Oven Roasted Mutton Leg

Roasting a leg or two of the sacrificed animals during Eid-Al-Azha qurbani is a traditional feast for us.

This Eid instead of sending the mutton legs to bakeries and getting them roasted at expensive cost, try roasting them yourself and enjoy delicious spicy mutton leg roast, your family and friends would definitly be impressed with your culinary expertise.

This mutton leg roast recipe is very simple , unique, and can be cooked with very few basic spices yet it is totally juicy from inside and fork tender. It can be marinated ahead of any dinner or party and all you need on the day of feast is to stick it in a pre-heated oven and serve.

Ingredients:

Mutton Leg One, (1.5-2Kg)
either remove the shin or cut it deep so it can be bend to fit in average size roasting pan
Freshly squeezed lemon juice- 1/2 cup
Red Chillie Flakes, coarsely ground- 2 tablespoon
Black Pepper fresh coarsely ground- 1 tablespoon
Garlic paste- 2 tablespoon
Garlic cloves- 20-25 peeled
Ginger Paste -2 tablespoon
Sea Salt- 1 tablespoon or to taste
Mustard Oil-1/4 cup 

Marination:

- Wash and dry the whole mutton leg
- Using a sharp knife to drill holes in the  meaty part of the leg simply by inserting the knife and twisting it
-Keep inserting  whole garlic cloves as you drill these holes, try stuffing as many cloves of garlic as you can, but one per hole.
-Now in a small bowl mix all other spices, oil and lemon juice
-Rub the marinate on the leg ensuring it covers the entire leg specially the meaty part and that some of the spices goes into the holes

 -Cover the marinated meat with a cling film or thin plastic and leave on kitchen counter for 2-3 hours and then refrigerate for at least 48 hours. 

I have also frozen it, it remains perfect for 4-6 weeks.

Roasting:

- Take out the leg one hour before you want to start roasting so it gets back to room temperature
-Transfer the it on a big piece of aluminium foil, cover the leg with  any remaining marination and juices.
- Wrap the foil paper and put in a roasting pan that can hold it

 

-Pre Heat Oven to 450F or 220C
-  Roast the meat for at least 2 hours
-If you have a meat thermometer use it to test the temperature, it should register 180. Alternatively just take the pan out carefully open the foil from one side use a knife or spoon to check if the meat is tender.
- Now open the foil and roast for another 20minutes or untill the leg becomes brown and crispy from outside.

Serve hot with paratha, chappati or nan, salads and your favourite chutney.