Recipe This | Slow Cooker Lamb Tagine (2024)

FAQs

Is a slow cooker as good as a tagine? ›

The important thing is to cook at a low heat. Once the pot is heated at full heat for 2–3 minutes, you can reduce the heat on the stove to simmer to emulate the heat transfer of a tagine. A slow cooker is also good, if you have one.

The best lamb to use for lamb tagine is lamb shoulder. It's a tough cut of meat that is made for slow cooking that's marbled with fat so it's beautifully juicy. Sometimes it is generically sold as “lamb stew meat”.

Tuck into a fragrant Morroccan-style stew with our selection of lamb tagine recipes. Full of rich spices, this slow-cook dish is best served with couscous.

A leg of lamb is naturally quite tough, since the muscle has had to work so hard, so benefits from being cooked low and slow in a slow cooker. This recipe is cooked in lamb stock and red wine to create a delicious gravy to serve your lamb with.

The tagine (or tajine) is believed to have originated with the Moroccan nomadic people, who cooked in a single pot over an open fire wherever they lay their roots. This portable oven then doubled as a serving dish for whole tribes to dine together.

When you cook in a Tagine you get the unique earthy flavor you can't get when you cook in a regular pot or pan. You can put a modern twist on any traditional dish or experiment with your own blend of ingredients.

Tips for slow cooking

Brown the lamb first, in batches if necessary. This will maintain a high heat in the pan and caramelise the juices, which will improve the colour and flavour of the meat. Although lamb is a little more fatty than other meats, don't trim all of it away before cooking.

The leg and rack of lamb are perfect for herb-crusting and oven-roasting; since the shank and shoulder are a bit tougher, they fare well in stews or braises—the long cook time allows them to significantly break down and become fork-tender.

One of the questions we get asked most by meat lovers is, “Which herbs go well with lamb?” The answer is: there is no set answer! However, we find that rosemary and mint are firm favourites, but basil, thyme, tarragon, coriander, parsley and oregano can all work exceedingly well too, depending on the dish.

Create a cushion at the bottom of the tagine using vegetables like onions, celery, carrots, as well as cloves of garlic. This will help prevent the meat from burning and sticking to the bottom. Add olive oil. Many traditional recipes call for olive oil in order to create thick and rich sauces.

What is traditionally served with tagine? ›

The best side dishes to serve with tagine are couscous, flatbreads, roasted vegetables, rice pilaf, chickpea salad, grilled halloumi, butternut squash, yellow rice, fattoush, lemon and herb quinoa, tzatziki, and harissa.

Check the shanks occasionally, and add more liquid if you notice the sauce reducing too much. If after 2 ½ hours the lamb is still tough, simply add more braising liquid and continue to cook, checking every 15 minutes or so until the meat is fall-off-the-bone tender.

Slow-cooking lamb requires patience. While cooking, resist the urge to keep checking on the lamb and refrain from opening the oven or slow cooker. Opening the lid or foil too often will lower the temperature and extend the cooking time, making the meat less juicy and tender.

Lamb leg is lean, so to slow cook it's best to partially submerge in a flavoured liquid which keeps the flesh moist plus infuses with flavour. I'm using garlic and rosemary in this recipe – classic lamb flavours!

If you don't own a tagine, substitute the widest, shallowest Dutch oven or heavy skillet you have (something good for low, slow cooking). Use a tight-fitting lid or tin foil in place of the conical tagine top. Serve it with couscous or with bread.

Use a Dutch oven or another lidded pot instead, as long as the lid fits tightly. If it doesn't, cover the pot with foil before placing the lid on top. Tongs A tagine, like most braises, starts with the browning of the meat. A good pair of tongs will help you maneuver the lamb as you sear it in the pot.

While a slow cooker offers convenience, it's not the only route to slow cooking. With alternative methods like Dutch ovens, stovetop simmering, oven baking, pressure cooking, and utilising crockery, you can still savour the joys of slow-cooked meals.

Make a slurry.

Scoop out a bit of the cooking liquid, whisk in some flour, then whisk this slurry back into your pot and continue to simmer until the sauce thickens and the taste of raw flour is gone. You will need about 2 tablespoons of flour per cup of liquid in your recipe.