Ultimate Roast Lamb: 12-Hour Lamb Shoulder
Mains
Ingredients
1.6 – 2.2kg / 3.2 – 4.4lb lamb shoulder , bone-in (Note 1)
2 cups water (Note 2)
1 brown onion (unpeeled), cut into 6 wedges (Note 3)
MARINADE
2 1/2 tsp fresh rosemary , chopped (finely)
1 tbsp dried oregano
2 garlic cloves (big!) , finely chopped
1 tsp salt , kosher or cooking salt (or 3/4 tsp table salt)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
JUS, FOR SERVING
1 tsp cornflour / cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1/4 tsp salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 230°C / 450°F (210°C fan).
Marinade/rub: Mix the Marinade ingredients in a small bowl. Rub all over the lamb surface, getting it right into all the cracks and crevices!
Marinate 2 – 24 hrs: If time permits, marinate for 2 hours on the counter in a roasting pan, or up to 24 hours in the fridge. I skip this step more often than not, however. (Note 4)
Prepare roasting pan: Scatter onion in the base of the roasting pan. Place lamb shoulder on top . Pour water into pan.
Roast uncovered for 45 minutes.
Slow-roast 12 hours: Turn oven down to 100°C/210°F (both fan and standard, Note 5). Cover lamb with baking paper, then a double layer of foil and seal very tightly to avoid water evaporation. Roast for 12 hours (I always do overnight!).
Check meat – Test side of lamb with two forks. The meat should be fall-apart tender. If not, cover and return to oven.
Remove lamb: There will (should!) be a lot of liquid pooled under the lamb in the roasting pan. Remove lamb to a large dish. Cover loosely with foil to keep warm. It will stay warm for 2 to 3 hours. See Note for reheating / making ahead.
LAMB JUS:
Reduce liquid: Strain all the liquid in the roasting pan into a saucepan (Note 2). Bring to a boil then simmer rapidly on medium-high until it reduces down to 1 cup (250ml).
Thicken: Mix cornflour with water. Pour into jus in a thin stream while stirring continuously. Continue to cook for a minute or two over medium heat, stirring every now and then, until it thickens to a syrup consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.
SERVE:
Serve Slow Roasted Lamb with Jus. Use tongs for tearing meat off – no knife for carving needed! Pictured in post with Greek Lemon Roasted Potatoes, a perfect match for this Greek-ish flavoured lamb. Roasted Vegetables would also be ideal.
Notes
Serving portions – Allow 300g/10oz of lamb per person for normal people, or 500g/1lb for big eaters. This measure is the bone-in, raw lamb. Meat shrinks considerably once cooked, you probably lose around 30% in weight so ends up being much less as cooked meat.
- Lamb shoulder – A tough cut of meat that needs to be cooked far beyond well done until the meat becomes fall-apart tender. You do not need a knife to carve this meat, pull it off with tongs!
Shoulder comes in all sorts of sizes depending on the size/age of lamb! The cook time doesn’t really differ because the meat itself needs a minimum amount of time to break down and become tender, and also the low temperature means it’s very forgiving, ie. it’s hard to overcook this meat to the point it dries out.
If your shoulder is really small though, say 1.2kg / 2.4lb, then you can probably cut down the cook time by 2 hours, but it should still be succulent even if you stick with the full 12 hours.
Lamb leg – This recipe is not suitable for leg, please use this Slow Roasted Lamb Leg recipe instead.
- Water is all we need for the braising liquid because it gets so much flavour from the lamb juices, no need to use stock.
Liquid in pan after slow roasting – If the foil was tightly sealed (and your lamb is juicy!), you will/should end up with 3 – 4 cups liquid at the end. If you have less than 1 cup, add water to top up before simmer on stove to make the Jus.
- Onion – Elevates the lamb slightly off base for more even cooking, plus adds flavour to the liquid that forms the Jus (sauce). Can keep skin on because it holds together better and we strain it out anyway.
Nutrition
Calories: 377cal (19%) Carbohydrates: 4g (1%) Protein: 41g (82%) Fat: 21g (32%) Saturated Fat: 5g (31%) Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g Monounsaturated Fat: 12g Cholesterol: 129mg (43%) Sodium: 727mg (32%) Potassium: 633mg (18%) Fiber: 1g (4%) Sugar: 1g (1%) Vitamin A: 20IU Vitamin C: 2mg (2%) Calcium: 53mg (5%) Iron: 4mg (22%)