Lamb Shoulder Roast (Fall Off the Bone Tender)

Tender lamb shoulder meat is shown pulled aprat next to the larger bone-in lamb shoulder roast with lemon halves and rosemary. All in a black roasting pan.

Lamb Shoulder Roast (Fall Off the Bone Tender)

Slow cooked lamb shoulder roast with a Mediterranean inspired wet rub. Incredibly easy to prepare, this recipe is excellent for a bone-in square-cut shoulder and also works for boneless shoulder roasts. Note that the total cook time depends on the type and the size of the lamb shoulder you are using.

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Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 5

Servings: -10 servings

Calories: 372kcal

Author: Milena Perrine

Ingredients

6 lbs lamb shoulder bone-in square-cut*
3-4 shallots
4-5 garlic cloves
4 sprigs rosemary
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard heaping
3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoon lemon juice
kosher salt to taste
black pepper to taste
1.5 cups chicken stock or water

Instructions

Make sure the lamb shoulder is at room temperature by leaving it on the counter for about an hour before you begin cooking. Pat it dry nicely with a paper towel.
Pre-heat oven to 450 F.
Rough chop the shallots and garlic, finely chop the rosemary leaves. Combine all three with the olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard and salt and pepper. Using a hand-held blender make a pasty wet rub.
Score the top of the lamb shoulder in a diamond pattern. Brush it all over with the wet rub. Place it inside a roasting pan fitted with a wire rack. Brown it for 30 minutes at 450 F.
Remove the lamb shoulder from the oven and reduce the temperature to 300 F. Add the chicken stock to the pan**. Tent the lamb shoulder with foil as shown above in the post.
Slow roast at 300 F for about 2 hours. Check on it and add some water to the pan. Keep tented and continue slow roasting. After another hour or so check for tenderness*** using a fork. Continue slow roasting until the meat is fork-tender and you can easily wiggle the scapula bone and remove it with tongs.
Serve the lamb shoulder partially pulled apart and submerged in the pan juices. Alternatively, you can place it inside a slow cooker set at warm.

Notes

* This is the average weight of a square-cut bone-in lamb shoulder. If yours is smaller, simply begin to check for tenderness earlier than instructed.

If using a boneless lamb shoulder roll roast, boneless shoulder roast or boneless arm roast also follow the recipe exactly as written but expect that the lamb shoulder be fully cooked and tender earlier. Check on it often after the first 2 hours at 300 F.

**It is important to maintain a good level of pan juices. The moisture helps the lamb cook gently and the delicious pan juices will be key to moistening the meat once you serve.

***This will give you an idea as to how much longer you will need to slow roast. A smaller shoulder will require less time, so will the boneless cuts. A very small boneless shoulder might be completely done after 2 hours!!

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will keep well for about 5 days and you can reheat them to make gyros, wraps, soup etc.

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