Kuzu tandır recipe: slow-roast lamb that falls off the bone
Kuzu tandır (lamb tandır) is slow-roasted lamb cooked until the meat is so tender it comes away from the bone with a spoon. The seasoning is plain: salt, pepper, garlic and butter, with onion and tomato in the tray. Nothing hides the lamb, which is the point. At home you do not need a tandır oven to get good results, only a lamb shoulder, foil and patience.
The word tandır refers to the traditional pit or clay oven, and in Turkey the dish is cooked in one. In a home kitchen, the same slow, sealed cooking in a low oven gives a similar result, with a final blast of heat at the end to brown the surface of the meat.
What is kuzu tandır?
Kuzu tandır (lamb tandır) is lamb slow-cooked in a tandır, a traditional pit or clay oven, until the meat can be pulled off the bone. In restaurants it is often served on a bed of pilav or pide with a few roasted vegetables. At home, a lamb shoulder, leg or shank cooked in a sealed foil parcel in a low oven does the same job. The long, gentle cooking in its own juices is what makes it so tender.
Choosing the cut
Bone-in shoulder is the best cut for a home cook. It has enough fat and connective tissue to turn soft and juicy over hours, and it is forgiving if you cook it a little too long. Leg also works, though it can dry out more easily, and shanks (incik) are good for individual servings. Choose a piece of about 1.8kg with the bone in. Ask the butcher to trim excess hard fat but leave a thin layer.
Popular variations
Some cooks add a splash of water or a few spoonfuls of tomato paste to the roasting tray, and others rub the lamb with cumin or thyme. Restaurant versions are often served on a bed of rice, bulgur or flatbread. A pressure cooker shortens the time to around 1 hour. For a lamb leg, extend the covered cooking time by about 30 minutes.
Ingredients
Serves 4 to 6 with pilav and salad. Prep time: 20 minutes. Cooking time: 4 hours 20 minutes.
For the lamb
- 1 bone-in lamb shoulder (about 1.8kg)
- 60g soft butter
- 5 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tsp fine salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp dried thyme or oregano (optional)
For the tray
- 2 onions, thickly sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, left whole in their skins
- 3 tomatoes, halved
- 3 long green peppers
- 150ml hot water
How to make kuzu tandır
1. Season the lamb
Take the lamb out of the fridge 45 minutes before cooking. Mash the butter with the crushed garlic, salt, pepper and thyme. Pat the lamb dry and rub the butter all over, working it into any gaps and under any loose skin.
2. Build the tray
Heat the oven to 160°C (140°C fan). Spread the onions in a roasting tin that fits the lamb snugly, and add the whole garlic, tomatoes and peppers. Sit the lamb on top, skin side up, and pour the hot water around, not over, the meat so the butter rub stays in place.
3. Seal the tin
Cover the tin with two layers of foil, crimping it tightly around the edges so no steam escapes. A tight seal is what keeps the lamb moist and lets it braise as well as roast. If your foil is thin, use a lid or a third layer.
4. Cook low and slow
Roast for 4 hours without opening the oven. The lamb is ready for the next stage when you can push a spoon into the thickest part and the meat gives easily, with the bone loose in its socket. If it is still firm, reseal the foil and cook for 30 minutes more.
5. Brown the lamb
Remove the foil carefully, as the steam is hot. Raise the oven to 220°C (200°C fan) and roast uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes, until the surface is browned and a little crisp at the edges. Baste once with the juices in the tin.
6. Rest and pull
Lift the lamb onto a board, cover loosely with foil and rest for 15 minutes. Skim the fat from the tin juices and season them. Pull the meat from the bone in large pieces with two forks, then spoon the juices and roasted vegetables over.
Watch: how to make kuzu tandır
Useful for seeing how the lamb is wrapped and how soft the meat should be after cooking.
Tips for the best kuzu tandır
- Salt the lamb generously. A large joint needs more seasoning than you expect.
- Do not open the oven in the first 3 hours. Lost steam means longer cooking and drier meat.
- If the lamb is not tender, it is not overcooked, it needs more time. Give it 30 minutes and check again.
- Save the tin juices. Skim off the fat and serve them over the meat and rice.
- Rest the lamb before pulling so the juices settle back into the meat.
What to serve with kuzu tandır
Serve kuzu tandır over buttery rice pilav or bulgur, with the roasted tomatoes and peppers from the tin. A crisp salad of sliced onion, sumac and parsley cuts the richness. Warm flatbread is also good for mopping up the juices, and ayran is the traditional drink.
How to store kuzu tandır
Cool leftover lamb quickly and refrigerate it in its juices, covered, within 2 hours, for up to 3 days. Reheat in a covered dish at 160°C (140°C fan) for 20 minutes, until piping hot. It freezes in its juices for up to 2 months.
Where to eat kuzu tandır in London
To try kuzu tandır without cooking it yourself, browse our regional Anatolian listings in London, or start with our round-up of the best Turkish restaurants in London.
- Lokal – Turkish meze & fine dining in Soho & West End
- Gokoreç Edmonton – Turkish regional anatolian in Edmonton
- KİD – Turkish meze & fine dining in Soho & West End
- Gokoreç Enfield – Turkish regional anatolian in Enfield
- Gaziantep Lahmacun & Pide – Turkish pide & lahmacun in Tottenham
- Diyarbakır Kitchen – Turkish ocakbaşı & grill in Harringay & Green Lanes
See all 9 Regional Anatolian places in London
Kuzu tandır FAQs
Can I make kuzu tandır with a leg of lamb?
Yes. Use a 2kg bone-in leg and add about 30 minutes to the covered cooking time. A leg is leaner than shoulder, so make sure the foil is well sealed and baste with the tin juices before browning. It slices more neatly than shoulder, but will not pull apart quite as easily.
Can I use a slow cooker or pressure cooker?
Both work. In a pressure cooker, cook jointed lamb with onion and a little water for about 60 minutes at high pressure, then brown under a grill. A slow cooker needs 7 to 8 hours on low. The oven gives the best browning.
How do I know when the lamb is done?
Test by feel, not by temperature. When you press a spoon into the thickest part the meat should give way with no resistance, and the bone should move freely. Tough connective tissue needs long, moist heat to soften, so if in doubt, reseal the tin and give it another 30 minutes.
What does tandır mean?
Tandır is a traditional oven, often a clay-lined pit, in which meat is cooked slowly. The same word is used for the dish cooked in it. In a home kitchen you copy the effect with a sealed tin in a low oven.
More Turkish recipes
- Tas kebabı recipe: slow-cooked Turkish lamb and vegetable stew
- Kuru fasulye recipe: Turkish white bean stew with lamb
- İskender kebab recipe: lamb, pide, tomato butter and yoghurt
Photo: Zafer, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
