With a little planning, this tender, moist, and flavorful slow-cooked lamb shoulder is easy to prepare. With a few simple tips, you can get the perfect roast lamb every time.
Roast Lamb Shoulder is a great centerpiece for any special occasion, such as Easter or Thanksgiving.
You only need to spend a few minutes preparing the dish. Put all the ingredients on a baking tray and leave the oven to do the rest.
The best part? You don’t have to worry about overcooking your lamb or undercooking it!
Why does this recipe work?
- Slow cooking and low temperature allow for the best lamb meat.
- When cooked with fresh rosemary and garlic, the lamb shoulder is a rich & delicious cut of meat.
- This slow-cooked leg of lamb is similar to the Kuzu Tangdir Kebab – Turkish Roasted Lamb or Boneless Lamb leg recipes. It requires minimal preparation. You can dump it into the oven and enjoy it!
- If you are serving a large group of people for a roast dinner, the Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder will be a hit. There are several ways to make use of leftovers. With leftover lamb, you can make Maqluba or Slow-Cooked Lamb Ragu or use it in a wrap or sandwich.
- Make homemade gravy with stock, rosemary, and onions.
LAMB SHOULDER
The shoulder is a more tough cut of lamb with generous amounts of fat and marbled all over. Slow-cooking the shoulder of lamb at low temperatures allows the fat to melt and gives you juicy, soft meat that falls apart.
It is my favorite lamb cut, and I use it in my other lamb recipes, such as Tave Ksi (Elbasan Tava), Guvec (Turkish Lamb Casserole), and Sac Kavurma (Turkish Lamb Saute).
It is also a cheaper joint, but if cooked correctly, it tastes just as good. This recipe is meant for a large shoulder of lamb that weighs between 2.7 kg and 2.9 kg (6 pounds to 6.4 pounds). This recipe is for large parties of up to eight people. It takes four hours to cook.
Ingredients and Substitutes
- Lamb Shoulder I used a large shoulder of lamb that weighed 2.7kg (6lbs). Cooking time depends on the size. Cook a smaller shoulder or half a shoulder for 3 hours or until the meat falls off the bone.
- Rosemary — Fresh rosemary is an excellent flavoring for lamb. I use it liberally. If you prefer, you can also use bay leaves or thyme.
- Garlic 2 heads of fresh garlic will add a wonderful flavor to the homemade gravy and the lamb. They are cut in half and used to elevate the lamb. I save the roasted garlic after the lamb has been cooked to flavor soups and stews.
- Onions — They give the lamb a sweeter flavor while it is cooking. You can use any onions for the roast lamb shoulder.
HOW TO SLOW ROAST A LAMB SHOULDER?
It is easy to make this juicy and tender Slow-Cooked Lamb Shoulder. Follow these simple steps:
LAMB SHOULDER COOKED
Salt and pepper the shoulder of lamb all over. Marinate the lamb for an hour at room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 285 degrees C (140 degrees C). Halve the garlic heads. Place the garlic heads, rosemary sprigs, and halved onions on a large baking sheet.
Add 1 liter of water and the lamb shoulder to the tray.
Cover the lamb with tin foil and allow it to rest for 30 minutes. Start preparing gravy while the lamb is resting.
Prepare the Gravy
Add the 1/2 liter stock to the oven tray and heat it on medium. Deglaze the pan and scrape in all the brown goodness.
Allow it to boil for 10 minutes, then remove it from the heat. Then, pass it through a fine sieve or chinois into a small pan. Press down firmly on the vegetable to extract all of the juice.
Let the stock simmer on low heat for 15 minutes.
Mix two tablespoons of cornflour and three tablespoons of cold water to make the slurry.
Whisk the slurry slowly into the gravy. Allow it to simmer for two minutes, then remove from heat.
If necessary, season the gravy. You will rarely need to add more seasoning. Serve it in a sauce jug with Slow Cooked Shoulder Lamb and your favorite sides.
Ingredients
- 2.5 kg of shoulder lamb
- 2 heads garlic
- 2 Large Onions
- Five rosemary sprigs
- One teaspoon of salt
- Black pepper, freshly ground: 1/2 teaspoon
- Water 1 l
For the gravy
- ▢ The stock of chicken, lamb, or beef, 1/2 l
- ▢ Cornflour, two tablespoons
- ▢ Three tablespoons water
Instructions
- Salt and pepper the shoulder of lamb all over. Allow the lamb shoulder to marinate for an hour at room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to a temperature of 140degC (285degF).
- Place the rosemary sprigs, garlic, and onions on a large baking sheet.
- Add 1 liter of water and the lamb shoulder to the tray.
- The lamb should be cooked for at least 4 hours, or it will fall apart when you touch it with a fork.
- Cover the lamb with tin foil and allow it to rest for 30 minutes.
- Start preparing gravy while the lamb is resting.
- Add the 1/2 liter stock to the oven tray and heat it to medium.
- Make sure to scrape the brown goodness from the pan into the stock.
- After 10 minutes of boiling, remove the pan from heat. Then, pass it through either a fine sieve or chinois into a small pot. Squeeze the vegetables firmly to extract all their juice.
- Let the stock simmer on low heat for 15 minutes.
- Mix two tablespoons of cornflour and three tablespoons of cold water to make the slurry.
- Whisk the slurry slowly into the gravy. Allow it to simmer for two minutes, then remove from heat.
- If necessary, season the gravy. You will rarely need to add extra seasoning.