Mains · By Sharon
Lamb Shoulder Roast
Phil and Brooke's move to include sheep in their ranching in 2025 was an occasion for celebration! Like their beef and pork, the lamb is truly memorable. For the first time, we had a whole lamb in our freezer, and started in with the shoulder roasts. Jamie Oliver's slow-cooked lamb shoulder video had us salivating, and convinced us that this cut was better than the more typical, and far more expensive, leg of lamb (although the leg of lamb is very fine indeed). There is a depth of flavor in the bone-meat coming from the active shoulder muscles that can't be matched. This recipe is very simple, with most of the magic coming from the 4 hours of slow-roasting (and arguably, from the full bulb of garlic used). With its richness, a bold red that has a good balance of acidity is the perfect pairing. A Bordeaux red or a Bordeaux style red blend from the Okanagan will offer this balance, as will a good Australian Shiraz.
Ingredients
- 3.5–4 lb lamb shoulder (bone in). Note: you will end up with about half that weight in cooked meat — about 2 lbs (there is a lot of bone and fat in a shoulder roast). It is very rich meat and so will serve 4.
- 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 cornstarch
- 2 cups beef broth (or 1 cup red wine + 1 cup water)
- Salt and pepper
Method
- 1
Preheat oven to 425°F (convection).
- 2
Rub the lamb with the olive oil, salt and pepper.
- 3
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.
- 4
Stuff bits of rosemary and garlic slivers into the holes (chopstick helpful!).
- 5
Place the onion, halved garlic bulb and rosemary in the base of a roasting pan. Place the lamb on top. Pour water around.
- 6
Cover with lid or tightly with a double layer of foil. Place in the oven, and TURN DOWN to 350°F (180°C / 160°C fan).
- 7
Slow roast, covered: roast, covered with the foil, for 3 hours.
- 8
Brown it, uncovered: remove foil, check to ensure there's still liquid in the pan. If not, add ¾ cup water (otherwise onion/garlic will burn). Turn up the oven to 450°F and roast for a further 20 to 30 minutes, until the skin is browned and crisp.
- 9
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 350°F until you can do so.
- 10
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).
- 11
Serve with gravy, and roasted potatoes.
Gravy
- 1
Tilt the pan and use a spoon to remove all but around 2 tbsp of fat (try to avoid scooping out any juices).
- 2
Place the roasting pan on the stove over medium high heat. Add the cornstarch and stir to mix in with the fat.
- 3
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.
- 4
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 a bowl being sure to squeeze all juices out of garlic etc, then transfer into gravy jug.
A note from Sharon
Drink/wine pairing: a bold red — a Bordeaux style red-blend, or an Australian Shiraz. A Cab Sauv will work very well if it has a balance of acidity.
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