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….
Can the slow cooked lamb shoulder recipe be done in a crock pot? If so,how long and high vs low? Thanks
Hi! Love your recipes. Is there anyway you can do this in a slow cooker?
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!
Hi Mitch – it will be a similar time to the 1.8kg one! N x
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.
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.
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
Can you use this for yiros?
You can Nicole, or you can try my doner kebab recipe for lamb here: https://salesdock.info/doner-kebab-meat-recipe-beef-or-lamb/%3C/a%3E N x
I wasn’t clear on which way to set the lamb shoulder in the pan.
Hi Nagi!
I really love your recipes. Thank you so much for sharing them. I’m wanting to cook the slow shoulder roast in the oven for the first time.
How would I go about cooking a medly of roast vegetables example potato, carrot, pumpkin etc to serve with the roast when the temp is very low at 100°?
Thanks in anticipation,🌻
Stef.
Hi Jill – you would usually cook it with the fat cap/skin side up as it protects the meat more. N x
Thank you <3
Fabulous — the tenderest lamb shoulder I’ve ever cooked. Just need to adjust the cooking times for spuds & roast onions, which were still a little underdone after 1 and 1.5 hours before the lamb came out, respectively.
Maybe a silly question can I slow cooker this rather than use a oven… Thank you
I’ve used the same recipe in the slow cooker, on high for 6-8 hours, but Nagi’s oven method in this recipe is truly superior. It’s the only way I cook lamb now.
ah thank you for your recommendation il stick with the oven 🙂
Nagi, thank you for your amazing recipes! I have tried quite a few now and find that they work as described every time without fail!
I had a crack at your Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder w Garlic & Rosemary on Christmas Day… it was fab!
This is fabulous!! I am presently living in Portugal and stumbled across Pá de Borrego, lamb shoulder. Your commentary is very informative and I am thrilled that I just found your website.
Hi Nagi just wondering beef stock or broth? Video says stock but instructions say broth
I use those two interchangeably Phil! N x
Hi Nagi,
Is this recipe good to do in a slow cooker?
I would love to know as well! Thanks so much Nagi. Your recipes makes my heart sing ❤️
Hi Nagi,
The lamb shoulder is absolutely amazing. Could I ask if I do it for Christmas Day and after left two hours to rest, how to reheat it so that it stil have the crisp and tenderness please?
Thanks! Michelle
Hi Michelle – there are reheating instructions in the notes under this recipe that you can use: https://salesdock.info/ultimate-roast-lamb-12-hour-shoulder/%3C/a%3E N x
Hi Nagi,
Thanks for your reply. I saw the reheating instruction. You mentioned 150 degree cover with foil, do you know how long would that be please?
Many thanks
Michelle
Hi Nagi;
I have a 2.3 Kg shoulder, what cooking time would you suggest for a roast this size.
Cheers
Terry
It will only be slightly longer than the 1.8kg one – maybe 30 more minutes. N x
How long will a 15 lb or 10 lb take?
Planning to cook it for thanksgiving.
Hi Nova – I have never seen a 5kg (10 lb) shoulder of lamb…they usually run about 5 lbs max. N x
Hi! Thanks for this recipe! I’m not the person who you were originally replying to, but I just purchased a 6.1lb shoulder and was wondering how long you would recommend roasting it. Also, how deep should the liquid that’s initially added to the pan be? A certain percentage of the way up the roast,
How did this go timing wise? Have a similar size shoulder
Love the look of this slow roast lamb. Will try it for Christmas Day. Thanks.
I have a 2kg boneless rolled shoulder. How do I work out my cooking times? Can anyone help??
Well my Sunday roast just got amplified. This is a truly brilliant recipe, Puled lamb sandwiches for lunch tomorrow as well and three happy bellies 🙂
Everyone who posts a slow roasted lamb shoulder recipe online says it’s the best, but in my experience this one actually IS the best recipe. Especially if you want a more natural flavour, to accompany fancy vegetables sides. I matched this with Ottolenghi’s “Twice baked feta potatoes with za’atar pesto” recipe and it was a show stopper. My portions 2 x 1.3kg shoulders for 10 people was perfect (also served a light entree, cheese course and dessert). Thank you for this great recipe it will be my go-to from now on.
Did you cook both the portions of 1.3 kg at one go or separately?
Does the taste improves next day?
I had throat cancer last year, and it has left me with Xerostomia (Dry Mouth) and Dysphagia. I have never eaten much lamb, but the fineness of the fibres and the fattiness of the meat make it reasonably easy to eat and swallow, so it is now our’go to’ Sunday Roast. I made this a couple of weeks ago for me and my wife, and it was absolutely gorgeous, There was enough left for a stew on Monday, and I chopped up what was left to make a cottage pie on Tuesday. I have another one going in the oven later today. 🙂
Hi Martin – wishing you all the best with your recovery and I am certainly glad that the lamb is something you are able to enjoy. N x