Moroccan cuisine · Meat & Kebab

Mechoui (Roast Lamb)

Lamb shoulder rubbed with cumin butter and roasted in the oven for almost three hours, until it falls off the bone.

Ingredients · for 6 servings

• 1.8 kg lamb shoulder (bone-in)
• 100 g butter
• 6 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 pinch saffron threads
• 2 tsp coarse salt
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• Salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Beat the butter until soft, press in the garlic, and stir together with the ground cumin, paprika, turmeric, crumbled saffron, salt and pepper into a paste.
2. Pierce the lamb deeply all over several times with a sharp knife, and massage the spiced butter firmly into the meat and the incisions.
3. Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F) conventional heat, place the lamb in a roasting pan, pour in 200 ml water, and seal everything tightly with aluminum foil.
4. Roast covered for 2.5 hours, basting twice with the pan juices — the meat should come away easily with a fork.
5. Remove the foil, raise the oven to 220°C (430°F), and brown the lamb uncovered for 20–25 min, until the surface is crisp and glossy.
6. Let rest for 10 min, tear into large pieces, and serve with small bowls of coarse salt and cumin seeds for dipping.