Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder

Roast lamb is a classic meal for family gatherings on ANZAC Day (our national day of remembrance on 25th April honouring fallen soldiers.)  There are basically two cooking methods - quickly in a hot oven and serve it medium rare, or slowly in a moderate oven until the meat is super tender.  I prefer the latter, the way a 'yaya' (Greek grandmother) taught me.  I use boneless, butterflied lamb shoulder in this recipe, a fatty but juicy cut of meat, flavoured with a generous amount of garlic and rosemary.  Instead of the traditional gravy, serve the roast with its tasty, natural juices after skimming off the fat.  Enjoy a scrumptious meal with crispy roast potatoes and greens on the side.

Serves

 

INGREDIENTS

• 1.2 kg /  2lb 10oz boneless, butterflied lamb shoulder*
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large onion, sliced into wedges
• 6 whole garlic gloves with skins on
• 2 fresh rosemary sprigs
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup red wine

*You can also use bone-in lamb shoulder, which has even more flavour but would require a little more cooking time, or lamb shoulder that has been boned and rolled (often tied with twine or in netting).

METHOD

1. Place the lamb in a large dish and rub all over with olive oil, dried rosemary, chopped garlic, salt and pepper.
2. In a medium size roasting pan, place onion wedges, whole garlic cloves and rosemary sprigs.
3. Fold the lamb up and place in the pan on top of the vegetables.  Pour in water and wine.
4. Cover lamb with a piece of baking paper, then with foil and seal tightly on all sides of the pan.  Place lamb in a preheated 180°C/350°F oven to slow cook for 2½ hours.
5. Remove lamb from the oven after 2½ hours.  The lamb should be very tender.  Check to see if the meat comes apart easily with 2 forks.  Cover and return it to the oven to cook a little longer if necessary.  There should be plenty of liquid in the pan.  Add more water if it is looking dry.  
6. When you are happy with the tenderness of the meat,  turn the oven up to 200°C /400°F and cook the lamb, uncovered, for a further 15-20 minutes to brown the top.
7. Remove lamb from the oven and transfer to a platter.  Cover loosely with foil and let it rest for at least 15 minutes.
8. Drain the liquid from the pan into a jug to remove solids and then skim off fat.  (A fat separator jug like the one pictured above is handy for this task.)  Drizzle sauce over the lamb.