Roast Lamb (Cordero Asado)

Name: Roast Lamb (Cordero Asado)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h 45 min
Total time: 2 h
Cuisine: Spain
Ingredients: 1 bone-in lamb shoulder or leg, about 4 lb (1.8 kg), trimmed of excess fat but with a thin fat cap left on; 2 tbsp (30 ml) lard or olive oil; 1 1/2 tsp (7 g) coarse salt; 1/2 tsp (1 g) black pepper; 6 garlic cloves, unpeeled, lightly smashed; 2 bay leaves; 1 cup (240 ml) water; 1/2 cup (120 ml) dry white wine, or additional water

Cordero asado Say it: kor-DEH-roh ah-SAH-doh

By the Passport Plate editors. Published November 3, 2026.

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Cordero asado is Spain's deeply satisfying roast lamb, especially beloved in Castile and León, where the local lechazo — milk-fed suckling lamb — is the star. The meat is rubbed with lard or olive oil, salted well, and roasted slowly in its own juices with garlic and bay until the outside is deeply browned and the inside is tender and fragrant. It tastes rich, mild and faintly sweet, with concentrated lamb flavor and crispy browned fat. This is celebratory Sunday food, traditionally served straight from the clay roasting dish.

Roast Lamb (Cordero Asado)

Cordero asado

Pronounced kor-DEH-roh ah-SAH-doh

Serves: 4
Prep: 15 min
Cook: 1 hr 45 min
Total: 2 hr
Level: Easy

Also nut-free and egg-free.

Allergens: none of the major allergens in the listed ingredients. Check labels on packaged ingredients.

Ingredients

4 servings

1 bone-in lamb shoulder or leg, about 4 lb (1.8 kg), trimmed of excess fat but with a thin fat cap left on
2 tbsp (30 ml)30 ml (2 tbsp) lard or olive oil
1 1/2 tsp (7 g)7 g (1 1/2 tsp) coarse salt
1/2 tsp (1 g)1 g (1/2 tsp) black pepper
6 garlic cloves, unpeeled, lightly smashed
2 bay leaves
1 cup (240 ml)240 ml (1 cup) water
1/2 cup (120 ml)120 ml (1/2 cup) dry white wine, or additional water

Method

Remove the lamb from the refrigerator 45-60 minutes before roasting so it comes to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Rub the lamb all over with the lard or olive oil, then season evenly with the salt and pepper, pressing the seasoning into the meat and fat.
Place the lamb fat side up in a roasting pan, preferably a clay cazuela. Tuck the garlic cloves and bay leaves around the meat, then pour the water and white wine around the lamb, not over the top.
Roast uncovered for 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours, basting with the pan juices every 30 minutes, until the lamb is deeply browned and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 150-155°F (65-68°C) for medium, or 160°F (71°C) for traditional well-done. If the pan dries out, add a splash of water.
Remove the lamb from the oven and let it rest loosely tented with foil for 15-20 minutes, so the juices settle.
Carve the lamb against the grain and serve on a warm platter, spooning the pan juices over the meat.

Regional variant: Lechazo Asado (Roast Suckling Lamb)

Use a whole hind or fore quarter of suckling lamb, about 2-3 lb (900 g-1.4 kg), rubbed only with lard and salt, no pepper or wine. Place it in a clay dish with 1/2 cup (120 ml) water and roast at 375°F (190°C) until the meat is very tender and pulls easily from the bone, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Omit garlic and bay for the purest Castilian version.

Cook's notes

Ask your butcher for a young or suckling lamb (lechazo) for the most authentic flavor and tenderness; an older lamb works too but may need a little longer.
A clay cazuela gives the most traditional result and gentle heat, but any heavy roasting pan or Dutch oven is fine.
Resist adding lots of herbs and spices; Castilian asado is about the clean flavor of the lamb, fat and a little garlic.

Serve with

Crusty bread to mop up the juices and a simple green salad; in Castilla y León it is often paired with a local red wine.

Make ahead and storage

The lamb is best freshly roasted, but leftovers keep refrigerated for up to 3 days; reheat gently in the pan juices.

Roast Lamb (Cordero Asado)