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    Home / Dinner / Mechoui

    Mechoui

    A whole lamb shoulder roasted low and slow until it practically falls off the bone, crusted with cumin and paprika.

    ⏱ 20 minPrep time
    🔥 3 hr 30 minCook time
    🍽 8Servings
    🏷 DinnerCategory
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    Mechoui is Moroccan barbecue at its most elemental: a whole lamb or a big shoulder roasted until the outside is burnished and the inside is butter. Traditionally it is cooked in a pit or a special underground oven for a crowd, but a home oven does the job beautifully. The spice crust of cumin, paprika, and garlic is the whole show.

    Fork-tender lamb with a cumin-scented crust

    Long, slow heat melts the connective tissue until the meat pulls apart in shreds, while the crust darkens into a smoky, spice-crusted shell. Served with lemon wedges, coarse salt, and extra cumin for dipping, it is the rare roast that needs no sauce at all. Let it rest, pull it into chunks, and watch it disappear.

    Craving more? Explore all Moroccan Kitchen recipes.

    Thinking of a Moroccan dinner night? This dish fits the complete Moroccan dinner night menu.

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    Step by stepInstructions

    1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
    2. Mix the softened butter with the garlic, cumin, paprika, ras el hanout, salt, and pepper. Rub the mixture all over the lamb shoulder.
    3. Place the lamb in a roasting pan, add the water, and cover tightly with foil. Roast 2 hours 30 minutes.
    4. Uncover, baste with the pan juices, and roast 1 hour more, until the meat is deeply browned and falling off the bone.
    5. Rest 20 minutes, then pull the meat into chunks and serve with lemon wedges, extra cumin, and salt on the side.

    💡 Chef tips & storage

    Cover the lamb tightly with foil for most of the cooking, then uncover for the final hour to build the crust. Let it rest at least 20 minutes before pulling so the juices stay in the meat.

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    Recipe details

    Prep20 min
    Cook3 hr 30 min
    Servings8
    CategoryDinner
    PublishedAugust 17, 2026
    Emily — the cook behind My Comfort Recipes

    Hi, I'm Emily 🧡

    Hi, I'm Emily — the cook behind My Comfort Recipes. Simple, tested comfort food for real weeknights, written down the way grandma would. Pull up a chair. More about me →

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