Mechoui

Mechoui (Moroccan Slow-Roasted Lamb)

The classic Moroccan celebration centerpiece: a whole leg (or shoulder) of lamb rubbed with butter, cumin, garlic and salt, roasted at low heat for hours until the meat collapses into silky fibers and the outside forms a deeply browned, fragrant crust. Served with salt and cumin for dipping.

Prep

20 min

Cook

300 min

Total

320 min

Serves

6 to 8

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •2.5 kg (5½ lb) bone-in leg or shoulder of lamb, bone-in leg is most traditional; a shoulder gives richer, fattier meat. Ask the butcher to score the fat in a crosshatch pattern if present.
• •80 g (6 Tbsp) unsalted butter, softened, traditionally smen (aged/rancid butter) is used; smen is not easily found abroad, so European-style cultured butter is the closest substitute.
• •4 cloves garlic
• •2 Tbsp ground cumin, toasted and freshly ground if possible; reserve 1 tsp for the table salt.
• •1 tsp sweet paprika, optional, for color; many purists omit it.
• •1 tsp ground black pepper
• •2 tsp fine sea salt, plus extra for the dipping salt.
• •3 Tbsp coarse sea salt, for the table dipping salt, mixed with the reserved cumin.
• •1 piece wide sheet of parchment and aluminum foil, only if using a roasting bag; traditional pit-roasting is not reproducible in a home kitchen.

Steps

1. 1 Take the lamb out of the refrigerator 1 to 1½ hours before cooking so it comes to room temperature; pat it very dry with paper towels.
2. 2 Make the rub: mash the garlic with 1 tsp of the salt into a paste. Work the garlic paste, 2 Tbsp cumin, paprika, pepper and the remaining 1 tsp salt into the softened butter until smooth.
3. 3 Slip your fingers under any skin or fat cap and loosen it from the meat without removing it. Rub two-thirds of the spiced butter all over the lamb, pushing some under the skin and into every score mark and crevice. Rub the rest over the outside.
4. 4 Place the lamb on a rack set in a roasting pan (or inside an oven roasting bag on a rimmed tray for a more pit-like, steamy environment). Let it sit 20 minutes to take the chill fully off the surface.
5. 5 Preheat the oven to 160°C / 325°F (fan 150°C).
6. 6 Roast at 160°C / 325°F for about 4 to 4½ hours total. After 1 hour, baste with the pan juices. Every 30 minutes after that, baste again and rotate the pan. If the outside is browning too fast, lay a loose sheet of foil over the top.
7. 7 The lamb is done when an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the muscle (not touching bone) reads 90–93°C / 195–200°F for fall-apart texture, and a fork pushed into the meat meets no resistance. Internal doneness is more reliable than time because cuts vary.
8. 8 Transfer the lamb to a board, cover loosely with foil and rest for at least 15 minutes; the juices will settle and the meat will stay hot enough to pull apart with two forks.
9. 9 Make the dipping salt: stir the remaining 1 tsp cumin into the 3 Tbsp coarse salt. Pass it at the table alongside the lamb.
10. 10 To serve, pull the lamb into large shreds with two forks (or slice thickly across the grain if you prefer); pour the defatted pan juices over the meat and serve immediately with crusty bread.