This slow cooked lamb shoulder will be the juiciest, most incredible lamb roast you have ever had! With rosemary and garlic stuffed into incisions, it infuses this lamb roast with the most incredible flavour as well as adding a subtle perfume to the lamb gravy.
Lamb shoulder has more flavour and is easier to cook than lamb leg. Virtually foolproof, minimal effort, and incredible meat that is so tender that you won’t need a knife to carve this.
Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder is the ultimate lamb roast
Being born into a foodie family, there is always a flurry of emails leading up to a Sunday Night Roast. It usually goes something like this:
My brother (the “serious” foodie): Let’s do a standing rib roast. Dry aged from Victor Churchill (PS A gourmet expensive butcher in Sydney!)
Me: That’s ridiculous. It will cost $100!
Brother: If we’re gonna do a roast, we should do it right. I’m not doing a lamb leg from Coles!
Me: Who said you’re cooking? I’M the Roast Queen, remember?
Brother: Self proclaimed titles carry no weight.
Me: How about a slow cooked lamb shoulder?
Brother: OK. That’ll do. I’ll do the sides.
Sister: I don’t mind. Just tell me what I need to do.
Mum: Send me a shopping list.
And thus the roles and responsibilities for a Sunday Night Roast are set.
Lamb Shoulder
Lamb shoulder is not as popular as lamb leg – and I truly do not understand why. It has more flavour and it’s far juicier. The only “downside” I can think of is that it needs to be slow cooked, it can’t be cooked hard and fast like a classic Roast Lamb Leg that’s cooked until perfectly pink and juicy inside.
On the other hand, because lamb shoulder is a juicier cut, it’s incredibly forgiving so if it’s in the oven for too long, it’s still going to be gloriously juicy.
I love using the technique of stuffing rosemary and garlic into incisions to infuse the meat with flavour. You can really only do this with rosemary because the sprigs are stiff enough to stick into the holes.
And also it works well for this recipe because it is slow roasted – the flavours do not infuse as well into the meat with a traditional roast that only takes 1 1/2 hours or so. So take advantage of it in this recipe!
OK, signing off! Love to hear if this makes it to your Sunday Night family dinner! – Nagi x
My favourite side dishes for roast lamb
More Roast Lamb Recipes
I love a good roast lamb – so I’ve shared a few over the years!
Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
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Slow Roasted Rosemary Garlic Lamb Shoulder
Ingredients
- 1.8kg / 3.5 lb lamb shoulder (bone in) (Note 1)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 onion, quartered (no need to peel)
- 1 head garlic , cut in half horizontally
- 3 garlic cloves , cut into slivers
- 8 sprigs rosemary
- 1 cup (250ml) water
Gravy
- 2 tbsp flour
- 2 cups (500ml) beef broth (or 1 cup red wine + 1 cup water)
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 240°C/465°F (220°C fan forced).
- Rub the lamb with the olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Use a thin, sharp knife to make 12 incisions in the lamb, deep as you can but without piercing through the bottom of the lamb. (See photo in post and video
- Stuff bits of rosemary and garlic slivers into the holes (chopstick helpful!)
- Place the onion, halved garlic bulb and rosemary in the base of a roasting pan. Place the lamb on top. Pour water around.
- Cover with lid or tightly with a double layer of foil. Place in the oven, and TURN DOWN to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan).
- Roast, covered, for 3 hours. Remove foil, turn up the oven to 220°C/425°F and roast for a further 20 to 30 minutes, until the skin is browned and crisp. By now, you should be able to part the meat with two forks.
- Remove lamb from the roasting pan and transfer to a plate. Cover loosely with foil then a couple of tea towels and let it rest for at least 20 minutes, up to a couple of hours (after this, you may want to reheat).
- Serve with gravy (below). If you want to go all out, make Duck Fat Potatoes or Super Crispy Roasted Potatoes!
Gravy
- Tilt the pan and use a spoon to remove all but around 2 tbsp of fat (try to avoid scooping out any juices).
- Place the roasting pan on the stove over medium high heat. Add the flour and stir to mix in with the fat. Cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the stock gradually and stir to combine. Use a potato masher to mash the onion and garlic, making sure that all the garlic squeezes out of the skin.
- Allow it to simmer for 1 to 2 minutes until it is just before your desired consistency (it will thicken a bit as it cools), then remove from the stove. Season to taste with salt and pepper, strain into bowl being sure to squeeze all juices out of garlic etc, then transfer into gravy jug.
Recipe Notes:
Originally published February 2015, updated with new photos, new commentary and video - AND Life of Dozer added!Nutrition Information:
BEST OF SUNDAY SUPPER ROASTS
Life of Dozer
Hmm. Not surprising he’s interested in what’s going on here….
Hello lovely. Can I substitute Venison Shoulder instead of lamb? Thank you!
Hi Jacqui, venison is rather lean so I’m not sure how it would turn out, I imagine it would be less juicy than a lamb shoulder. N x
This was a beautiful easy recipe! I’ve always wanted to make a slow cooked lamb but could never found a good recipe. Could you follow the same recipe for pork or beef and what part of beef would you recommend?
This was sooo good! Let me tell you. I have made lamb a couple of times previously and was never pleased. I figured it was the meat…maybe I just didn’t like it. I tried to make it because my husband does. Then I stumbled upon this recipe. GAME CHANGER!!! This was sooo good. It was beyond good. I made it last Wednesday and I’m making it again this week! That’s how good it was. Thank you thank you thank you!!!
I’m so glad you loved it Tasha – slow cooked lamb is the way to go – and it’s so forgiving! N x
how can i adjust this recipe to work for sliced lamb shoulder?
Hi Mami, this works for a whole piece rather than sliced. N x
I just started now in the oven, but its an AGA ( I noticed anything I cook here always cook quicker than the recipe. So I will keep an eye maybe 30min before the 3 hour time. Looking forward to the result.
Hi Beth, sounds like there may be a problem with the thermostat – my advice would be to get an oven thermometer so you can check the temperature of the oven 🙂 N x
can you tell me – can this recipe be done in slow cooker? if so, how /how long?
Hi Spence, yes! Try this one: https://www.recipetineats.com/slow-cooker-roast-lamb-leg/ N x
thank you so much! i have a large oval crockp, ended up doing what you required for the oven (putting garlic and rosemary into the shoulder all over) and its in the crockp now…..hope thats ok – appreciate your recipes theyre always delish. cheers
Hi Nagi! Amazing recipe. Any idea of timing for a 2.5kg lamb?
Hi Gideon, roast for 3.5-4 hours – it’s such a forgiving recipe that you just need to keep cooking until the meat is fall apart tender. N x
First time cooking lamb shoulder! Turned out absolutely delicious. Super easy and sooooo tasty. And gravy – OMG – Worth the effort! Thank you, Nagi
You’re so welcome Alla!! N x
Such a great recipe. I’m the son of a lamb farmer so have had lamb cooked every which way and this is still my ‘go to’ recipe for lamb shoulder! Thanks Nagi!
Amazing recipe. I combined a few recipes that I read but used the gravy recipe from this site. Absolutely delicious!
I stupidly decided to cook a lamb shoulder for the first time for a dinner party we had. I followed the instructions but forgot the potatoes etc on and the lamb had to sit for way longer than the recipe says. Meanwhile I got myself blind drunk over the 4 maybe 5 hours it took to cook everything. By some sort of cullinary miracle I managed to not only cook the lamb perfectly, but I also made the gravy. All the guests were amazed…me too.
I just wish I could remember how I did it.
hilarious. love this story.
Oh my gosh – crazy-good! Spot on, easy instructions! I used a 3lb shoulder and onion from the farmers market, and garlic and rosemary from my garden. I followed your instructions. The only hard part was leaving it alone while it cooked – it smelled amazing. Really easy, and incredibly delicious! Thanks!
That’s great to hear!!! N x
Hi Nagi – any difference in cooking time for a boneless rolled shoulder?
Hi Laura, what weight do you have? N x
Hi Nagi, a 1.3kg rolled lamb
Shoulder and my oven is fan forced. Thanks 🙂
Hi. I am just wondering the same question . I have total weight of 1.42 kg (2 x mini boneless shoulder rolled joints) and cooking tonight for Sunday dinner.
Hi Nagi – I am planning to pre-cook this the day before for 8 people and reheat for lunch. I don’t have a microwave – so how long and at what temperature would you suggest for reheating? Thanks so much in advance!
It’s my youngest daughter wedding and I’ve chosen lamb shoulder to serve as one of the dishes. So I’m going to give your recipe a try. I’m sure it will turn out awesome.
You won’t regret it….it’s a great choice I can assure you!
Thanks Mike