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….
Was amazing !! Thank you for posting. I also got inspired with the duck fat potatoes and honey carrots.. yum!
You’re so welcome Katrina!! N x
Hi again Nagi!
Went to the supermarket this morning and they had boned lamb shoulder roasts on special – so grabbed a couple for dinner.
Looked up your recipe when I got home – and cooked them as per your instructions later this arv.. Sooooooo good!
By choice I would have used ones with the bone in – but that’s not what they had. No matter. They both fit into my big cast-iron Dutch oven – and the meat was meltingly tender. But what really made it – was the gravy!
Really – just fantastic. And not at all difficult.
As soon as the lamb came out of the oven – a dish of your bread & butter pudding went in – but that’s another review entirely 😉
Thanks again!!
Woah sounds great Ron!!! I love hearing this!! N x
I have made this twice. The first time without the bone because I couldn’t get a decent bone in shoulder. Both cooked at a about 145c for 6 hours no bone and 4 hours bone in. Both turned out great, but bone in was definitely the start.
Hi! Yes I definitely prefer bone in too! N x
Followed the directions almost 100%. I used low sodium vegetable broth instead of water for the roast. It turned out excellent was fall off the bone tender and very good.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Norberto!
Nagi thanks for this recipe. Will definitely try this one although as I am undergoing Chemo treatment I will try in the slow cooker, which means I don’t have to spend time watching it and will finish the last stage in the oven. Many thanks
Perfect Sandi, I hope you love it! Good luck with all your treatment, sending strength and positive vibes your way! ❤️
Thanks for you good wishes.
Loved the Lamb and am looking forward to being able to have your Brazilian Fish Stew when I can eat spices.
Love your Recipes Nagi! 💕 By the way, can I do this with lamb shoulder that is in the baking net? My butcher doesn’t have lamb shoulder bone in.
Thank you, Nagi! Awesome recipe and easy. Just tried it today and it was perfect!
You’re so welcome Awad!!!
First time doing a shoulder and gravy from scratch. Used red wine.
All turned out great.
Lamb beautiful and tender.
Thanks for sharing it.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Jeff, sounds like you nailed it!!
This was an amazing way to cook the shoulder of lamb. My oven must be a little hotter because it was done after 3 hours but I was really amazing. This recipe is a keeper for sure
truly awesome. my go to recipe at least twice a month…
WOOT! I’m so happy you love it Mick!
I made this yesterday and it was amazing! I put it in my slow cooker though so and it was perfect. Everyone raved about it and my children had two serves which is unheard of! I also made the crunchy potatoes and they were the best I have ever tasted! Thank you – will definitely be doing this again!
WOOT! And it’s so easy isn’t it Belinda! I love that it was a hit with everyone ❤️
Absolutely delicious!! Thank you for this simple and easy recipe! I’m new to cooking lamb and thought this was fantastic.
That’s great to hear Stacy, there’s no turning back now!
Sooo good!! It turned out absolutely perfect. By far the best and easiest roast I’ve ever made. Thanks!
Wahoo!!! That’s great Rachael!
Hi there,
I am going to cook 2 x 1.5kg shoulders in the same tray. Do i need to double the water in the tray?
Ive also never done a lamb roast so I am a little nervous
Hi Jessopi – no need to double the water as the cook time will be the same as the recipe (you’re not doubling cook time). I hope you love it!!
OMG! Just made this for our Un-Christmas dinner (NHS so worked on Christmas Day) and it was totally awesome. Followed it to a tee (red wine and water version) and it’s seriously the best lamb either of us has ever eaten! And that includes a Michelin starred restaurant too! Totally delicious 😋
I was cooking this for the third time and got caught out forgetting to reduce the temp from the pre-heat. Love the recipe, but really, is there any reason to over heat the oven when you’re going to be cooking for 3.5 hours? Just seems like an unnecessary risk!
Can I cook at higher heat/sear the lamb shoulder at the beginning of the process rather then the end?
Is it ok to rub the lamb with wine before roasting?
Could I do the rosemary and garlic ‘suffing’ the day before and keep in fridge overnight?
Hi Nagi,
The recipe sounds delicious. I’m planning to make it tomorrow – although I have 2 lamb shoulders (as I took note of your comments and don’t want to run out of lamb for my 6 guests) – each shoulder approx 1.4kg. I will cook them both together in the same big tray. Do I just follow the same cook time as in the recipe?
Thankyou!!
Hi Nagi,
I ended up cooking the 2 shoulders together following the cook times in your recipe – and they turned out perfectly. I’ve never had lamb so succulent & tender. Between the 6 of us there were NO leftovers :). Thanks & Merry Christmas!!
Hi! Is there a difference in fall apart juicy-ness between this shoulder and the leg in the slow cooker? Or are hey equally juicy? I usually make lamb shanks for this reason, but this looks easier!
Both are just as good as each other when slow cooked!