be added to the pulled lamb to add moisture and flavor.

Serve with Mint Yogurt Sauce, Mint Chimichurri, Cilantro Chimichurri, Jerusalem salad, and Vermicelli rice. See the blog post above for more serving ideas.

The leftover slow-cooked meat can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, but I recommend you eat it within 1 day.

Nutrition