How-To Guides

How to Cook Diced Leg of Lamb

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How Long Does Diced Lamb Take to Cook?

How to Cook Diced Leg of Lamb: The hind leg of a lamb provides quite lean meat as the set of muscles that make up the joint get through quite a lot of work. In this country, the leg itself is most commonly associated with a roast dinner. However, the diced leg can be cooked to two basic principles. Either quickly, perhaps over coals, in a pan, or on a grill. This method will yield succulent, juicy little cubes of lamb, at their absolute best, cooked to medium.

On the flip side, you have the option to braise or slow-cook the diced lamb leg. This would work nicely in a stew, curry, tagine, or something of the like.

For the former method, cooking times will be short – 5-6 minutes in a hot pan or 7-10 over some hot coals. If opting for the latter method, then allow around an hour to an hour and a half. As mentioned, this is lean meat and if overcooked, could either become tough and chewy in the case of the former method, or a little dry in the case of the latter.

How to Cook Diced Leg of Lamb

Cooking Over Coals:

  1. Take the diced lamb leg out of the fridge, remove all packaging, and pat the meat dry. Allow it to come to room temperature.
  2. Marinate the meat as desired, ideally a few hours before cooking.
  3. Thread the lamb onto metal BBQ skewers, or use wooden skewers soaked in water to prevent burning.
  4. Place the skewers over smouldering coals on your BBQ. When the charcoal has stopped flaming and is a grey-white color, it’s ready to cook on.
  5. Allow one side of the lamb to caramelise and char slightly, about 1 ½ to 2 minutes depending on the heat, then turn the skewer 45° and repeat. A good char and crust are essential, so be patient.
  6. Once all sides have that distinctive BBQ char and smoky aroma, remove the skewers from the heat and let rest briefly before serving. Enjoy!

How to Slow Cook or Braise:

  1. Take the diced lamb leg out of the fridge, remove all packaging, and pat the meat dry. Allow it to come to room temperature.
  2. In a pan, heat a little oil or butter and brown the diced lamb leg, then remove from the pan. This browning step adds depth of flavour.
  3. In the same pan, add any vegetables, herbs, or spices required by your recipe, cooking until their full aroma is released.
  4. Return the lamb to the pan, along with your chosen cooking liquid – stock, water, wine, or tinned tomatoes all work well.
  5. Bring to a simmer, then either continue cooking on low heat or transfer to a preheated oven at 130°C for 1 to 1 ½ hours, until the meat is tender and easily cut with a fork.

Top Tips for Cooking Diced Leg of Lamb

  • If you’re planning to fire up the BBQ, give serious thought to your marinade, ideally preparing it the night before. For a classic approach, go simple with rosemary and several cloves of crushed garlic – you can’t beat the classics. Or, for a lamb shish-inspired marinade, use yoghurt with plenty of cumin, garlic, chilli flakes, and other spices. Have the flatbreads and salad ready to serve alongside.
  • A quick seasoning trick we enjoy is blitzing a tablespoon of toasted cumin seeds with a tablespoon of sea salt and half a teaspoon of chilli flakes in a spice grinder. Sprinkle this mix over the skewers as they come off the BBQ for an extra burst of flavour.

Delicious Recipes for Diced Lamb Leg

Try Valentine Warner’s lamb skewers recipe for a delicious addition to your barbecue feasts. These tender, flavour-packed skewers are marinated with aromatic spices and herbs, then grilled to perfection over hot coals. Perfect for summer gatherings or any time you’re craving the rich, smoky flavours of outdoor cooking.

Order meat online

For 15 years, George worked in some of London’s most loved restaurants, including Padella and Primeur, and spent five years as Head Chef at the Garden Museum Café. He earned praise for his simple, thoughtful cooking, with dishes rooted in the classics and always respectful of the ingredients.

In 2021, George realised a long-held ambition with the release of his first cookbook, A Year in the Kitchen. It celebrates the annual cookery cycle, guiding readers through the British seasons, showcasing native produce and encouraging creativity year-round.

In 2022, George left London and returned to his native Yorkshire. His passion for seasonal cooking and respect for quality British ingredients have remained central to his work. Like his food, George is led by the seasons, open to new opportunities and always following his heart.

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Ask yourself this. When did you last have a really good pork chop? This is why we keep coming back to it. Native, rare breed pork. Dry aged on the bone. Proper depth of flavour. Nothing like the pale, wet stuff you see elsewhere. These are our Pork Chops with Rosemary and Anchovy Butter. Two thick, rindless chops. Two discs of handmade compound butter. Anchovy, rosemary, lemon zest, a little shallot. Old friends. It works.
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@swaledalebutchers
@swaledalebutchers
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Follow
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Winter. It felt strange being in Yorkshire, watching the news from the south where snow lay thick and sudden, while here January had arrived quietly, cold and wet, but not yet truly winter as we know it. Up here the season has always moved at a slower pace, and there is something steadying in remembering that. The idea that we should charge straight on after Christmas is a modern one, and it sits awkwardly with bodies and minds that are still tuned to pause, to take stock, to look back at the year just gone. Out on the farms, there is no rush but plenty to do. Some are already lambing, others preparing for it, working with the land rather than against it as the days begin, almost imperceptibly, to lengthen. The fields are still subdued, but there are signs, if you look closely, that life is beginning to stir again. And so, it feels right, now and then, to slow everything down and simply notice Yorkshire in January, not as something to be endured, but as a quiet and beautiful part of the year in its own right.
Winter. It felt strange being in Yorkshire, watching the news from the south where snow lay thick and sudden, while here January had arrived quietly, cold and wet, but not yet truly winter as we know it. Up here the season has always moved at a slower pace, and there is something steadying in remembering that. The idea that we should charge straight on after Christmas is a modern one, and it sits awkwardly with bodies and minds that are still tuned to pause, to take stock, to look back at the year just gone. Out on the farms, there is no rush but plenty to do. Some are already lambing, others preparing for it, working with the land rather than against it as the days begin, almost imperceptibly, to lengthen. The fields are still subdued, but there are signs, if you look closely, that life is beginning to stir again. And so, it feels right, now and then, to slow everything down and simply notice Yorkshire in January, not as something to be endured, but as a quiet and beautiful part of the year in its own right.
@swaledalebutchers
@swaledalebutchers
•
Follow
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@swaledalebutchers
@swaledalebutchers
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@swaledalebutchers
@swaledalebutchers
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Follow
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