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Home Collections Roasts

Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder

By:Nagi
Published:10 Jun '18Updated:18 Aug '23
715 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

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 in a baking pan, fresh out of the one

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.

Gravy being poured over Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder on a plate with a side of roast potatoes and salad, ready to be eaten

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.

Photo of raw lamb shoulder, preparation of Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder

Overhead photo of Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder dinner with lamb, roast potatoes and salad

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

Potatoes au gratin (Dauphinoise Potatoes) fresh out of the oven
Potatoes au Gratin (Dauphinoise)
Close up of Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots on a tray, fresh out of the oven
Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots
Truly Crunchy Roast Potatoes - par boil, rough up the surface, dust with semolina then bake in a very hot oven in preheated oil. Based on a Nigella recipe.
Truly Crunchy Roast Potatoes
Close up of Duck Fat Potatoes fresh out of the oven
Duck Fat Potatoes – Crispiest, Best Roast Potatoes EVER!
Close up of Balsamic Dressing being drizzled over rocket salad with shaved parmesan
Rocket Salad with Balsamic Dressing and Shaved Parmesan
Pouring lemon dressing over green bean salad
Green Bean Salad
Cauliflower Cheese in a baking dish, fresh out of the oven ready to be served
Cauliflower Cheese
These Roasted Sweet Potato Stacks have crispy edges, are buttery, salty and sweet with a hint of rosemary. Terrific Sweet Potato side dish! recipetineats.com
Roasted Sweet Potato Stacks
Close up of freshly made Baked Mac and Cheese
Baked Mac and Cheese
Close up of a spoon scooping up a serving of creamy garlic parmesan Broccoli Casserole
Side Dishes
Close up of spoon scooping up Mashed Potato
Creamy Buttery Mashed Potato
Close up of Paris Mash (Rich & Creamy Mashed Potato) being scooped up with a spoon
Paris Mash (Rich Creamy Mashed Potato)
Close up of forkful of Green Bean Salad with Cherry Tomatoes and Feta
Side Salads
Rustic brown bowl of Creamy Cauliflower Mash topped with a drizzle of butter
Creamy Mashed Cauliflower

More Roast Lamb Recipes

I love a good roast lamb – so I’ve shared a few over the years!

Slow Roast Leg of Lamb on a white plate with part of the meat pried off to show how tender it is
Slow Roast Leg of Lamb
Rack of lamb on a plate with salsa verde
Rosemary Garlic Marinated Rack of Lamb (Roasted)
Roast lamb leg with roast potatoes
Roast Lamb Leg with Gravy
The most succulent and easiest lamb leg ever, this Slow Cooker Roast Lamb Leg takes minutes to prepare. The gravy is incredible! www.recipetineats.com
Slow Cooker Roast Lamb Leg
Slow Roasted GREEK Leg of Lamb - Tender fall apart lamb made the Greek way! Super easy.
Greek Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb
Slow Cooked Lamb Shawarma is meltingly tender and has the most heavenly fragrance. Quick to prepare, sensational for gatherings! recipetineats.com
Slow Cooked Lamb Shawarma
Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder in a baking pan, fresh out of the one
Roast Lamb

Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT

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Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder in a baking pan, fresh out of the one

Slow Roasted Rosemary Garlic Lamb Shoulder

Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats
Prep: 15 minutes mins
Cook: 3 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
Total: 3 hours hrs 45 minutes mins
Lamb, Roast
Western
4.99 from 202 votes
Servings4 - people
Tap or hover to scale
Print
  • 891
Recipe video above. Lamb shoulder is cheaper, juicier and easier to roast than leg. Infused with rosemary garlic flavours, this is not the sort of roast for carving, just pull the meat off with tongs. Make Crazy Crunchy Roast Potatoes while the lamb is resting!  

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:

1. Lamb shoulder - not to be confused with lamb leg which is a leaner cut of lamb with different cooking qualities. For lamb leg, use this recipe - Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb. Shoulder is fattier and therefore juicier, and with better lamb flavour.
  • 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.
2. Roasting potatoes - If you are making the Truly Crunchy Roast Potatoes, place the pan with oil in it in the shelf beneath the roast at step 8 i.e. when the lamb is being browned. Refer to separate recipe for full instructions.
3. Servings - a 1.5kg/3lb lamb shoulder yields about 700g/1.4lb of meat once cooked. This is because the meat shrinks while cooking, there's a giant bone running through the middle and a thick layer of fat on the surface that mostly melts. I find that a shoulder of that size serves about 4 people. Maybe 5 (not in my family!).
4. Nutrition per serving. This does not take into account the fat discarded before making the gravy and also assumes that all the gravy is used.
Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder Nutrition
Originally published February 2015, updated with new photos, new commentary and video - AND Life of Dozer added!

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 398gCalories: 575cal (29%)
Keywords: lamb shoulder, roast lamb shoulder, slow roasted lamb
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @recipe_tin.

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Life of Dozer

Hmm. Not surprising he’s interested in what’s going on here….

Dozer the golden retriever peeking around the corner at Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder being photographed

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Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative!

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715 Comments

  1. Zoe says

    November 29, 2023 at 6:13 pm

    5 stars
    This is my favourite lamb roast recipe, so tasty and easy. Loved by the whole family and everyone we’ve ever cooked it for.

    Reply
  2. Alana says

    November 24, 2023 at 12:16 pm

    OMG your lamb shoulder recipe is the best. I cooked it for the first time and had dinner guests, everyone went back for seconds! I am never going back to a leg of lamb again. I am also about to try your pork shoulder recipe. Thanks so much!!!

    Reply
  3. Trinette Cordeiro says

    October 15, 2023 at 7:01 pm

    It was outstanding 👏

    Reply
  4. Traci says

    October 1, 2023 at 7:08 am

    5 stars
    I made this recipe last night and it was AMAZING!! The gravy was outstanding! I think the only changes I made to it was to use dried rosemary and to add thick lemon slices on top before roasting. The addition of the lemon in the flavour of the lamb and the gravy was to die for!

    Reply
  5. Charlotte P says

    August 30, 2023 at 8:04 pm

    5 stars
    Thank you! Yet another triumph from someone who can’t cook very well 🙋🏽‍♀️ My husband was super impressed.

    In Nagi we trust!

    Reply
  6. Donna says

    June 10, 2023 at 5:51 pm

    Hi Nagi, I have just cooked your beautiful lamb shoulder and everyone has decided to go out 😱 how do I save and reheat for tomorrow night 🙏

    Reply
  7. Marcia says

    May 21, 2023 at 5:04 pm

    5 stars
    What can I say? Super easy and absolutely delicious!
    Had slow roasted lamb in a highbrow restaurant a couple of months back, not a patch on this!
    Not a fan of rosemary, so left it out, but the garlic & onion infused gravy was sublime.
    ( same again tonight 😋)

    Reply
  8. Alison Carter says

    April 18, 2023 at 4:39 pm

    Loved this recipe, so delicious and easy – used dukkah as that is what I had – served with duck fat roasted potatoes, cauliflower and brussel sprouts. Great sunday night dish. Thank you Nagi.

    Reply
  9. Adriana Di Antonio says

    April 17, 2023 at 8:09 pm

    Nagi, your recipe blew our minds! Such a mouthwatering gourmet dish for our Cyprus Easter lunch. You are the best! ❤️

    Reply
  10. Roz says

    April 9, 2023 at 4:26 pm

    5 stars
    Hi Nagi, made your slow cooked lamb and greek potatoes yesterday and I totally disage with the 5 star rating.. This recipe is more than worthy of a 10!!!!!
    Have made a version of slow cooked lamb previously which required turning every 2 hours, The lamb was absolutely delicious as were the potatoes
    The set and forget ease will make this wonderful dish a regular on my go to list for family gatherings ? I am off to buy a copy of your book and work my way through all the fab recipes!
    Thank you for all you so generously do

    Reply
  11. Lanre Makele says

    April 8, 2023 at 3:10 pm

    5 stars
    I love this recipe. Our family is growing, how big a shoulder can I go 6 adults, 2 teens and 2 youngsters?!

    Reply
  12. Stefanie says

    February 26, 2023 at 3:10 am

    5 stars
    Made this last night with 2 small lamb shoulder roasts and it was delicious!! Next time maybe less wine and talking while cooking as I forgot to add water and crisp up the lamb after 3 hrs. Oh well no gravy but we didn’t really miss it. 2 hungry females and there is only a small portion left!! Thanks for another hit!

    Reply
  13. Ryan says

    February 14, 2023 at 7:46 pm

    5 stars
    Daaaaaym!! Epic flavours. Extremely happy missus with this valentines dinner. Paired it with your duck fat potatoes and pan seared garlic broccolini! Thanks Nagi

    Reply
  14. Ern says

    February 12, 2023 at 11:37 am

    4 stars
    It’s better still with hogget (teenaged sheep). Or saltbush lamb/hogget. In Melbourne, see the Little Creek Cattle Company.

    Reply
  15. Luke Smithers says

    February 3, 2023 at 5:27 pm

    5 stars
    At tip for resting slow roasted joints of meat and keeping them warm. Wrap in foil and then a couple of tea towels as mentioned for this recipe but then place the joint into a small esky! Just like esky’s keep thing cold they can also keep things warm!

    Reply
  16. Karen Hawke says

    February 2, 2023 at 3:42 pm

    5 stars
    Absolutely amazing 12 hr lamb shoulder, so tender and juicy

    Reply
  17. Kylee says

    January 9, 2023 at 8:49 pm

    Nagi I love you! You’ve taught me how to cook!! Everything I cook from you turns out amazing. Did the lamb again tonight and it was amazing as always. People think im a gourmet cook but it’s all thanks to you!!

    Reply
  18. Jan says

    January 4, 2023 at 12:12 pm

    I just made this for my family, and it was delicious. It was such a large shoulder, I have a lot of shredded lamb left over. What can I do with this cooked lamb?

    Reply
  19. Theodora says

    December 24, 2022 at 10:42 pm

    5 stars
    Amazing ! Turned out falling apart tender. I took it to a Christmas dinner party and everyone loved it 😊
    The only thing that was a bit stressful to me was, that it took 1,5 hrs longer to cook covered. (Therefore I was running late ).
    I bought a bigger size of meat, and 3hrs was far from enough.

    Reply
  20. John MacLeod says

    November 7, 2022 at 9:40 am

    5 stars
    This recipe is absolutely delicious….I’ve made it several times.

    Reply
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Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

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