Kuzu Tandır (Turkish-Style Lamb Confit)

BY: Ivan

PUBLISHED: Sep 6, 2025

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Recipe · Video

My Version Of Kuzu Tandır And Lamb Confit Cooking

If you have ever searched for roasted lamb recipes or wondered how to make lamb so tender that it falls apart with just a fork, you are looking for kuzu tandır. This Turkish classic is one of the most loved lamb dishes in the world, and for good reason. The slow cooking process gives the meat a soft, almost buttery texture that feels luxurious while still being simple to prepare. People often look up recipes for slow roasted lamb, braised lamb shanks, or lamb confit when they want this result. Kuzu tandır combines these cooking techniques and stands in a class of its own. It is comforting, deeply flavorful, and incredibly rewarding.

Cooking lamb can feel intimidating at first, but kuzu tandır is proof that patience and a few good ingredients can do most of the work for you. Instead of rushing, this dish invites you to slow down, to let time and heat transform the meat. By the end of the process, you are left with lamb so tender and flavorful that it feels like something you could only get in a restaurant, yet it comes out of your own oven.

See how to make the recipe in this video. (You’ll also learn how to make an incredible tomato confit sauce and pickled red onions.)

What Is Kuzu Tandır

Kuzu tandır is a traditional Turkish dish made from lamb, most often lamb shanks. The name comes from the tandır ovens once used across the Middle East and Central Asia. These ovens were large clay or stone vessels built into the ground, heated with wood or charcoal, and used to cook meat slowly for hours. Lamb cooked in a tandır oven became incredibly tender, with smoky, earthy flavors that defined the dish. Today, most people make kuzu tandır in a regular oven, but the principle is the same: low heat, long cooking, and lamb that practically melts.

Traditional kuzu tandır is usually roasted or braised slowly in its own juices and sometimes with butter or lamb fat. It is not traditionally cooked fully submerged in oil, so it is not confit in the strictest sense. However, there are modern adaptations that use olive oil to cover the lamb completely, baking it gently until the meat is soft and infused with flavor. This confit-style cooking method takes inspiration from French cuisine, but it works beautifully with kuzu tandır. It gives a different but equally delicious result, blending Turkish tradition with a French technique.

What Is Confit And Why Does It Work So Well With Lamb?

Confit is a classic French method of cooking meat by submerging it completely in fat or oil and baking it at a low temperature for several hours. The most well-known version is duck confit, but the technique can be applied to many meats, including lamb. The oil acts as a barrier that locks in moisture and keeps the meat from drying out. As the hours pass, the connective tissues in the meat slowly break down, leaving behind a texture that is rich, silky, and tender.

When kuzu tandır is made confit style, the lamb shanks are seasoned, browned, then placed in a deep pot and covered completely with olive oil. Aromatics like garlic, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves are added, and the whole pot is placed in the oven for hours. Everything stays submerged in the oil until the lamb is ready. This may sound extravagant, but the results speak for themselves. The meat becomes deeply infused with flavor, easy to shred, and impossible to resist.

When kuzu tandır is made confit style, the lamb shanks are covered with olive oil and then slow-cooked in the oven for hours. The result is incredible.

Why Slow Cooking Is Worth The Time

The defining feature of both traditional kuzu tandır and confit-style cooking is time. The meat is never rushed. Instead, it is left in a low oven for hours, usually four to five, sometimes more. This extended cooking process does not require constant attention. In fact, the beauty of it is how little you need to do once the pot is in the oven. There is minimal hands-on time, but the payoff is enormous.

Slow cooking breaks down the tough fibers in the lamb and transforms them into gelatin, which gives the meat a luscious mouthfeel. This is why kuzu tandır has such a loyal following. It is not just about flavor; it is about the way the meat feels when you eat it. Each bite is juicy, tender, and full of depth that cannot be achieved with faster cooking methods.

The Olive Oil Secret And How To Reuse It

One thing that surprises many people when they first see a confit recipe is the sheer amount of oil it requires. Covering lamb shanks completely takes liters of olive oil. At first it seems excessive, but here is the secret: you do not throw it away. Once the lamb is done, the oil is strained and reused.

That oil, now flavored with lamb, garlic, and herbs, becomes an incredible ingredient for future meals. You can drizzle it over roasted vegetables, use it as a base for salad dressings, spoon it over bread, or even fry eggs in it. It is too delicious to waste, and in fact, it becomes a gift from the cooking process. By the time you finish your kuzu tandır, you have both tender lamb and an infused oil that will continue to elevate your cooking for days or weeks to come.

Serving Ideas For Kuzu Tandır

The beauty of kuzu tandır is how versatile it is when it comes to serving. In Turkey, it is often paired with rice pilaf or flatbread. The mildness of the rice or bread soaks up the juices and balances the richness of the lamb. At home, I love to shred the meat and tuck it into bread, then add a good sauce and something sharp for contrast.

One of my favorite ways to serve kuzu tandır is in a warm flatbread, layered with tomato confit sauce and topped with pickled red onions. The tomato confit sauce brings sweetness and acidity, while the pickled onions add crunch and brightness. Together, they balance the lamb perfectly. The bread holds everything together, making it easy to eat, but also creating a meal that feels indulgent and fresh at the same time.

The lamb is amazing with some good bread and your favorite toppings. Simplicity at its best!

If you prefer a plated meal, you can serve the lamb alongside roasted potatoes, grilled vegetables, or a simple salad with herbs and lemon. Yogurt sauces, particularly with garlic or cucumber, also pair wonderfully with lamb, cooling the richness and adding freshness. Kuzu tandır has a way of adapting to any table, whether it is a simple weeknight dinner or the centerpiece of a festive gathering.

Why Kuzu Tandır Stands Out

Many lamb recipes promise tenderness, but few deliver the same results as kuzu tandır. What makes it stand out is the combination of slow cooking, simple seasoning, and patience. It does not rely on complicated techniques or long lists of spices. Instead, it proves that with just lamb, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, herbs, and time, you can create something extraordinary.

Another reason kuzu tandır is so appealing is its balance of effort and reward. It looks and tastes impressive, but the actual steps are straightforward. Once the pot is in the oven, there is almost nothing left to do. That makes it a perfect recipe for gatherings, because you can focus on your guests while the lamb cooks itself.

Kuzu Tandır: More Than a Recipe

Kuzu tandır is more than just a recipe; it is a reminder of what happens when you let time and patience work their magic. Whether you make it in the traditional roasted style or in the modern confit adaptation, the result is always lamb that is tender, flavorful, and unforgettable. The meat is so soft it practically falls off the bone, and the infused oil ensures that not a single drop of flavor is wasted.

Serve it with bread, a rich tomato confit sauce, and sharp pickled onions, or keep it classic with rice and yogurt. However you choose to enjoy it, kuzu tandır will always deliver comfort and satisfaction. It is a dish that connects history, tradition, and modern cooking, and it proves that sometimes the simplest ingredients, given enough time, can create the most extraordinary meals.