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 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 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:
- 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.
Nutrition Information:
BEST OF SUNDAY SUPPER ROASTS
Life of Dozer
Hmm. Not surprising he’s interested in what’s going on here….
Maria Moraleda says
Can I use cornstarch instead of flour for the gravy to make it gluten free?
Nagi says
Hi Maria, you sure can – use 1 tbsp of cornflour and mix with 3 tbsp of water to make a slurry before adding it in. Enjoy! N x
Emily Herne says
Just sublime! I combined with your 12hour lamb shoulder recipes to do a marinade on the lamb instead of inserting garlic & rosemary just as personal preference but this was more convenient time wise. Everyone was blown away, the bone slid out clean as a whistle. Never going to use another method for lamb shoulder!
Lossie says
Melt in your mouth deliciousness, the meat simply fell off the bone. Added bonus, my kitchen smelt amazing. Thank you.
Annette says
Oh my god! Wow! No other words required.
JT says
Great recipe. Have made it a few times and it’s always a hit. Tonight we are having it wrapped in homemade tortillas.
Sandy Marwick says
My 12 year old calls this ” fall apart meat”. This is a good thing, as thanks to orthodontics it’s the only kind she can currently eat. Making it for dinner tonight safe in the knowledge that she’ll eat it and the rest of the family will be happy too!
Nagi says
Oh poor little thing! I’m so glad she can eat this though!! N x
Michaela says
I have a La Crusette dish that has a lid – I use it for lamb shanks and other slow cooked meals – could I do the shoulder in it?
Nagi says
Yes 100% Mikaela!! N x
Siobhan O'Reilly says
Hi!
If I was to put two 2kg bone in lamb shoulder joints in the same pan, what would the cooking time be?
I’m making tomorrow so I have my fingers crossed you’ll see this!
Happy Easter
Janice Falconer says
This is my go-to roast leg of lamb recipe – it’s a taste sensation every time and a guest favourite.
TIP – I always add turmeric and a little chilli flakes to my version to give it extra spice.
W says
I did it with a 3kg bit of shoulder but extrapolated time and portion size. I was sceptical but it came out so well, very tender and moist. Thanks very much for a great method.
Ankur Sinha says
Have a similar size.. what were your extrapolation times?
Ami says
Amazing. Followed recipe for 1.1kg boneless shoulder, by reducing roast time by 20 mins. The meat was super juicy and tender.
My kid insisted she didn’t like lamb as i cooked dinner. Now she wants leftovers for breakfast 😁
John says
Amazing recipe, we loved it at home. Looking forward for a nice lamb sandwich for lunch tomorrow 😋
trevplumb@hotmail.com says
WOW!!!!!
Melissa Teo says
Love love love this recipe! So easy to follow and the lamb shoulder turned out really succulent and delicious as. My husband went back for seconds and thirds!
Will def be making it again! 😍
Raj says
This is just an amazing way to make juicy tender lamb. Thanks Nagi!
I made a traditional “raan” with lamb shoulder following your timings. Different spices to the recipe, but it came out pretty well. Not sure how to post a pic so here’s a link:
https://www.instagram.com/p/COy8cfOrLOGypz2bJC4S16FjX8DXWkeeOfJgbI0/?igshid=vtsavzu1qc05
Kylee Beard says
Beat roast ever. I’ll never buy a leg or shanks again!
Nick says
Your comment has inspired me Kylee, i will slip to the butcher and buy this shoulder cut.
Thanks for the encouragement you didn’t even know you helped with..
Kate says
Help! I’ve been given a 4.3kg lamb shoulder and it’s huge! It fits in my pan but I’m wondering how long to cook for if 1.5kg is 3hours…
Mina says
We also have one 3.2kg and wondering about the length of time it needs – is 5h the right time?…
Pam says
Looka here Nagi…. We ALL owe you some money! Period.
Michelle says
This is hands down the best roast I’ve ever made! First time slow cooking and hooked, even my teen who is going off meat went back for seconds
Hal Mueller says
Just great. Followed this recipe verbatim.
Jess says
Nagi, can I roast this the day before and re heat to serve? Or will that be a fail?
D says
Thank you for this wonderful recipe Nagi! First time slow roasting lamb shoulder and i turned out beautifully! I ended up slow roasting for 5 hours in the oven at a lower temperature after the first 3 hours, covered in a large oval Staub dutch oven after marinating it overnight with just salt, pepper, olive oil and the garlic rosemary planted in the incisions.
I served it with a cherry tomato and chives salad with honey dijon mustard vinaigrette and some baby spinach on the side with just a drizzle of olive oil and toasted pine nuts. Utter Easter lunch perfection. Thank you!