This slow cooker lamb recipe will reward you with fork tender juicy lamb meat you can savor in a variety of ways. Serve as a leg of lamb crock pot roast you can pull apart into succulent chunks or shred the meat and douse it with gravy made from the delicious braising liquids. This is a rustic style lamb feast worthy of any occasion!
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Read on for useful information and workflow pictures (4 mins)
About This Leg of Lamb Crock Pot Roast Recipe
Cooking a lamb leg low and slow in a medley of aromatic and umami ingredients invevitably yields rich tasting, fall-apart tender meat.
This recipe is the type where after a brief initial outlay of work you can blisfully ignore the lamb and let it enjoy the slow cooker and the delicious braising liquid. When you come back, hours later, you will be delighted by the results.
Any lamb lover will instantly appreciate your culinary creation. Those who have not yet warmed up to the virtues of lamb meat might just have an epiphany as soon as they take one succulent bite.
Boneless or Bone-In Leg of Lamb?
Either cut of lamb will work with this recipe. However we recommend that you opt for a boneless leg of lamb. A boneless lamb leg, regardless of size and weight is much easier to manipulate when it comes to using a slow cooker and this recipe is all about ease and simplicty.
If you already have a whole bone-in leg of lamb consider this recipe for slow cooked leg of lamb with potatoes. Otherwise make sure you have a large crock pot in which the entire leg fits and brown it in a 450 F oven instead of trying to wrestle it in a frying pan.
If you have a bone-in half leg of lamb, chump end or a shank end, you can work with them as they are smaller and will be easier to handle during searing and each cut will fit comfortably in a crock pot.
Ingredients for Slow Cooker Lamb Leg
Leg of lamb. Preferably boneless, as noted above, it is the best cut. Typically it will weigh about 5 to 6 pounds. This recipe will work with even 8 pounders (they would be from American lamb which is a larger animal).
Olive oil, kosher salt and black pepper. To season and sear the lamb leg and also for the braising liquid base.
Aromatics, herbs and flavorings. You will need: two yellow onions (they give the strongest flavor), a handful of garlic cloves, fresh rosemary (or dried), Worcestershire sauce, anchovy fillets (strongly recommended for the umami flavor they impart, no fishy flavor at all) and Dijon mustard if you opt to make the smooth gravy from the crock pot liquids (do make it, one taste and you will know why).
Red wine and beef broth. With the red wine you will deglaze the braising base. Choose one that is bold and even spicy like a cabernet or a shiraz. The beef broth will thin out the braising liquid and eventually find its way into the gravy. You can substitute with lamb stock if you have it.
TIP: Other fresh herbs that work with this slow cooker leg of lamb recipe are thyme, oregano and parsley.
How to Cook Leg of Lamb in Slow Cooker
The three distinct stages of this recipe are described below and the workflow shown with step-by-step pictures. The Recipe Card is at the bottom of this post.
Stage 1. Prepare and sear the meat. Remove the netting and thoroughly pat dry the lamb leg with paper towels. Allow it to reach room temperature and season it with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet or heavy-bottomed frying pan over medium-high heat, add olive oil and once hot sear all sides of the leg of lamb until they turn golden brown. Transfer the lamb to the crock pot and leave all brown bits and juices in the pan.
It is essential for the surface of the lamb leg to be very dry prior to searing it. Here is why.
TIP: Searing the meat is important not only because it makes the lamb appear more appetizing after hours of braising. The culinary process known as the Maillard reaction gives birth to chemical compounds on the surface of the meat that literally create flavors that would otherwise not take form. The lamb leg becomes much more delicious after it has been nicely browned. To properly brown the surface it needs to be dry. Even though you can skip the searing step we encourage you not to.
Stage 2. Make the braising liquid. Chop the rosemary really fine, rough chop the garlic and dice the onions. To the same pan where you seared the lamb leg add more olive oil, with the heat at medium. Sauté the onion, garlic and rosemary for just about a minute. Work in the anchovies and Worcestershire sauce. Sauté for another minute and deglaze with the red wine. Be sure to scrape off all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. They are pure flavor! Simmer to allow the wine to reduce by about half.
Stage 3. Slow cook. Finally, add the braise base you just prepared to the lamb leg in the crock pot, then follow with the beef stock. Close the lid, turn on your slow cooker and cook until the meat is fork tender. Be patient, enjoy the lovely aromas that will begin wafting a couple of hours into the slow cook and even take a look once in a while… But remember the old adage – ‘a watched pot never boils”:)
Once the lamb is ultra tender turn of the slow cooker. When the braising liquid has cooled down a bit you will notice a fair amount of rendered fat floating on its surface. To the best of your ability skim it with a dinner spoon and discard it. You can then carefully lift the leg of lamb out of the slow cooker and place it onto a serving platter.
How Long Does it Take to Cook Leg of Lamb in Crock Pot?
The short answer is – a long time.
In truth there is no exact formula that will tell you for this many pounds budget this much time. It all depends on how large the lamb leg you were using, the exact fat content, how warm the center of the meat was before you started searing, the calibration of your slow cooker, whether you go with slow or high heat mode, or a combination of both.
The best way to tell if the leg of lamb is done is to check it for tenderness. If you can twist off a sizeable chunk with almost no effort by just using a fork it is most likely done. If the meat still resists the fork, then cook it longer.
For a 6 pound boneless leg as we used for the pictures it took nine hours on slow to achieve the desired tenderness. And we actually left it to cook overnight.
(See the relevant section below for how you can best organize your time depending on when you plan on serving the lamb roast.)
Make a Gravy for Slow Cooker Roast Lamb
To make a smooth gravy first strain the braising liquid through a fine sieve and into a large pan. The larger surface of the pan will help the gravy thicken faster.
Over medium to medium-low heat bring the liquid to simmer and allow it to reduce. To emulsify it and thicken it further add the Dijon mustard (not only will it create a suave texture but it will bring extra umami notes to the sauce). Simply whisk in the mustard and once the gravy is smooth and as thick as you’d like it to be, transfer it to a warm serving dish.
If you are impatient you may also add a small amount of slurry to speed up the thickening, but the Dijon mustard helps create a much better consistency overall.
Time Schedule for Crock Pot Leg of Lamb
Time management is a key ingredient to this recipe because you cannot rush the lamb leg to become tender. An earlier start will always translate into a better finish. As you budget your time consider these three convenient timetables.
All in one day. Challenging but doable if you plan on serving the lamb pot roast for dinner and you start early. Give yourself at least eight to nine hours to avoid a stressful situation or not perfectly tender meat. It depends on how large the lamb leg you are working with is. Also, be sure that your guests are the easy going, non-judgmental type and if dinner is half an hour late it will not be an issue.
Overnight. This is a great option because you can complete the initial stages of the cooking process and once all the ingredients are in the crock pot start cooking on low before you go to bed. If your slow cooker has a timer, even better. Set it as needed. Once you check the lamb in the morning you can decide if it needs a bit more time, etc. You can keep the lamb warm until it is time to make the gravy and serve it.
Over the course of two days. This is a very casually paced option. Ideally, you would cook the leg of lamb until just perfect, turn off the slow cooker and allow everything to cool down. As the braising liquid cools down the fat will solidify and will be much easier to remove versus skimming it while it is still liquid as with the other two options. Then you can store the lamb and juices in the fridge overnight and place the ceramic pot back into the slow cooker the next day to warm it up before you serve and make the gravy.
Serve Slow Cooker Roasted Lamb Leg
When you serve the meat aim for a cozy, rustic family style presentation. It complements the casual vibe of the recipe and helps create an edible centerpiece for your festive table.
It is a good idea to scatter some fresh greens such as arugula or baby spinach just underneath the leg of lamb and garnish with fresh resemary, maybe a handful of pitted kalamata olives. If you happened to roast some potatoes or perhaps prepared a rice pilaf serve a portion of it next to the lamb to add texture and color to the platter.
Either pull apart the meat into larger chunks or shred it into smaller pieces. Drizzle some of the gravy to keep it moist and serve the rest of it next to the platter.
Storage and Reheating
Store leftover lamb meat in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
To reheat it is best to use a skillet with a bit of olive oil and a bit of water. Reheat over medium heat and place a lid over the skillet (the lamb will not dry out). So prepared the lamb leg is perfect for gyros, wraps or lamb sliders.
How to Cook This Recipe If You Do Not Have a Slow Cooker
This is a classic braise, so if you do not have a crock pot the solution is simple.
Either use a large braiser or a Dutch oven in which the leg of lamb fits. You can also employ a large roasting pan which you can cover with two layers of foil, tightly wrapped around the edges to create a good seal. A braise like this will be similar to this recipe for Braised Leg of Lamb.
Preheat your oven to 275 F – 300 F, depending on its calibration. Sear the lamb, prepare the braising base and assemble all the components into your braising vessel of choice. Add a bit more beef broth than noted in the recipe ingredients and be prepared to add more. Typically the loss of moisture when braising in the oven is greater than when using a crock pot.
Also plan on checking the meat a bit more often to make sure you are satisfied with the pace of the progress.
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Leg of Lamb Crock Pot Roast
This slow cooker lamb recipe is all about ease and instructs how to prepare succulent lamb meat and a delicious gravy made from the braising liquids. A family style lamb feast worthy of Easter, Thanksgiving or Christmas gatherings. Leftovers make for wonderful gyros, lamb wraps or sandwiches.
Ingredients
- 6 lbs boneless leg of lamb*
- kosher salt, to taste, to season lamb
- black pepper, to taste, to season lamb
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 large yellow onions
- 6 garlic cloves
- 4-5 sprigs fresh rosemary plus more for garnish**
- 2-3 anchovy fillets***
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup red wine (bold and spicy is ideal)
- 1 cup beef broth
- 6 tsp Dijon mustard (for gravy)
Instructions
- Set up your slow cooker and bring the leg of lamb to room temperature. Prepare a large skillet in which the lamb fits. Very finely chop the rosemary, dice the onions and rough chop the garlic. Line up all the ingredients except for the mustard.
- Pat dry the leg of lamb thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in the skillet over medium-high. When the oil is shimmering sear the leg of lamb on all sides until they turn golden brown. Place the lamb inside the crock pot.
- Lower the heat to medium and to the same skillet add the rest of the olive oil, the diced onion, garlic and rosemary. Saute for about a minute, then work in the anchovies and the Worcestershire sauce. Cook for another minute and deglaze with the wine. Scrape off all the brown bits from the bottom and simmer until the wine reduces by half. Pour the entire mixture over the lamb. Add the beef broth. Close the lid and turn on the slow cooker.
- Cook until the lamb leg is fall-apart tender. On low this can take up to 9 hours. On high about 5-6 hours. It depends on the slow cooker. Your are the decision maker - if satisfied with the tenderness it is done (a fork inserted into the meat should be easy to turn and the meat will not offer much resistance before it breaks apart).
- Turn off the slow cooker. Carefully skim the rendered fat using a spoon. Discard it. Carefully lift the leg of lamb out of the crock pot and onto a platter. Keep it warm by tenting with foil and perhaps placing in a 200 F oven (make sure the platter is oven proof).
- Strain the braising liquid through a sieve into a large pan (the ample surface area will help the sauce reduce faster). Bring to simmer over medium heat. Once it reduces a bit whisk in the Dijon mustard. Simmer for another minute or until satisfied with the consistency. Transfer the so prepared gravy to a warm serving dish or gravy boat.
- Serve the leg of lamb onto a platter, partially pulled apart or shredded. Douse with gravy, the meat will absorb it instantly. See notes in post on presentation.
Notes
The cooking times noted are arbitrary to the extent that the size of the lamb leg will vary as well as the calibration of the slow cooker and of course the cooking mode - low or high. Patience is key and time management of great value. Please consult the relevant sections in the post above that discuss approaches to a seemles and stress-free preparation of this crock pot lamb roast.
*To cook bone-in leg of lamb consult the body of the post first then follow the recipe as written. It will likely take an hour longer to cook the lamb.
**If using dried rosemary you will need about 3 tsp.
***Anchovies impart a deep umami flavor. They will not taste fishy, rather will deepen the overall savory taste of the braising liquid.
To make this recipe in a traditional braiser, Dutch oven or roasting pan, consult the directions in the relevant section of the post.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 683Total Fat: 43gSaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 22gCholesterol: 226mgSodium: 394mgCarbohydrates: 4gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 62g
Michele says
Absolutely Devine!
Such a lovely rich taste. This will definitely be made over and over in this house.
Milena Perrine says
Thank you, Michele for sharing! So pleased to hear you now have mastery of the magic of slow cooker leg of lamb:) Enjoy life!