This Cuban Style Lamb recipe is a bone-in leg of lamb marinated in a simple, yet delicious citrusy-garlicy mojo. Moist and tender, this recipe is sure to please all of the lamb lovers out there.
A True Cuban Style Recipe
I developed a love of Cuban food while growing up in South Florida. The crispy skinned pork, the creamy boiled yucca, the flaky pastelitos. I love it all and could literally eat Cuban food every day of my life!
My favorite is probably the mojo marinated, fork tender, melt-in-yo-mouth pork roast. In my opinion, there’s no better marinade than a mojo.
It’s made by mixing together fresh bitter orange juice (like seville oranges), olive oil, garlic, oregano, and salt.
Since fresh bitter oranges are difficult to find in most areas at times throughout the year, equal amounts of fresh orange juice and lime juice is a typical substitution.
How to make the best leg of lamb recipe
This lamb recipe is so easy and simple to put together, but it starts with high quality meat. We used a local farm, pasture raised, organic grass-fed leg of lamb we had in the deep freezer.
The marinade is made in a matter of minutes and the roast marinades overnight.
I also used our grill’s rotisserie to cook the lamb. No worries if you don’t have a rotisserie, because I have instructions for oven roasted lamb below.
The rotisserie continuously bastes the lamb while it’s cooking and the result is the most tender, moist meat ever.
Gotta love rotisseries! If that way is a no-go, then no worries, the lamb can just as easily be roasted it in the oven.
I served the Cuban style lamb with oven baked yucca fries, oven roasted farm fresh organic kale, and chimichurri avocado and tomato salad.
As usual, I made a huge batch of chimichurri and poured it all over everything, extra on the lamb.
We made a even bigger pitcher of cava sangria so to say the night’s dinner was unbelievably perfect and delicious in every way is an understatement.
Here’s the lamb on the rotisserie. There’s also a video of it in action on my Instagram page here.
Whether it’s cooked via rotisserie or oven roasted, this Cuban Style Lamb is sure to please all of the lamb lovers in your family.
Cuban Style Lamb
Ingredients
- 4-5 pound bone-in leg of lamb (preferably local farm raised and grass-fed)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
- 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
- 5-6 whole garlic cloves , peeled and minced
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- optional: serve with chimichurri sauce
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together olive oil, orange juice, lime juice, minced garlic, dried oregano, and salt. Pour mixture all over lamb, cover and place in refrigerator for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.
- When ready to cook, remove lamb from refrigerator and bring to room temperature, about an hour.
- **If using the rotisserie method: skewer the lamb with the rotisserie rod, making sure balanced on all sides so it will turn evenly. Rotisserie on medium heat, 20-25 minutes per pound, start checking temperature at 1 hour mark. Take off when internal temperature reaches 145F/63C for medium rare. Loosely tent with foil and let rest for 15 minutes, then carve into thin slices.
- **If using the oven method: Preheat oven to 325F/163C degrees. Roast lamb for 20-25 minutes per pound, start checking temperature at 1 hour mark. Remove from the oven when internal temperature reaches 145F/63C for medium rare. Loosely tent with foil and let rest for 15 minutes, then carve into thin slices.
Alberto says
How would you cook this in a slow cooker 4 hours on high ?
Karrie says
I haven’t tried this recipe in a slow cooker yet, Alberto, but here’s how I would do it: When ready to cook, remove lamb from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature (about an hour), remove it from the marinade and place in the slow cooker and cook on low for about 10 hours for a 4 pound lamb leg. My slow cooker doesn’t require any liquids to be added to it to cook meat, but if your does, then maybe add 1/2-1 cup of red wine or broth. If you try it this way, please let me know how it turns it for you and enjoy!
Katie Crenshaw says
Karrie, this looks fantastic! I love lamb! I am going to make my husband make this for me!!! Thanks for the great recipe!
cakespy says
Oh my god, this looks so delicious! I have never heard of cuban-style lamb before but now I am obsessed!
Amanda says
This looks amazing! I’ve only had Cuban food once, but I need to change that. Having it with those yucca fries pretty much sounds like food bliss!
All That I'm Eating says
This looks delicious and it sounds great too. I bet the leftover lamb from this is amazing too.
Mir says
This looks so amazing. I’ve eaten lamb before, but I’ve never cooked it and always wanted to. This is happening!
Natalie | Natalie's Food & Health says
It looks amazing!!! I love lamb meat. It’s so healthy and just delicious tasting meat. I have to try this marinade. Thank you for sharing this. 🙂
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop says
Oh this looks so amazing. I love the marinade! Great idea offering options for a rotisserie or in the oven!
GiGi Eats says
If the man came home to me making lamb. I am pretty sure….Well, yahhhhhhhhh! HAHAHAHAHA!
Anu - My Ginger Garlic Kitchen says
What an awesome looking lamb dish, Karrie. Love how rustic and full of flavors it is. Loving that last photo! So beautiful!
Kathleen | Hapa Nom Nom says
Girl…. you are singing my husband and I’s song! Lamb – love! Cuban food – adore! Seriously, it’s too bad we don’t live closer, I think you and I and our husbands have very much the same food tastes. Of course maybe it’s a good thing we don’t live too close, I think we would just destroy any town, eating our way through it 😛
Demeter | Beaming Baker says
It was so fun hearing about some of your food experiences in South Florida. Girl, we’ve got to go for drinks and talk all about that one day (over LOTS of food of course). The mojo sauce sounds friggin delish. I mean, orange juice, olive oil, garlic, oregano and salt? YUM. And you just *know* that I would need a HUGE serving of those oven baked yucca fries. Hope you have an awesome weekend, my dear! xoxo
David @ Spiced says
That rotisserie is awesome, Karrie! I need one of those on my grill…if for no other reason than to make this incredible Cuban Lamb. That photo looks amazing, and I kinda want to lick my screen right now just looking at it. 🙂
Kushi says
Recipe sounds so delicious and flavorful dear!
[email protected] says
Okay – so I can imagine the aroma while this baby is spinning and how succulent from the continuous basting… I became a lamb-lover when I met Dom – his mama makes the best shish kebabs so I know your recipe would be a huge hit with our family!
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary says
I loooove me some mojo and I’ve never met a lamb dish I didn’t like, so this is totally calling my name, Karrie! That lamb looks perfectly tender and supa flavorful! Wish we lived closer because I’d be at your house in .5 Seconds flat. Eating ALL the lamb!! xoxo
Rachelle @ Beer Girl Cooks says
I absolutely love lamb and never had it Cuban or rotisserie style before. I really like Cuban food too, so this sounds amazing with some yucca fries! Thank goodness you found this hiding in your freezer and could cook it on a spit! It sounds delicious and I wish I could have made it to dinner at your house over the weekend! XOXO
Dawn @ Girl Heart Food says
I couldn’t wait to see the end result after I saw your post on Instagram!! Over the past couple of years, I’ve really enjoyed lamb, but didn’t eat before that and didn’t know what I had been missing !
This looks absolutely delicious, Karrie, and that chimichurri sounds deadly ! Sounds like you had quite the meal with the sangria. Pinning, of course! xo