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….
Hi Nagi, my wife — no slouch in the kitchen! — saw the results of this recipe (including the potatoes) and asked if I’d picked up dinner at a restaurant. Nothing I come up with could be higher praise than that!
WOAH, that is a massive compliment!!! So glad you rocked it Phil! N x
hi nagi
this and your one-pot chicken is a huge HIT in our family !!! SO SO SO YUMMY !!!
question, with the lamb … i seem to get tears easily in my aluminium foil when covering the roasting pan … can i make this using a dutch oven with lid???
LOVE your videos 🙂
WOO HOO! I am SO GLAD YOU ENJOYED THIS ANNE! Thank you so much! And yes you can definitely use a dutch oven 🙂
My butcher only sells boneless shoulder lamb, how much time should I cook it?
Hi Eleanore! Do you know how much it weighs? 🙂
Hi Nagi
I have not bought it yet but I was thinking about 1.5kg for 6 people.
Hi Eleonore! I think about 2 hours covered will do it, then follow recipe for uncovered time 🙂
Hi, we live in New Zealand and I made this roast and the crunchy potatoes yesterday. We used a leg of lamb also which were told not to in the recipe and it was perfect – so much flavour and tender. The roast potatoes were crunchy and the gravy was delish. Will be keeping the recipe to impress my parents!! Thanks
Hi Lani! I’m so glad you enjoyed this and it worked with lamb leg 🙂 I find that leg needs longer to slow cooker until tender than shoulder which is why I say to use shoulder! NZ lamb is really great though, so maybe that’s what it was!
Hi Nagi, can I use a slow cooker for this recipe and how long should I leave it in there for?
Hi Nicole! Yes you can use a slow cooker – 10 hours on low, but then it will need 20 minutes in a 220C oven to get a nice brown crust on it. 🙂
Hi Nagi, so after it’s been in the slow cooker for 10 minutes, do I then proceed to step 8 (roasting with water in pan)??
Sorry I meant 10 hours
Hi Phyllis! It won’t need roasting after cooking in the slow cooker except to brown the surface if you want 🙂
I haven’t had much luck when cooking lamb. I have found a lamb chop recipe that my family loves. My 10 year old son just brought up some shoulder steaks to defrost. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with it, but now I know! My question is how do you reheat the lamb after it has sat for a couple hours? Thanks so much. Glad I found your website.
Hi Gayle!I must say, I haven’t tried this with shoulder steaks but the flavours will be fabulous with this! To reheat, I sometimes just pop it in the microwave, otherwise cover with foil and reheat in a 180C/350F oven 🙂 I’m glad you found me too! Are in Australia too?
No, I live in the states. We purchase 2 bum lambs 2 years ago to teach our kids some responsibility with farm animals. We didn’t realize that we would like Lamb as much as we do. Well my husband and kids anyway. We bought two more this spring since we plan on using it all up by the time these ones are ready.
To die for!!! Fantastic recipe. Made a delicious dinner for my husband’s birthday with your truly crunchy roasted potatoes.
Thanks for the awesome recipes!!!
Lucky hubby! Pass on HAPPY BIRTHDAY from me! 🙂
Hi I wanted to try your recipe, looks so good!!
But bought lamb leg by mistake…>_<…
Why is lamb leg not working with your recipe??
Hi Junko! This will work ok with lamb leg too 🙂 It just works better with shoulder because it has more fat!
Thank you Nagi!
Wow. I made this tonight along with the potatoes and I can’t even describe how amazing it was. Had to make a couple changes (flour for semolina and cooked in a slow cooker and crisped up in the oven with the potatoes) but it was the best lamb, and the best potatoes I’ve ever made. Thanks!
Woah! SO GLAD you enjoyed it so much Dawn, THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME KNOW!!! N x
This looks wonderful Nagi, your photos are always so mouthwatering!
Thank you so much Laureen, you’re too kind! 🙂
Wow, this roasted lamb is gorgeous! It’s quite difficult to get lamb shoulder here (I really need to get up early on weekend so I can grab one before sold out!), but I need to try out this! The slow roasting method sounds wonderful and I love the heavy garlicky seasoning. YUM!
Thanks Maggie! YES get up early and grab one, this is totally worth it!! 🙂
I love, love, love slow roasted lamb shoulder. I’ve braised it in coconut milk and other times I’ve rubbed it with Herbie’s Ras el hanout but now I want this one. Gosh it looks good, Nagi.
Oh my gosh, coconut milk?? That’s so different but a sure fire HIT Maureen!! I need to try that! 🙂
What a gorgeous meal! I’ve always been intimidated to cook lamb. I need to give this a try or better yet, any leftovers? 😉
Thank you Sandra! 🙂 Hope you do try it. Really easy, virtually foolproof! 🙂
It does look good and tender! Love the way it’s browned from the outside. Best of all, cheaper and tastier!!! Thanks for sharing!
Julie & Alesah
Gourmet Getaways xx
Thank you for your lovely comment Julie and Alesah!! 🙂
Oh man… I want to come to one of your family dinners! This looks incredibly delicious, and very grand indeed!
So come on over Allie! And you’ll bring a cake, right?? 🙂
Lamb looks yum Nagi but those crunchy potatoes made my mouth water!! I mean look at those crispy cruunchy skin!! Yumm.
Thank you Ami!! 🙂
You are speaking my kind of meat! I Love lamb and it is expensive at the Markets where it is carried, so having an *’inferior’ cut taste this yummy is wonderful. Nagi when I sold vino, one restaurant that was ONE of my faves served New Orleans style food. As I became friends with the owner I found out his ‘strategy’…. *they bought what he called ‘inferior’ pieces of meat, ones that other restaurants passed over because they needed to be slow braised, it took longer. He took those meats like a lamb shoulder, slow braised them and lines were out the door. His profits were better but so were his prices, and we know slow cooked meats taste wonderful when cooked well. Have I told you I LOVE your recipes 🙂 <3 😉 ??? !!! P.S. That restaurant is still in business after 8 years…AND he and his wife were in their 20's when they started! Smart kids! RAINING in Portland, Lisa.
Clear blue skies today here in Sydney!! Sorry, shouldn’t rub it in 🙂 Well that restaurant knows what they’re doing, that’s for sure! “Inferior” cuts are always the best. They have the best flavour, hands down, every single protein. Beef cheeks, drumsticks, wings, brisket, chuck – all my favourite cuts are the cheap cuts!! I very rarely cook with tenderloin and backstrap. And I am VERY selective about what I use chicken breast for!! 🙂 I am glad you like the look of this Lisa! (PS I call wine “vino” too….it’s a very Aussie thing!!) 🙂
Nagi, dude, this is freaking beautiful!!! I love this! slow roasted anything is delicious in my book. . and don’t even worry about the carrots. . you didn’t need to show them. The lamb shoulder is gorgeous on it’s own!! wow!!!!
Thanks so much Alice! 🙂
This lamb looks falling-off-the-bone good. I like how the prep time is short, but it yields a very fancy and impressive dinner! I’ll keep this in mind when I cook for guests! I like it when one dish can be kept in the oven while I use the stove top for others ~ I’m sure this lamb will be a crowd pleaser.
Thanks Sarah! I do like to think this is a crowd pleaser! 🙂
What naughty doggies you have, Nagi! But did you at least save them a bone … just a little one?
I think I told you that I roasted a lamb roast similar to this a while ago – with vegemite and honey! But I did your little trick too with the rosemary and garlic – isn’t that just the best? I over-cooked mine, though, and ended up adding a bit of pink in photoshop (yes, what a big cheater).
So … thanks so much for the tips. Will be coming back here next time!
Love the photos, too – gorgeous!
Of COURSE he got a bone. How could I resist? Cutest dog EVER!:)