Slow cooked lamb shoulder | Jamie Oliver lamb recipes (2024)

FAQs

How to slow cook lamb shoulder jamie oliver? ›

Cover the tray tightly with a double layer of tin foil and place in the oven. Turn down the oven temperature to 170ºC/325ºF/gas 3 and cook for 3½ to 4 hours, or until the lamb is soft, melting and sticky and you can pull it apart with a fork. Gently break up the meat, pull out the bones, and extract any herb stalks.

Each slow cooker meal's cooking time differs depending on the meat and its weight. The low setting is important so you don't overcook it, potentially leaving you with a dry or tough meal.

No, you don't have to brown lamb before slow cooking. The meat will still become moist and fall-off-the-bone tender. However, the slow cooker will never be hot enough to brown the meat, so if you decide to skip this step be aware that the finished dish may look paler than expected.

Cuts of lamb that are popular for slow cooking include the shoulder, leg, forequarter, shanks, neck chops, lamb ribs, and some sausages. These cuts are usually tougher because they have lots of connective tissue and fats, but this makes them perfect for slow and low methods of cooking.

Slow cooking in liquid transforms tougher cuts of lamb into fork-tender meat. Neck, shoulder and belly, either diced or as whole joints, are the best cuts for slow cooking and need to be cooked for at least 2 hrs at 150C to soften the meat.

Place the lamb shoulder on top and roast for 20 minutes. Carefully remove the tray from the oven and cover tightly with a double layer of tin foil, then return to the oven, turn the heat down to 160ºC/315ºF/gas 2½, and cook for 4 hours, or until the meat pulls easily away from the bone.

Reducing the heat, covering and adding water to the tray keeps it moist. It means the spice rub doesn't burn, and adds to the pan juices for sauce making. Cooking slow for over 7 hours allows the fat to render over time yielding a seriously tender and fall apart roast.

Slow-cooking lamb requires patience. While cooking, resist the urge to keep checking on the lamb and refrain from opening the oven or slow cooker. Opening the lid or foil too often will lower the temperature and extend the cooking time, making the meat less juicy and tender.

Once the meat thermometer is reading 80° – 85°C for sliced and 90° – 95°C for pulled, take your lamb off the kettle grill, wrap in an aluminum foil and allow the lamb to rest for 15 – 20 minutes. Carve the meat off the bone with a slicing knife.

How do you know when slow cooked lamb is ready? ›

After 5 hrs the meat will be cooked and offer no resistance to the knife. There is no need to rest the meat when cooked in this way, but to finish the sauce, transfer the meat and vegetables to a serving dish.

However, if you leave lamb in the slow cooker for too long it will become stringy and dry. Although it's still edible, it won't have the same tender juiciness that you want from slow-cooked lamb.

LAMB SHOULDER ROAST

The shoulder of any animal bears a lot of weight and will be a tough cut that needs to be cooked low and slow in order to break down the connective tissue and make it tender. It is different from the "leg of lamb," which comes from the rear leg, and is leaner and more tender.

Lower temp = more succulent meat – Tough cuts like lamb shoulder need slow-cooking to tenderise them. The lower the roasting temperature, the less total moisture evaporation and thus juicier meat.

A leg of lamb is naturally quite tough, since the muscle has had to work so hard, so benefits from being cooked low and slow in a slow cooker. This recipe is cooked in lamb stock and red wine to create a delicious gravy to serve your lamb with.

Cook lamb, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Cover with foil and cook for a further 3-3 ½ hours or until meat is tender and falling off the bone, adding a little more stock during the cooking time, if necessary.

The leg gives neater, leaner pieces of meat than the shoulder, but both are meltingly tender and have fantastic flavour. Great slow-roasted in a covered pan for many hours, until the meat is literally falling off the bone.

Once the meat thermometer is reading 80° – 85°C for sliced and 90° – 95°C for pulled, take your lamb off the kettle grill, wrap in an aluminum foil and allow the lamb to rest for 15 – 20 minutes.

This part of the animal works hard, so the meat from a lamb's shoulder is full of flavour. It takes a while to become tender, but this means it's a great choice for stewing and slow-roasting. To maximise the flavour, cook lamb shoulder on the bone so the meat simply falls apart when pulled with a fork.