Expert: Keith Patton - 9/5/2009

Question
Dear Sir,can i cook a leg of lamb bone in in my crockpot.

Answer
Trish:

Yes.  YOu want to sear it first to get some browning reaction going of the surface, then put it in the pot with water of your favorite ale or beer.  What you will be doing is braising it.
Braising is cooking at just below boiling.  The heat will slowly cook the meat and convert any connective tissue to gellatin.  Try to trim the leg of excess fat if there is any, especially if it has a strong odor as you don't want that to permeate the meat.

If what you are looking for is a broth, then you might boil/simmer it instead.  Slow cooking helps make tougher cuts more tender, but isn't the best way to extract flavor from soup bones. A crock pot does not get quite hot enough unless you are using a combination slow cooker/deep fryer.