This is slow-cooked lamb that literally falls off the bone. It is one of those dishes that asks for patience, not fussing. Once the paste is on and the pan is sealed, time does most of the work.
I prefer to do this in a smoker, but you can make it in the oven or on the BBQ with a few wood-chip foil pouches. Either way, the goal is the same: low heat, a long cook, and lamb that gives up completely by the end.
Ingredients
- 2 bunches fresh thyme
- 3 tbsp cumin seeds, not powder
- 4 garlic cloves
- 3 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns
- 3–4 anchovy fillets
- 7 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 bone-in leg of lamb, 8–12 lbs
- 2 carrots
- 1 Vidalia onion
- 1 stalk celery
- 1 cup dry red wine
- Parchment paper
- Heavy aluminum foil
- Sturdy bread, such as a French baguette
- Fresh bitter greens, preferably from the endive family
- Couscous, for serving
Method
Strip the leaves from the thyme. Warm the cumin seeds in a preheated skillet for about 30 seconds, just until fragrant.
In a mortar, grind the thyme, cumin, salt, garlic, peppercorns and anchovy fillets. Add 4 tablespoons of the olive oil and work everything into a paste.
Coat the leg of lamb all over with the paste.
Roughly chop the carrots, onion and celery. Sauté them with the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil for about 5 minutes. Place the vegetables in a roasting pan and add the red wine.
Place the lamb in the roasting pan. Stretch a piece of parchment paper across the top, crimping the edges along the rim. Then stretch a large piece of heavy aluminum foil over the parchment and crimp it tightly around the rim.
Place the lamb in the oven at the lowest possible temperature, somewhere around 160–220°F. Cook for 7 hours.
If using a BBQ for smoke, soak wood chips in water for a couple of hours. Wrap them in aluminum foil to make 4 pouches and poke small holes in each pouch with a fork. Add 2 pouches at the start of cooking and the remaining 2 halfway through.
Serve the lamb sliced over a large piece of sturdy bread, toasted if you like, with a pile of fresh bitter greens. Let the lamb juices slightly wilt the greens. Serve couscous on the side.