“Spoon” lamb is a classic preparation that results in meat so tender you can eat it with a… yes, a spoon. Thanks to an Instant Pot, this AIP-friendly version is made in about 2 hours. I know that doesn’t sound like it deserves the label of being “fast” – but compared to the 7 hour cooking time of the original, it definitely is!
Not a lamb lover?
Try this recipe anyway! My husband dislikes lamb and gobbled this up. When I casually mentioned that this was the last of the lamb we’d bought the previous spring from Joel Salatin’s Polyface Farm, he was disbelieving.
Him: “This is lamb?”
Me: “Yes, what did you think it was?”
Him: “I don’t know. I just thought it was really good!”
Me: “Well, I’m glad you like it.”
Him: “Are you sure this is really lamb?”
Me: “What else do you think it could be?”
He stares at his plate and takes another bite. After a moment of thought…
Him: “Magic.”
The Instant Pot makes it great
It’s not magic… though it does seem like the Instant Pot is kind of magical. As an early adopter of this culinary toy, it tickles me to see them going mainstream now. The updated version of my pot now sells for less than half what I purchased mine for in 2014, and yet it doesn’t bother me one bit since it has been an investment I reaped much benefit from over the past 4+ years.
I know the options are now somewhat overwhelming with models that have all kinds of fancy functions, but I honestly can say that my basic pot is perfect and I have felt no need to upgrade.
Looking for more AIP Instant Pot recipes?
You’ll find over 140 recipes in the The Paleo AIP Instant Pot Cookbook .
Instant Pot Spoon Lamb Recipe
PrintFast Spoon Lamb with Gravy – Instant Pot (AIP, SCD)
- Total Time: 2 hours 15 mins
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Classic “spoon” lamb takes 7 hours; this one only takes 2 so I call it “fast”! The gravy is an added AIP compliant bonus that everyone will enjoy.
Ingredients
- 3–4 pounds boneless leg of lamb
- salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 large carrots, roughly chopped
- 2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup bone broth
- 1 lemon
- parsley for garnish
Instructions
- If your piece of lamb has any netting or string around it, remove and discard it. Salt all sides of the meat liberally.
- Using the “sauté” function on your Instant Pot, heat olive oil and then carefully place the meat in to brown. Use tongs to flip after about 3 minutes and brown on the other side for another 3 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- Add onion, carrots, and celery to Instant Pot and sauté for about 3 minutes then add thyme, garlic powder, and broth. Use a wooden spoon to scrape bottom as broth comes up to a simmer, dislodging any flavorful brown bits.
- Return meat to pot, placing on top of the vegetables.
- Lock lid in place and cook under high pressure for 90 minutes.
- When 90 minutes is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400° F.
- Release remaining pressure and open lid. Carefully remove the meat with tongs (it will be falling apart!) and put on a baking sheet. Place in oven to allow attractive browned edges to develop.
- Meanwhile, make the gravy. With a slotted spoon, remove the vegetables and put in blender. Purée and add just enough of the cooking liquid to make a gravy that is your preferred thickness. Squeeze in juice of lemon and salt to taste.
- Serve meat with gravy and garnish with parsley.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Category: Entree
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5 replies on “Fast Spoon Lamb with Gravy – Instant Pot (AIP, SCD)”
Yum! This looks delicious & so easy to make!
Hi there! This looks so tasty but I don’t have an instant pot! Would the 7 hours be what I cook in a crockpot? Thanks so much!
No, a crockpot would probably be even slower. I would probably suggest you just use the original “spoon lamb” recipe that is made in the oven: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/james-beard-spoon-lamb-gigot-de-sept-heures-1223589
[…] Fast “Spoon Lamb” with Gravy […]
Fast, delicious easy. Very flexible recipe.
If you have the time, I would follow the recipe more closely than I did but it was still delicious with the shortcuts.
Seared all sides very well in generous coconut oil in the instant pot. Did not do a second browning in the oven. Added more vegetables and stock (1.5 cups). As I had a smaller roast (2.5 pounds boneless leg of lamb) and was short on time, I did not pressure cook for the full time. I did check the roast temperature for safety. High pressure for only 50 minutes and then resting for 20 minutes before releasing pressure. I think the full recipe would yield a more tender, better tasting roast. But this was still delicious.