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Home Collections Roasts

Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder

By:Nagi
Published:10 Jun '18Updated:13 Apr '22
680 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

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! Want to upgrade to the Rolls Royce version? Try the Ultimate 12 Hour Roast Lamb or browse the entire Roast Lamb recipe collection.

Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder in a baking pan, fresh out of the one

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.

Gravy being poured over Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder on a plate with a side of roast potatoes and salad, ready to be eaten

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.

Photo of raw lamb shoulder, preparation of Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder

Overhead photo of Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder dinner with lamb, roast potatoes and salad

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

Potatoes au gratin (Dauphinoise Potatoes) fresh out of the oven
Potatoes au Gratin (Dauphinoise)
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Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots
Truly Crunchy Roast Potatoes - par boil, rough up the surface, dust with semolina then bake in a very hot oven in preheated oil. Based on a Nigella recipe.
Truly Crunchy Roast Potatoes
Close up of Duck Fat Potatoes fresh out of the oven
Duck Fat Potatoes – Crispiest, Best Roast Potatoes EVER!
Close up of Balsamic Dressing being drizzled over rocket salad with shaved parmesan
Rocket Salad with Balsamic Dressing and Shaved Parmesan
Pouring lemon dressing over green bean salad
Green Bean Salad
Cauliflower Cheese in a baking dish, fresh out of the oven ready to be served
Cauliflower Cheese
These Roasted Sweet Potato Stacks have crispy edges, are buttery, salty and sweet with a hint of rosemary. Terrific Sweet Potato side dish! recipetineats.com
Roasted Sweet Potato Stacks
Close up of freshly made Baked Mac and Cheese
Baked Mac and Cheese
Close up of a spoon scooping up a serving of creamy garlic parmesan Broccoli Casserole
Side Dishes
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Creamy Buttery Mashed Potato
Close up of Paris Mash (Rich & Creamy Mashed Potato) being scooped up with a spoon
Paris Mash (Rich Creamy Mashed Potato)
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Side Salads
Rustic brown bowl of Creamy Cauliflower Mash topped with a drizzle of butter
Creamy Mashed Cauliflower

More Roast Lamb Recipes

I love a good roast lamb – so I’ve shared a few over the years!

Slow Roast Leg of Lamb on a white plate with part of the meat pried off to show how tender it is
Slow Roast Leg of Lamb
Rack of lamb on a plate with salsa verde
Rosemary Garlic Marinated Rack of Lamb (Roasted)
A classic, perfectly cooked Roast Lamb Leg with a classic smooth, rich gravy. It's Lambalicious! recipetineats.com
Roast Lamb Leg with Gravy
The most succulent and easiest lamb leg ever, this Slow Cooker Roast Lamb Leg takes minutes to prepare. The gravy is incredible! www.recipetineats.com
Slow Cooker Roast Lamb Leg
Slow Roasted GREEK Leg of Lamb - Tender fall apart lamb made the Greek way! Super easy.
Greek Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb
Slow Cooked Lamb Shawarma is meltingly tender and has the most heavenly fragrance. Quick to prepare, sensational for gatherings! recipetineats.com
Slow Cooked Lamb Shawarma
Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder in a baking pan, fresh out of the one
Roast Lamb

Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT

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Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder in a baking pan, fresh out of the one

Slow Roasted Rosemary Garlic Lamb Shoulder

Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 3 hrs 30 mins
Total: 3 hrs 45 mins
Lamb, Roast
Western
4.99 from 183 votes
Servings4 - people
Tap or hover to scale
Print
  • 891
Recipe video above. Lamb shoulder is cheaper, juicier and easier to roast than leg. Infused with rosemary garlic flavours, this is not the sort of roast for carving, just pull the meat off with tongs. Make Crazy Crunchy Roast Potatoes while the lamb is resting!  

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 water

Gravy

  • 2 tbsp flour
  • 2 cups 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).
  • Slow roast, covered: Roast, covered with the foil, for 3 hours. (Note 1 for different sizes).
  • Brown it, uncovered: Remove foil, check to ensure there's still liquid in the pan. If not, add 3/4 cup water (otherwise onion/garlic will burn). 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.
  • Check if ready: By now, you should be able to part the meat with two forks - if not, just cover and return to oven at 180°C/350°F (160°C fan) until you can do so.
  • Rest: 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:

1. Lamb shoulder - not to be confused with lamb leg which is a leaner cut of lamb with different cooking qualities. For lamb leg, use this recipe - Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb. Shoulder is fattier and therefore juicier, and with better lamb flavour.
  • Smaller lamb shoulder (around 1 kg) - cut down roasting time while covered by 20 minutes (doesn't change by much, shoulder meat needs a minimum time to breakdown);
  • Boneless lamb shoulder - reduce covered cook time by 20 minutes. A 1.8kg bone in lamb shoulder will weigh about 1.3kg with the bone removed;
  • Rolled boneless lamb shoulder (~1.1 - 1.3kg) - cook time per recipe. 
  • 2 x ~1.5kg/3lb shoulders - fit into one pan (they will shrink, so ok if touching), add 30 minutes to cover slow roast time.
2. Roasting potatoes - If you are making the Truly Crunchy Roast Potatoes, place the pan with oil in it in the shelf beneath the roast at step 8 i.e. when the lamb is being browned. Refer to separate recipe for full instructions.
3. Servings - a 1.5kg/3lb lamb shoulder yields about 700g/1.4lb of meat once cooked. This is because the meat shrinks while cooking, there's a giant bone running through the middle and a thick layer of fat on the surface that mostly melts. I find that a shoulder of that size serves about 4 people. Maybe 5 (not in my family!).
4. Nutrition per serving. This does not take into account the fat discarded before making the gravy and also assumes that all the gravy is used.
Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder Nutrition
Originally published February 2015, updated with new photos, new commentary and video - AND Life of Dozer added!

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 398gCalories: 575cal (29%)
Keywords: lamb shoulder, roast lamb shoulder, slow roasted lamb
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

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Life of Dozer

Hmm. Not surprising he’s interested in what’s going on here….

Dozer the golden retriever peeking around the corner at Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder being photographed

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Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative!

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680 Comments

  1. Hazel F says

    May 20, 2022 at 4:59 pm

    Hi! Would this work baked in a dutch oven instead of a roasting tray?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      May 21, 2022 at 1:52 pm

      I think that it would Hazel as long as it fits in the pot! N x

      Reply
  2. Stacey says

    May 14, 2022 at 2:06 pm

    Hi Nagi! Wanting to make this tonight but I have 2 x mini roast lamb shoulder (boneless, rolled). They are approx 500g each. How long would the cook time be?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      May 16, 2022 at 8:17 pm

      I haven’t tested ones that small Stacey – I would start checking them about an hour less than the recommended time for a boneless 1 kg one. See my notes under the recipe. N x

      Reply
  3. Judy says

    May 11, 2022 at 9:20 am

    5 stars
    What a perfect Mother’s Day lunch we had thanks to this recipe. I used a rolled, boned lamb shoulder and calculated the cooking time for the 1.7kg lamb shoulder I had. So succulent and soft; and that gravy!!!!! 🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤Thank you Nagi!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      May 11, 2022 at 3:44 pm

      I’m so happy you enjoyed it Judy!! N x

      Reply
  4. Daniel says

    May 7, 2022 at 2:26 pm

    5 stars
    Nagi your recipes are amazing. whether I deviate slightly (usually due to unavailable items) or follow exactly, they are always the best! I made this one for my Mum who I learned much of my cooking skills from and she said she has never had lamb like this before.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      May 8, 2022 at 12:39 am

      I hope you were making it for Mother’s Day!! You are a good person taking care of your mum!! N x

      Reply
  5. Bec says

    April 22, 2022 at 7:55 pm

    This was my first ever roast and it turned out perfect! Thank you Nagi 🙂

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      April 25, 2022 at 12:40 pm

      Way to go Bec!! I am glad that you nailed it! N x

      Reply
  6. Rebecca says

    April 19, 2022 at 11:16 pm

    5 stars
    Hi Nagi!
    I cooked this recipe for Easter Sunday and it was delicious!
    Love all your recipes- also made your speedy hot cross buns on Friday and they went down very very well 😊

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      April 20, 2022 at 5:14 pm

      You cooked two of my most popular Easter recipes!! N x

      Reply
  7. Cookie Lopez says

    April 18, 2022 at 11:08 am

    5 stars
    Super easy-to-follow directions for a lovely lamb roast!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      April 18, 2022 at 10:30 pm

      Woo hoo Cookie!! I am so glad that you enjoyed it!! N x

      Reply
  8. Nicola says

    April 17, 2022 at 8:56 pm

    Cooked this a while ago and it was a big hit with the family so delicious and tender. I normally always cook a leg but this was better. Will be cooking it again for Easter Sunday. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      April 17, 2022 at 10:31 pm

      I am so glad you enjoyed it Nicola!! N x

      Reply
  9. Brooke says

    April 17, 2022 at 2:37 pm

    Made this today for Easter lunch. Absolutely perfect! Naji, I know I can ALWAYS trust your recipes to the letter and the oven time. Did your strawberry cheesecake as well, minus the strawberry top but with confit lemon. Guests were in heaven. Many thanks.

    Reply
  10. may says

    April 17, 2022 at 9:56 am

    how long to cook a 1.7kg rolled boneless lamb shoulder?

    Reply
  11. Tee says

    April 11, 2022 at 1:03 pm

    Hi Nagi! I love you, your recipes, your blog and of course Dozer!
    I have a 2.6 kilo shoulder in the oven right now 😃
    Can I freeze the leftover pulled meat? It does say you can for the 12 hour one….just checking.
    Fingers crossed mine turns out 😬

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      April 11, 2022 at 4:49 pm

      Yes Tee – slow cooked meat freezes beautifully as it doesn’t dry out! N x

      Reply
      • Tee says

        April 11, 2022 at 8:35 pm

        Great! Thanks Nagi x

        Reply
  12. Jenny says

    April 10, 2022 at 2:03 pm

    Hi Nagi,
    I am having 20 people for lunch Easter Saturday and am doing slow cooked shoulder of lamb. Just a general question. Can I marinate the lamb for 3-4 days prior?
    I am using a Yotam Ottolenghi spice mix.
    Thanks.
    Can’t wait for your cookbook.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      April 10, 2022 at 6:48 pm

      Hi Jenny – I would say marinate for 1-2 days max depending on the marinade (does the recipe specify a time?). If it contains a lot of salt then it could be too long. It really depends on the marinade and I would have to test the timings! N x

      Reply
    • Adam says

      April 30, 2022 at 2:43 pm

      Hi Nagi – I have a 2.2 kg shoulder; should I increase the cook time?

      Reply
      • Nagi says

        May 1, 2022 at 11:36 am

        It might take another 20 minutes or so Adam – just check it and pop it back in until it’s fall apart tender! N x

        Reply
  13. Val says

    April 9, 2022 at 6:26 am

    Can the slow cooked lamb shoulder recipe be done in a crock pot? If so,how long and high vs low? Thanks

    Reply
  14. Kerry Cameron says

    April 2, 2022 at 7:12 pm

    Hi! Love your recipes. Is there anyway you can do this in a slow cooker?

    Reply
  15. Mitch says

    March 20, 2022 at 5:09 am

    I have a 1.6kg bone in lamb shoulder, how long should I cook for?
    Every recipe I’ve tried from you has worked a treat!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      March 21, 2022 at 1:36 pm

      Hi Mitch – it will be a similar time to the 1.8kg one! N x

      Reply
  16. Jane Ragen says

    March 8, 2022 at 10:32 pm

    I made this recipe with a rolled boneless shoulder (1.3kg) and as per the notes, followed the cooking time in recipe and just ended up with an over cooked lamb roast! No falling apart or pulling apart with tongs, we just carved it. It was tasty enough but overdone and not that falling apart goodness the shoulder usually has.

    Maybe I’ll stick to a bone in, unrolled shoulder next time.

    Reply
  17. Jarrod Lampier says

    March 8, 2022 at 1:28 am

    5 stars
    I have not worked with bone-in lamb before, but decided to try with a shoulder roast and found your recipe. I am so glad I did. I was concerned about the long cook time, but it was exactly perfect so the lamb came away from the bone with no issue and made a wonderful gravy and had our house smelling so wonderful all Sunday afternoon. I also thought there would not be much meat since the bone is fairly large, but our 3 lb roast made a ton of meat that will take me a few days to eat, which I am already looking for leftover lamb roast recipes now. Thank you so much for sharing. Your directions were on-point and easy to follow.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      March 8, 2022 at 11:48 am

      I am so happy that you enjoyed it Jarrod! I did an article in Good Food about things you can do with leftover lamb! https://www.goodfood.com.au/recipes/recipetin-eats-x-good-food-shredded-lamb-gyros-20210329-h1uwka N x

      Reply
  18. Nicole says

    February 10, 2022 at 9:19 am

    Can you use this for yiros?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      February 10, 2022 at 9:26 am

      You can Nicole, or you can try my doner kebab recipe for lamb here: https://www.recipetineats.com/doner-kebab-meat-recipe-beef-or-lamb/ N x

      Reply
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I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

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