This slow cooked lamb shoulder will be the juiciest, most incredible lamb roast you have ever had! 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, served with a flavour packed gravy!
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
ON THE SIDE
- Glazed Carrots
- Truly Crunchy Roast Potatoes or make ahead Potatoes au Gratin
- Speedy Parmesan Green Beans
- Everyday Cabbage Salad
More Roast Lamb Recipes
I love a good roast lamb – so I’ve shared a few over the years!
- Classic Roast Lamb Leg with Gravy – the classic, perfectly blushing pink inside
- Slow Roast Leg of Lamb – infused with garlic and rosemary flavours, slow roasted until fall apart tender!
- Slow Cooker Roast Lamb – fall apart goodness in the convenience of your slow cooker
- Slow Roasted GREEK Leg of Lamb – garlicky lemony fall apart deliciousness
- See all Roast Lamb recipes
Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
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Slow Roasted Rosemary Garlic Lamb Shoulder
Ingredients
- 3.5 lb / 1.8kg 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 / 500 ml beef broth (or 1 cup red wine + 1 cup water)
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 220C/425F (fan forced/convection) / 240C/465F (standard).
- 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 160C/320F (fan forced / convection) or 180C/350F (standard).
- Roast, covered, for 3 hours. Remove foil, turn up the oven to 220C/425F 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.
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….
Hi Nagi, I know it’s a lot of effort for such a small roast, but if I make this with a 1 lb boneless lamb shoulder roast, would I just cook it for less time — what do you think is a good guess — 2 hours? More, less?
Hi Susan, It’s a forgiving recipe, I’d check after 1.5 hours. If it still seems tough, just keep cooking (and check every half an hour) until to get to that tender, fall-apart stage ☺️
Hi Nagi
My oven is faulty and awaiting spare parts so I’m wondering if I can somehow adapt your recipe to cook my shoulder of lamb on the stove?
Hi Rebecca, I’d say on a very low stove in a dutch oven may work but I haven’t tried it to be honest! – N x
Hi, I haven’t tried this recipe yet. But I want to give it a go. Do you think it would make a difference to wet brine the shoulder the day before, or should I not bother?
Hi Melysa, I don’t think it’s necessary for this recipe – It’s slow cooked so the meat is very tender and succulent! – N x
Hey Nagi I’m
Making this on Sunday …i have been making roast lamb shoulder for a while now. However due to my mums teachings I always order from
The butcher lamb shoulder OFF the bone …I wanted to know does this make a massive difference?! And if so what’s the difference having the bone in it’s always super juicy but I think I never leave it in long enough for it to literally pull apart like this …it’s too late now as I’ve already made my order and butcher has ready for me but yeah I’d just love to get your knowledge on why having the bone in is better as opposed to not. Wish I read this recipe earlier…also another question I have been taught to literally wrap the roast in baking paper and then foil rather than just cover …do you recommend this method ?! I am so confused now I feel like I’ve been doing it so wrong even though my husband swears I make the best lamb roast! but again it has never pulled apart the way yours does…
Hi Sue-Ellen, bone in meat generally tastes better. I don’t find that you need to cover with baking paper and foil – but if you cook it long enough the proteins will break down and the meat will be fall-apart tender. I hope you give this one a try!
thanks so much Nagi 🙂
i will make again exactly the way you do. I will let you know how it goes!
Hi Nagi I have left you a couple comments regarding this recipe and I’ve had no response would you mind please answering my questions so I know for next time I make this? Thank you
Hi Sue-Ellen, sorry I get thousands & thousands of messages and I try to respond to each and every one. What was your question?
I made this tonight for my husband’s birthday and it was so simple and so delicious. Just a quick question – in step 7 is that temperature fan-forced or standard? Thanks again for the great recipe, I will definitely make this again.
Hi Alison, thats the temp for both – If it makes a difference to a recipe I will always state it – N x
Sorry Nagi also another question I have been taught to literally wrap the roast in foil rather than just cover …do you recommend this method ?! I am so confused now I feel like I’ve been doing it so wrong even though my husband swears I make the best lamb roast!
Hey Nagi I’m
Making this on Sunday …i have been making roast lamb shoulder for a while now. However due to my mums teachings I always order from
The butcher lamb shoulder OFF the bone …I wanted to know does this make a massive difference?! And if so what’s the difference having the bone in it’s akways super juicy but I think I never leave it in long enough for it to literally pull apart like this …it’s too late now as I’ve already made my order and butcher has ready for me but yeah I’d just love to get your knowledge on why having the bone in is better as opposed to not. Wish I read this recipe earlier
Another brilliant recipe Nagi, I did this last weekend, I’m never confident cooking these cuts of meat but it turned out perfectly and so tender, thanks again for a great recipe 👍
That’s great Fiona, I’m so glad you loved it!
simple recipe to get a juicy lamp shoulder cooked at home. for accompaniment i had creamy spinach.
Sounds great Abhay!
Hi Nagi
This looks amazing, so I sent the shopper out for a lamb shoulder. I see other comments about no bone, but I have a different problem: no bone and two *small* pieces- with a combined weight of just 700g… Is this recipe that flexible?? Can I still go ahead?!
Hi Emily, You can’t really go wrong here because it’s slow cooked and should be almost fall apart. I’d just check at about 1.5-2 hours to ensure the meat is tender and then continue with 30 minutes uncovered.
Thanks, Nagi, that’s pretty much what I did. I also cooked it in a Dutch oven to make sure the moisture stayed in with such a small amount. It only needed about 15 minutes to brown up. Perfect! And received such high praise from the small people here.
Thanks for another sensational recipe!
Hi Nagi – I am going to try this recipe for company. I have 2 roasts – each 1.14 kg (2.5 lb). I will do both of them as they need to serve 4 people. Should I make any adjustments in the recipe. Thanks so much. Looking forward to making this.
Hi Vivian, Just adjust the cook time to slightly less – I would check at 2.5 hours to ensure the meat is tender. It’s a very forgiving recipe so don’t worry too much – if it isn’t quite tender enough, continue with another 20 minutes and check again. Then proceed with browning step with foil off. – N x
Hi Nagi. I cooked the 2 lamb shoulders (each about 1.15 kg) for the 3 hours and then at 425 for 20 minutes. They looked amazing coming out of the oven…and were delicious. Thank you! I am going to try the oven baked chicken and rice next.
I have a boneless shoulder of lamb. Can I still use this recipe and if so should I adjust it? Thanks
This recipe came out GREAT. It was done earlier than expected, but I caught it in time when it was still delicious. Had LOTS of gravy drippings to work with. FIVE STARS!
Hi Nagi, Made this for dinner tonight, and it was terrific. My husband went back for 2nds and enthusiastic in his approval.
I have wanted to make this for a while, but have not seen lamb in the grocery stores (wrong time of year, or just not common in these parts, not sure which) and finally Easter is here and the stores had lamb legs, but no shoulder roasts. I saw shoulder chops and asked at the meat counter about a roast, so they went into the back and brought up a 10 lb (4.5 KB) shoulder roast Even though it was way more meat than I wanted or needed, I took it, and adjusted the cooking time as you recommended in the notes. The only down side was the meat was so fatty that by the time it was done cooking there was about an inch of fat in the bottom of the pan, the onion and garlic were charred to a crisp, and any meat drippings that might have been in the roasting pan were deep fried in the hot fat, so I didn’t try to make the gravy.
My husband later pointed out that the fat would have been perfect for a Yorkshire pudding, and he is right and I don’t know why I didn’t think of it.
Regardless, this recipe is a keeper, and I am looking for a butcher that can provide a somewhat smaller lamb shoulder roast for next time. 🙂
I’m so glad you loved it Margie!
Hi Nagi! Love your recipes!!
Can this lamb shoulder be cooked in a slow cooker instead and still be as good?
How long would I need to cook it for on the low setting?
Thanks!
HI Dimitri, sure can! Try this one: https://www.recipetineats.com/slow-cooker-roast-lamb-leg/
Hi Nagi
Just wondering if done in the slow cooker can I still use the lamb shoulder or does it have to be the leg of lamb?
I’d really like to try this on Sunday with my lamb shoulder which is 2.5kg. Would that still work? Is it THAT forgiving??
Hi Bill, it really IS that forgiving, I’d just cook it an extra 30-60 mins. Just check it after 3.5 hours, you can’t really go wrong – just cook until it’s incredibly tender!