Rukmini Iyer’s recipe for slow-cooked lamb leg al pastor with pineapple salsa

Traditionally, you’d use this lovely al pastor marinade for pork, but it also works beautifully with lamb, which looks so festive when it comes as a whole slow-cooked leg to carve at the table.

With new-season lamb now at Ocado, I like to make this one of the first things that goes on the barbecue in spring. The lamb cooks low and slow in the oven before a quick stint on the barbecue for a wonderful smoky flavour, perfect with a fresh pineapple salsa and a pile of tortillas alongside. If you don’t have a barbecue at your disposal, flash the lamb under a hot grill after the initial four-hour cooking time until it gains a little colour on top.

Instantly shop all these ingredients at ocado.com/slowcookedlambleg

Slow-cooked lamb leg al pastor with pineapple salsa

Prep 30 min, then marinate overnight
Cook 4 hr 30 min
Serves 6

For the lamb
2 guajillo chillies
2 ancho chillies
60ml white wine vinegar
100g fresh pineapple
4 cloves garlic
1 small onion, peeled
2 tsp ground cumin
25g achiote paste
2 tsp sea salt flakes
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp Mexican dried oregano
2.5kg leg of lamb

For the pineapple salsa
1 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into very small pieces
1 red onion, very thinly sliced
2 red chillies, very thinly sliced
Big handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped

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Toast the chillies in a dry frying pan on a medium heat for two to three minutes on each side until aromatic, then transfer to a bowl of boiling water. Leave them for 10 minutes to soften, then remove the stems. Tip the softened chillies into a small food processor or blender along with the vinegar, pineapple, garlic, onion, cumin, achiote paste, sea salt, olive oil and oregano. Blitz until you have a smooth paste.

Score the lamb leg diagonally on both sides. Rub the marinade all over the lamb and into the cuts, then place in a deep roasting tin and cover with tinfoil. Pop the lamb into the fridge to marinate overnight.

Five hours before you want to serve, preheat the oven to 140C (120C fan)/275F/gas 1. Transfer the lamb in its tin – still covered in tinfoil – into the oven, and cook for four hours, basting with the cooking juices halfway through.

When the lamb has 30 minutes left in the oven, light the coals in your barbecue and let the flames die down. Remove the lamb from the oven and baste again, then place it on the grill rack. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, then baste again and flip it over for a final 15 minutes.

While the lamb is on the barbecue, mix the pineapple, sliced red onion, chilli and coriander together, and set aside. Finally, shred the lamb, reserving some of the cooking juices to pour over, and scatter with a little sea salt. Serve with the pineapple salsa, tortillas, hot sauce and sour cream.

Find all the ingredients for this Easter feast at Ocado, including British lamb from a huge seasonal range