Slow roast lamb shoulder
This slow roast lamb recipe is one of our household's favourite Eid or holiday recipes. The slow-cooked lamb becomes soft, juicy and unctuous.
Equipment
- Oven
Ingredients
- 1 whole Lamb shoulder Ask the butcher to keep a small layer of fat on the lamb. FAT IS FLAVOUR
- table salt ½ tsp per kg of lamb
Spice paste (per lamb shoulder)
- 1 tbsp rosemary fresh or dried, diced
- ½ tbsp mustard powder
- 1 tsp black pepper powder
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp garlic paste
- 1 tbsp white vinegar or substitute with any vinegar
- 1 tsp red chilli powder optional, to satisfy the inner desi
Stock
- 3 medium onions roughly chopped
- 1 large large carrot roughly chopped
- 2 stick celery roughly chopped
- 500 ml water preferably filtered water
Instructions
- Dry brine the lamb shoulder overnight, by sprinkling salt over the lamb. Refrigerate overnight.
- Make a spice paste with the ingredients listed above.
- Slather the spice paste on the lamb shoulder.
- Add 3 roughly chopped onions, 1 roughly chopped large carrot, and 2 roughly chopped sticks of celery to the bottom of an oven tray.
- Add an oven rack on the oven tray and place the spiced pasted Lamb shoulder on an oven rack. Cook on Gas Mark 8 (230C) for 45mins. Check periodically to ensure the lamb shoulder isn't burning.
- After 45mins. Remove the oven rack and place the Lamb shoulder on the veggies.
- Add 500ml water to the vegetables. Place a piece of baking parchment on the lamb, followed by two layers of heavy-duty aluminium foil. Crimp edges to ensure a good seal.
- Place in the oven on the lowest setting for 6 hours. Approx 120°C (just less than gas mark 1).
- After 6 hours, the lamb should be tender to the touch.
Gravy
- Strain out the vegetables to make a stock with the braising liquid. Cover the lamb with foil and rest in the residual heat of the oven.
- Add the strained liquid to a food-safe ziplock bag.
- You should be able to see the fat on-top of the stock. We need to remove the fat for the gravy.
- How does the hack work?
- Snip one of the bottom edges of the ziploc bag.
- Until all stock is drained and only fat remains.
- To make the gravy.Traditional:1. Melt 4 tbsp butter, add 4 tbsp flour and whisk on a medium heat until the flour becomes brown and gives off a nutty smell. 2. Slowly whisk in the stock.3. Cook until the gravy starts to thicken.4. Season with salt and MSG (Optional)Modern1. Add 0.3% xantham gum for the volume of stock2. Hand blend until combined3. Season with salt and MSG (Optional)
- Chalo Roast Kawa
- The meat is soft, juicy and unctuous.
- Serve with roast potatoes, tenderstem brocolli, creamed spinach and mint sauce.
Questions
- Why add baking parchment, as well as foil?
- How many people does a lamb shoulder feed?
- What's the difference between lamb leg and shoulder?
