Cooked low and slow over 4 hours until it falls apart, this Pulled Lamb recipe is perfect served with wraps or flatbread alongside homemade slaw and creamy dips. When it comes to roast lamb, why not change things up? A great alternative to a traditional Easter dinner or Sunday roast.
We are huge fans of lamb, and how versatile it is. Roasting low and slow is the way forward when it comes to lamb, but instead of carving it up and serving it with gravy and all the trimmings, why not use two forks to pull the super tender meat apart?
Once shredded serve the pulled lamb on wraps loaded with crunchy salads and creamy dips. Sunday dinner just got an upgrade!
Looking for some other roast meats to try? Why not try our Honey Roast Duck, Slow Cooker Roast Beef, or Perfect Roast Chicken.
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Why should you try it?
- A delicious alternative to a Sunday roast - Roast meat and Sundays are the perfect combination. But, why not try something a little different.
- Great for feeding a crowd - This pulled lamb recipe uses a huge leg of lamb, so there is plenty to go around. This is a great option if you have lots of people over for lunch, as sometimes a roast chicken doesn't go far enough.
- Freezes well - Don't worry if you don't have a lot of people to feed, as this freezes really well. Portion it out and then transfer in to freezer bags.
What you will need
Lamb - We used a whole leg of lamb for this recipe as it pulls apart really nicely and you can shred it up.
Seasoning - We used a store bought "season all" mix which is made up of paprika, cumin, garlic, ground coriander, cayenne, salt and pepper. You could either buy something similar, swap it for a Cajun seasoning, or make your own.
Oil - This is what the seasoning is mixed in to and then rubbed all over the lamb. Use a good quality olive oil.
Lemon - This adds a lovely freshness to the lamb and the slaw. If you wanted to add even more of a lemony flavour, then you could add a little lemon zest too.
Cabbage, onion and carrots - This is what makes up the slaw and adds lots of colour and crunch. We used white and red cabbage.
Yoghurt - Instead of mayo, we used yoghurt in the slaw to keep it lower in calories.
Mustard and Vinegar - This adds a little punchy flavour to the slaw. We used Dijon mustard and apple cider vinegar.
Tortillas - Once the pulled lamb is cooked and shredded up, we served it in soft tortillas. You could use flatbreads though.
Rocket lettuce -We love finding ways to add greens and not only does rocket add colour, but a lovely peppery flavour too. You could swap it for something like little gem or romaine if you prefer.
Step by step
One: Mix together the seasoning, lemon juice and olive oil.
Two: Put the lamb on a large baking tray. Rub the seasoning mix over the lamb, making sure it is all covered.
Three: Put in a preheated oven at 180°C (160°C fan) / 360°F / gas mark 4, for 4 hours.
Four: Once cooked, let the meat rest for 15 minutes. Use 2 forks to shred the meat and pull apart.
Five: Make the slaw by mixing together the cabbage, carrot, red onion, lemon juice, yoghurt, vinegar, mustard.
Six: Serve with wraps, the slaw, rocket lettuce, dips and olives and let everyone build their own lunch.
What lamb to use
We have used a whole slow cooked leg of lamb, as this is a great recipe for feeding the whole family, or having lots of leftovers. The leg is the most versatile of all lamb cuts. It is lean enough to serve pink (if that is your preference) and it has enough fat on it to remain succulent when well-cooked.
You could use a shoulder of lamb instead, however we find these are more fatty. This would also change the cooking time too.
Lamb is such a strong flavour, that a little bit goes a long way making it a great value meat - especially when it comes to a salad where it is the star of the show.
Lamb is not only a rich source of protein, but it is also a great source of many vitamins and minerals, such as iron, zinc, and vitamin B12.
Lamb seasoning
Lamb has so much flavour, which is why it is one of our favourite meats to cook with, but some extra spices go a long way. We saved ourselves some time and used a couple of tablespoons of "Season All" blend that is available in most supermarkets. We mixed it with some olive oil and lemon juice to make a rub, before spreading it all over the leg of lamb.
It's made up of paprika, cumin, garlic, ground coriander, cayenne, salt and pepper. You could easily make up your own spice blend by using half a teaspoon of everything (apart from the salt and pepper - just a pinch of those).
What to serve this with
This is such a versatile dish, that there are so many things you can serve it with. We created this with a family Easter dinner in mind. Just put everything out on the table - meat, wraps, salads and sauces, and let everyone build their own as they argue over what the best chocolate egg is.
We used mini wraps (although you could make your own Easy Homemade Flatbreads), made a really simple homemade slaw and added some greens with rocket lettuce. We then served it up with a selection of dips like hummus, tzatziki, pea and mint and red pepper dip.
It's great to go on sandwiches too (try it with our Homemade Healthier BBQ Sauce). Why not try it on a salad, or even in quesadillas?
The ingredients for this recipe are to serve 10 people, even the ingredients for the sides, so remember to adjust those if you are saving some lamb to freeze and not feeding as many people.
FAQs
This recipe used a 2.6kg leg of lamb, so it's great if you are feeding a big crowd over Easter. But if you are feeding smaller numbers, then you are going to have a lot of leftovers (that's not a bad thing).
You can keep the leftovers in the fridge for up to 2 days, or you can freeze in portions and keep for about 3 months.
To reheat, wrap it in some foil and then pop it in the oven until it is heated through.
No, there is no need to marinate the lamb first. If you want to, then you could put it in the fridge for an hour once you have added the rub.
The best way to check that lamb is cooked is to use a meat thermometer. The safe internal temperature for cooked lamb is 62C/145°F. It should be inserted into the thickest part of the meat that's not touching any bone.
Yes, providing the seasoning mix is gluten free, then the pulled lamb can be gluten free.
Extra tips
- Prefer things on the spicy side? Drizzle some sweet chilli sauce on the lamb just before serving.
- We used soft mini tortillas, but you could serve these in naan breads, pitas or even make your own flatbreads.
- Freeze any leftovers and then it can be reheated to serve with salads, sandwiches or quesadillas.
- A leg of lamb is really forgiving when it comes to cooking time. Every oven will vary, so if you find the meat isn't quite tender enough, the you can put it back in the oven and it will still be nice and juicy even if it is cooked for 45 minutes to an hour longer.
- The nutritional information for this will not be totally accurate, because there is a lot of fat the comes out when cooking, which is not used
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Recipe
Pulled Lamb
Ingredients
For the lamb:
- 2.6 kg leg of lamb
- 2 tablespoon "Season All" spice mix
- 2 lemon (juice only)
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
For the slaw:
- 500 g red cabbage shredded
- 500 g white cabbage shredded
- 1 small red onion finely diced
- 3 small carrots shredded
- 0.5 lemon (juice only)
- 100 g low fat plain yogurt
- 1 pinch sea salt and black pepper
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
To serve:
- 20 mini soft tortillas
- 60 g rocket lettuce
- Dips to serve (hummus, tzatziki, pea and mint, red pepper)
Instructions
- Mix together the seasoning, lemon juice and olive oil.
- Put the lamb on a large baking tray and then rub the seasoning mix over the lamb, making sure it is all covered.
- Put in a preheated oven at 180°C (160°C fan) / 360°F / gas mark 4, for 4 hours.
- Once cooked, let the meat rest for 15 minutes. Use 2 forks to shred the meat and pull apart.
- Make the slaw by mixing together the cabbage, carrot, red onion, lemon juice, yoghurt, vinegar, mustard.
- Serve the lamb with wraps, the slaw, rocket lettuce, dips and olives and let everyone build their own lunch.
Notes
- If you can't find the 'season all' spice mix, then you can make your own seasoning by mixing together half a teaspoon of paprika, cumin, garlic, ground coriander, cayenne with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Prefer things on the spicy side? Drizzle some sweet chilli sauce on the lamb just before serving.
- We used soft mini tortillas, but you could serve these in naans, pitas or even make your own flatbreads.
- Freeze any leftovers and then it can be reheated to serve with salads, sandwiches or quesadillas.
Danielle Wolter
I am just loving the simplicity of this dish. lamb is such a great meat with such wonderful flavor. Great recipe!
Rachel @ Queen Of Constance
Fabulous recipe. I used a little less than a litre of juice and the quantity was perfect. Liquid thickened as it should. Perfect in every way. I served it with flatbread and couscous salad.
Dannii
We didn't use any juice with our recipe, but I am glad you enjoyed it :)
Jane
I adore pulled lamb, in fact I've got really lazy of late and seem to cook most of my meat joints in the slow cooker low & slow! Just love the ways it falls apart.
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry
This looks so delicious. We love lamb in our house and I am so tempted to make this for Easter.
Kate
This looks so good. Going to try it for our Easter dinner. The weather is going to be nice, so we wanted to make it an Al Fresco family easter dinner and this is soooo much better than a roast. Will let you know how it goes!
Danielle Wolter
i definitely want to be eating this lamb! it looks so easy and delicious, I am loving it for Easter dinner! You could do so many different things with it!
Choclette
Just love this sort of food. It’s great for entertaining and gatherings as people can add the bits they like and leave out the bits they don’t.
Veena Azmanov
Amazing idea to eating this yummy and delicious Lamb Meat. Complete meal by itself. My kids to grab it for sure.
Tracy
This looks delicious and so easy to make for Easter. Your gorgeous photos make it look mouth wateringly tempting. Lamb is my favourite meat so I can’t wait to try it
Camilla Hawkins
Love slow cooked lamb and serving it in wraps is a fun twist on a traditional roast