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.
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….
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.
Hahahaha this is the best
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
Can you please tell us whether this recipe will work for a rolled shoulder roast? and if so, what are your recommended cooking time?
Did you ever find out? Still waiting for a reply 😅
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, a 1.3kg rolled lamb
Shoulder and my oven is fan forced. Thanks 🙂
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
Has anyone tried doing this in a crockpot? I have browned my lamb shoulder and have placed it in a heated crock pot and will be roasting it for about 5 to 6 hours on high. Hope that will be enough time. Will add veggies last hour. Weather is hot here so hated to turn on the oven.
Hi Nagi
Juts wondering if I can make this recipe with boneless lamb?
Thank you
Hello, how did you go with this style of cooking?
Hi Nagi
I want to try making the lamb recipe. But will it be ok if i use boneless lamb shoulder?
Thank you
Hi Nagi, OMG this recipe is totally divine & easy… I’ve never attempted lamb shoulder before but this works out to perfection just follow your steps and family think I’m a genius in the kitchen! (Thanks to you!!). I’ve tried quite a few of your recipes throughout COVID; you’ve made this time SO much more pleasant: Thanks for sharing your passion & incredible recipes with us! (You should have your own TV show; we’d all watch!) Thanks Nagi; much love & gratitude Liz N xx
Hi. I’m planning to make this on the weekend for my mum’s birthday. I got a 2.5kg shoulder (bone in). Any suggestions on the cooking times? I really want to get this right. Thanks in advance ! And thanks for your website, your recipes are amazing !!!
Hi Alex, this recipe is so forgiving – you’re cooking low and slow until tender, I’d say it will take 3.5-4 hours – just check and top up the water in the bottom of the pan if necessary. Keep cooking until the meat is super tender. N x
thanks Nagi! It turned out perfect. I cooked on low for almost 4 hours and then turned the heat up for 20 min. We had your super crispy roasted potatoes with it and your crème brûlée for dessert. A very successful birthday and good-bye dinner. My mum just flew back to Germany after being stuck with us for 5 months in New Zealand. x
Hey – I am looking to also cook a shoulder with bone, 2.4kg.
When you say cook on low was that 180c (160c fan)? Thanks
Could you please let me know if this can be made a day in advance and reheated? I’d like to make pulled lamb rolls but need prepare most of it a day before. Do you think this meat would work for that or do you have other suggestions?
Yes 100% Ana!! Perfect to reheat in the microwave. N x
Great easy to do roast,
Hi Nagi, do you have a guide as to how to reduce or increase cooking times depending on the weight of the piece of meat? Is timing different for bone in vs boneless? Nadia
Hi Nadia, yes different times will be required depending on bone in or boneless and size. How big is the piece of lamb you’re using? N x
2 pound cut boneless. what should the cooking time be? THANK YOU!
This is the second time we’ve made lamb shoulder recently, first time did it on the Komado Joe bbq and second time in the oven as per your method. Easily my favourite roast now, we find there is so much left over we can make it into a second meal (it was lamb and veggie pies last time.) The only thing I would change is I would remove the lamb from the roasting tray before increasing the oven heat to 220 for the last 20 minutes. While crisping the skin the liquid dried out and the onion etc got burned, this made the gravy flavour quite bitter. Next time I’ll take the roasting tray out of the oven and pop the lamb on a clean tray to preserve those nice flavours for gravy.
Fall off the bone deliciousness! Gravy was the best I have made. Thank you Magic!
Does the cooking time change of the shoulder has been de-boned?
And would the seasoning of your Greek toasted leg of lamb work for the shoulder as well?
Hi Jess, yes it will change dependant on the weight – you can definitely use the lamb seasonings 🙂 N x
Had not cooked lamb shoulder before, always roasted a leg of lamb. This is amazing – full of flavour, tender, absolutely brilliant. Take the time and follow the recipe to do it right and you will be rewarded !! Thank you Nagi.
PS the gravy is awesome too.
Hi Nagi, in the middle of making this for dinner tonight. We can’t find beef broth. Can I use beef stock instead?
Hi Nagi, would it affect flavour if I leave the lamb all prepped (covered in olive oil etc) for a few hours before putting it in the oven?
No not at all Nadia! N x
I have not made one of your recipes yet that I haven’t liked. I found you a few months ago. The lamb and potatoes were delicious! We had it for dinner tonight and everyone went back for seconds… not much left for sandwiches.