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….
This recipe looks amazing but our local butcher only does a 2.4kg cut of bone in lamb shoulder. Will that work for this recipe or is it too big?
Hi Nagi, my lamb shoulder is 2.6kg! How long would you recommend cooking for? Thanks in advance!!
Answer on this? I have 3kg bone in
Did you ever get a response to your question? Trying to feed 8 and need help on size &,cooking time!
I just asked a similar question. Did you have any luck with yours? Did it need longer cooking?
My wife’s recently been buying small, ready-to-roast boneless rolled lamb shoulder joints (~0.9kg/~2lb) (from Morrisons UK, BTW) and for some time I’ve been looking for a cooking method that delivers a near-kleftiko combination of falling-apart-but-juicy results.
Congratulations: This Is The One!! Fabulous – so many thanks,
I brought lamb shoulder to make this, when I got home I noticed that it’s a forequarter lamb shoulder…will it still work out fine if I follow thus recipe???
Lucky you.
You can just cut the forequarter off (= forequarter chops) or follow Nagi’s weight tips.
I realised the butcher gave me the same today! I’m so disappointed! I’m not risking trying this recipe, it just looks so different to Nagy’s. I’m taking it back to the butcher tomorrow.
Ladies — you were given the correct cut. Lamb Shoulder (also called Chuck) comes from the front of the animal, not the hind. It is the lamb equivalent of pork butt or Boston butt. I get the irony of the name, however you are going to be fine. In Provence, they will fight over this cut. Bon Apetit…….
Hi Kristy, mine still turned out great still followed the same instructions.
Hi Nagi,
How do you adjust for bigger cuts. Mine is 2.1kg.
Thanks
Cooking this one tonight, with roasted Med Veg & Mulled wine Looking forward to book coming out soon, I hope Regards John n Kaz
would this recipe work for a rolled lamb shoulder roast too?
thanks
Meant to do this last Sunday, but was too tired so we had a Monday roast instead, there are no rules when it comes to food. We all enjoyed it and mastered the gravy. I put a bit too much garlic in the lamb but we love garlic anyway and we were not attacked by vampires either. Have a good weekend (it started early here in the UK) Rakel & family x
Hi! Would this work baked in a dutch oven instead of a roasting tray?
I think that it would Hazel as long as it fits in the pot! N x
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?
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
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!
I’m so happy you enjoyed it Judy!! N x
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.
I hope you were making it for Mother’s Day!! You are a good person taking care of your mum!! N x
This was my first ever roast and it turned out perfect! Thank you Nagi 🙂
Way to go Bec!! I am glad that you nailed it! N x
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 😊
You cooked two of my most popular Easter recipes!! N x
Super easy-to-follow directions for a lovely lamb roast!
Woo hoo Cookie!! I am so glad that you enjoyed it!! N x
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.
I am so glad you enjoyed it Nicola!! N x
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.
how long to cook a 1.7kg rolled boneless lamb shoulder?
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 😬
Yes Tee – slow cooked meat freezes beautifully as it doesn’t dry out! N x
Great! Thanks Nagi x
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.
Hi Nagi – I have a 2.2 kg shoulder; should I increase the cook time?
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
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