Lamb shank is a classic. A 3-hour shoulder is great. But for the best roast lamb of your life, roast it slowly for 12 hours in the oven. You can cook it on very low heat with plenty of oil, set it and forget about it. This is made by hand, the simple way of cooking is very beneficial and besides it is 100% perfect and you can cook up to 4 shoulders at once.
Here’s a favorite recipe from my previous cookbook, “dinner day,” in the popular request!
What’s so amazing about a 12 hour lamb, anyway?
This Super 3 Hour Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder is packed with garlic and rosemary has many loyal fans. The 3-hour lamb meat that you can throw in the oven for Sunday lunch that night will have a place in my life.
So why should you pray for 12 hours? Because it’s better. Look, it’s like flying. Consider the 3-hour lamb business class. That’s great and no one on the receiving end will complain.
But 12 Hours of Lamb is next, top shelf—it’s the best. When you fly first class, it’s hard to see anything else the same!
Here’s what makes 12-hour lamb special:
- Low heat = more juicy meat – tough meats like lamb shoulder need to be slow cooked to tenderize. The lower the temperature, the less moisture will evaporate and the meat will be more juicy. 3-hour lamb is cooked at 180°C / 350°F, while 12-hour lamb is cooked only at 100°C / 212°F.
The flavor is better—not only is the meat more juicy, but the slow-cooking method here means you get the best of both worlds: the infused flavors from the ground meat and the liquid, mixed with the roasting liquid, and browned you can. It can only fry. - Unattended Overnight Cooking – Three wonderful lambs cooked overnight on autopilot and kept moist with plenty of steaming liquid. No need to ask, no need to remove the lid to turn brown, no need to turn the bowl – it will take care of itself. Wake up with a perfect glow the next day!
- is easy to measure – make 2 at once in one container or 4 in 2 containers!
100% - Made his own juice (nice words, but easy) – just liquid steaming, boiled until thickened and slightly thickened with cornmeal/cornstarch. Very tasty after 12 hours with the lamb!
- No Stress Coming Back From Work – I’m a big fan of recipes where you pay so little for so little effort!
What you need to make 12-hour slow-roasted lamb shoulder
I love the classic flavors that sheep love – rosemary and garlic. When slow roasting, all we need is simplicity! (Note: No dried thyme in the picture, ah!)
- Shoulder of lamb – a more commercial but better cousin to leg of lamb (in my humble opinion). It is richer, tastier, juicier and easier to eat than lamb shank. The leg should be broiled for a perfect red color or slow-roasted to break up (but less room for error during cooking as it is leaner).
- Shoulder bags can be found everywhere in Australia today, even in supermarkets (Coles, Woolies, etc.). They are usually around 1.
3 – 1.6kg (small lambs are softer), but sometimes you can see they are as big as 2kg+, which is still very good, but the meat is a bit soft (since they are old). - Garlic, thyme (not pictured, ah!) and rosemary – eternal friend of the sheep!
- Onion – Remove the lamb a little from the bottom (instead of using the grill) and flavor the sauce (mutton ragu) we made with the steaming liquid.
Olive oil – to rub the lamb so that the salt, pepper, garlic and rosemary will stick together.
- Water – There is a lot of water here for many reasons. First, keep the pulp moist during slow roasting. Second, it encourages further cooking of meat, because half steaming in liquid dissipates more heat than the hot air of the oven (for example, dry roasting).
- Third, heat the bottom of the pan, preventing the pan from drying out. Finally, with the broth, we sharpen the water and reduce it to make fish. It is not necessary to use commercial products!
How to make 12-hour lamb shoulder
Hint: Collaboration requires a lot of sleep. We need more food like this! !
- Marinade/Scrub – Combine rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper with olive oil.
- Saute the marinade and pick the marinade – dab it on the shoulder of the lamb, making sure you get into all the cracks and crevices! I just made this from a baking sheet – why mess with the cutting board? ?
- Next, if time permits, marinate the lamb in a frying pan for 2 hours on the counter or in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
Marinating is an optional step. From where? Because the long and slow cooking time, I think, means that the lamb is basically marinated while it’s cooking. But I’m sure someone with a better mind than me can taste the difference between marinated and non-marinated. I can’t do it
So I usually skip the marinating time. - Water – Put the onion slices on the lamb (I guarantee they’re hidden under the lamb above!) and pour water into the pot.
- Brown 45 minutes – Put the lamb in the oven and roast for 45 minutes. This is to prevent blushing.
- Now go to bed and sleep well, because tomorrow your lamb will grow well and rest.
- Ground beef and lots of juice! When the lamb comes out of the oven in the morning, the meat should open with some force (check both sides, not the top, to preserve appearance). Because of all the liquid, there will be more liquid in the pot than at the beginning. To see?
No risk of hot dry pot!
See the section before the video tutorial for tips and advice on working/holding/warming up and how I timed it to make working on both sides easier. Now let me show you how to make gravy – lamb gravy!
Lamb Jus: Fancy-sounding but super-easy gravy
This slow-roasted lamb sauce is rich and full of flavor and meat, which can only be made after 12 hours of slow roasting! Technically it’s a sauce, not a broth, because it’s made from reduced broth, not pot scraps.
has the advantage of being easier than
Sauce. Here, instead of stirring a grill on the stove, use the oil in the pan to make the pate. Instead we boil the water in the pot and concentrate it and thicken it a bit with cornmeal/cornstarch so it coats the meat nicely when poured.
HOW TO MAKE LAMB JUS
- Reduce the amount of liquid in the pan – transfer the lamb to a plate, another roasting pan, or a large bowl. Then strain all the water into a saucepan. Boil quickly for 1 cup.
- Cornmeal-thickened – Make a cornmeal slurry by mixing 1 teaspoon of cornmeal with 1/4 cup of water. Pour directly into the pot while stirring.
It will cloud the liquid at first, but when it boils it will be bright and clear and will darken a bit.
Unlike the sauce we usually make with grilled meats, we don’t want the sauce to be too thick. you have to be thinner This is because it looks and pours more elegantly than thicker sauce. You’ll also use less, as it usually contains more salt than broth.
That’s why we want the sauce to be more liquid so that it covers the meat more than the sauce (e.g. lamb 3 o’clock).
When the broth is ready, put it in a jar and serve with the lamb. It can be made a few days ahead, stored in a container, and reheated in the microwave or on the stovetop.
A go-to main for gatherings
As I said at the beginning, this is one of the reasons why it has become my menu for the group:
- Easy to measure (up to 4 shoulders in an oven)
- Almost completely untouched
This is why I keep track of when and how I plan to make bread over time. I thought it would be helpful to share my plan with you.
Here are a few parties this year featuring 12-hour slow-roasted lamb! First of all, I postponed the 2021 New Year’s Eve party in March:
I stumbled upon the kitchen at Meadowbank Vineyard on a recent trip to Tasmania and made a delicious lunch for my Tasmanian friends! Four shoulders of lamb were slow cooked overnight in the Air BNB where I was staying before being taken to the vineyard for morning lunch. For more information on this trip, see the Tasmanian Postcards section of my travel newsletter.
What to serve with 12 hour roast lamb
God Almighty deserves it!
Pictured above with Greek Lemon Potatoes, it’s the perfect match for a Mediterranean-inspired lamb dish. Also visible from the bottom corner is a great Greek soup with a nice fresh side that cuts through the richness of the lamb.
A large plate of herbs and garlic roasted vegetables is also ideal and can be made after the lamb comes out of the oven, as it will be warm for several hours.
For a delicious option, add duck fat potatoes for the most baked potato you’ll ever have. When it comes to veggies, a big bowl of Green Beans with Garlic Sauce would be ideal!
444 one! What do you think? Did I tell you to try it?
I’m not going to easily blacken this last roast lamb! I truly believe this is the best way to roast lamb with the best results. I’ve shared several roast lamb recipes in my time, see below!
