Slow-Roast Lamb Shoulder with Garlic and Rosemary

Name: Slow-Roast Lamb Shoulder with Garlic and Rosemary
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 7 h 15 min
Total time: 7 h 40 min
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Ingredients: 2½ kg (5½ lb) bone-in lamb shoulder, serves 6–8; 22 g (1 tbsp + 1 tsp) fine sea salt, about 0.9%; 1 head of garlic, 6 cloves sliced, the rest halved; 4 sprigs rosemary; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper; 3 onions, thickly sliced; 200 ml (¾ cup + 1 tbsp) dry white wine; 300 ml (1¼ cups) water or stock; 1 lemon, juice, to finish; Salsa Verde or Tzatziki, to serve

Seven hours in a low oven until it pulls apart with a spoon

Serves: 8
Hands-on: 25 min
Total: 7 h 40 min
Level: Easy

A bone-in lamb shoulder is the most forgiving roast there is. Studded with garlic and rosemary, set on onions with a little wine, tightly covered and left in a low oven most of the day, it turns into soft, juicy meat you can pull apart with a spoon, with a pan full of juices for sauce. Uncover at the end to brown.

Ingredients

2½ kgbone-in lamb shoulder (5½ lb)serves 6–8
22 gfine sea salt (1 tbsp + 1 tsp)about 0.9%
1head of garlic6 cloves sliced, the rest halved
4 sprigsrosemary
2 tbspolive oil
1 tspfreshly ground black pepper
3onionsthickly sliced
200 mldry white wine (¾ cup + 1 tbsp)
300 mlwater or stock (1¼ cups)
1lemonjuice, to finish
Salsa Verde or Tzatzikito serve

Diet: Gluten-free
Allergens: sulphites, celery, fish, mustard, milk
Origin: Mediterranean
Season: Spring, All

Method

Heat the oven to 160°C (325°F). With a small sharp knife, make 20–25 deep slits all over the lamb. Push a garlic slice and a small rosemary tuft into each.
Rub the lamb all over with the oil, salt and pepper.
Spread the onions and halved garlic head in a roasting pan just bigger than the lamb. Set the lamb on top, skin side up. Pour the wine and water around.
Cover tightly with two layers of foil, crimping the edges, and roast for 30 minutes. Then lower the oven to 140°C (285°F) and roast for 5–6 hours more, until the meat is very tender and the bone wiggles loose. 6 h
Check the meat: it should pull apart easily with a spoon. It will be around 90–95°C (195–203°F) — lamb is safe from 63°C (145°F), but shoulder needs this temperature for its connective tissue to melt.
Uncover, turn the oven up to 220°C (425°F) and roast 20–30 minutes, basting once, until the outside is browned and crisp at the edges. 25 min
Rest 20 minutes, loosely covered. Meanwhile, skim the fat from the pan juices, mash in the soft onions and garlic, add the lemon juice and season. 20 min
Pull the meat into chunks with two forks and serve with the juices and salsa verde or tzatziki, with flatbreads or roast potatoes.

Why it works

Shoulder is a hard-working muscle laced with collagen and fat, which needs long, moist heat at 85–95°C to dissolve. The covered pan traps steam so the meat braises in its own juices rather than drying out, and the low oven keeps the outside from overcooking while the inside softens. The final uncovered blast browns the surface for flavor and texture.

Common mistakes

A loose foil cover lets steam escape and the meat dries. Seal it tightly.
Pulling it too early. If it resists the spoon, give it another hour.
Not skimming the juices — lamb fat is strong and turns the sauce greasy.

Variations

Middle Eastern spices: Rub the lamb with 2 tsp each ground cumin and coriander, 1 tsp smoked paprika and ½ tsp cinnamon; serve with Tahini Sauce.
Greek kleftiko: Add potatoes, tomatoes, oregano and a little feta to the pan for the last 2 hours of covered cooking.

Make ahead and storage

Roast completely, cool and refrigerate up to 2 days; reheat covered at 160°C (325°F) for 45 minutes, then uncover to crisp. Shredded leftovers freeze for 3 months.

Notes

For a fan oven, use 140°C (285°F) then 120°C (250°F). Use stock instead of wine for alcohol-free. Celery only if you use stock rather than water; fish and mustard only from the salsa verde, milk only from the tzatziki.