Slow Cooker Lamb Shoulder

Slow-cooked, fall-off-the-bone succulent meat with red wine gravy is the ultimate way to enjoy lamb shoulder. So whether you are looking for a delicious recipe for your Sunday roast, a festive centrepiece for your Easter table or tender pulled lamb to serve in a brioche bun, this Slow Cooker Lamb Shoulder recipe is definitely for you!

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Why Cook Lamb Shoulder In A Slow Cooker?

Slow cookers, like Crock Pots, are sweeping the word with popularity! And for many good reasons. There are so many benefits to slow-cooking your lamb in one of them, instead of slow roasting. And here are just a few reasons to consider:

• Very minimal effort and hands-on time are required. After studding the meat with garlic, you are free to leave your kitchen for the best part of the day and come back to the deliciously tender meat.
• Typically, slow cookers use just a fraction of electricity compared to most ovens, so it is a cheaper way to cook.
• It's a one-pot meal, which means minimal washing up 🙂 
• Lamb shoulder itself is a cheaper cut of lamb, compared to a leg of lamb or rack of lamb. And it's the perfect cut for slow cooking. 
• By cooking your lamb shoulder in a slow cooker you make a delicious gravy at the same time. Just like in Slow Cooker Lamb Shank recipe!
• Whilst the meat slow cooks, the gentle heat in the long cooking process turns tough muscle into tender lamb shoulder.
• It frees up oven space to make delicious side dishes, like Honey Roasted Carrots and Parsnips, Roast Swede or Hasselback Potatoes. It goes exceptionally well with Minty Peas and Balsamic Roast Potatoes too!

Equipment Used

For this recipe, you will need:

• Slow cooker, like Crock Pot, with a tight-fitting lid. We used a 3.5l Richard Morphy ceramic bowl slow cooker that is perfect for a 1.2 kg half lamb shoulder. You will need a larger slow cooker for big whole lamb shoulder joints.
• A small sharp knife to make small holes in the flesh for garlic and rosemary. We love Victorinox Knives.
• A roasting tray will be used to finish cooking your lamb roast in the oven.
• A carving knife or forks, depending on whether you want to slice or pull your lamb.

Ingredients and Substitutes

You can find the full ingredients list and instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post, but here's your shopping list for a handful of simple ingredients:

• lamb shoulder: we used lamb half shoulder joint. You will ideally want a bone-in lamb shoulder joint for the most succulent lamb roast. You can, however, substitute the shoulder with a similarly sized lamb leg or boneless shoulder. We used the half shoulder of lamb on this particular occasion.
• garlic cloves: peeled and cut into strips.
• fresh rosemary: can be substituted with fresh thyme sprigs if you prefer the flavour.
• brown onions: can be replaced with shallots, red onions or white onions.
• cornflour: also known as corn starch.
• stock/ broth: lamb or beef stock works best, in my opinion, but if you don't have any, use chicken stock or vegetable stock.
• red wine: choose your favourite full-bodied red wine. We love Spanish Tempranillo or Argentinian Malbec wine with it, but just use a bottle that you are happy to drink too, as you will have lots left!
• you will also need some staples like olive oil, sea salt (kosher salt) and black pepper.

How Much Lamb Per Person?

On average, a bone-in lamb shoulder weighing around 1.2kg typically provides approximately 550 to 650 g of cooked meat. This quantity is generally sufficient to serve about 3-4 people, especially if you are pairing it with various side dishes.

An important note: take into account that you may be trimming off a thick layer of fat!

But of course, if you are feeding a hungry crowd or not making many side dishes, account for no less than cooked slow roasted lamb shoulder 200g per person. 

Step-By-Step Method

1. Start by trimming any excess fat and connective tissue off of your lamb shoulder.

2. Using a sharp pointy knife, make small holes in the surface of the flesh on the fat side of the meat. Then rub a tablespoon of olive oil on top of the lamb, then season with salt and black pepper.

3. Poke a slice/ strip of garlic and rosemary leaves into each of the holes.

4. Place the onion wedges in the bottom of the pot of your slow cooker. Sprinkle a heaped tablespoon of cornflour (cornstarch) on top.

5. Place your prepared lamb roast on top. Then pour the stock and wine into the pot, avoiding the lamb, so you don't wash away the seasoning from the top of the meat. The liquid should cover the meat halfway to ⅔ up. If your lamb shoulder is less flat, just add a bit more stock and wine. 

6. Place a lid on top and set it to cook for 8-10 hours on low, 7-8 hours on medium or 5-6 hours on high. However, note that different slow cookers have different cook time suggestions, so I would recommend referring to the manual. 

For Pulled Lamb Shoulder: Take the lamb out of the liquid and onto a chopping board. Cover it with a sheet of foil to rest for 15-20 minutes. Take the rosemary sprigs out. Then using two forks, shred and pull the lamb shoulder into bite-sized pieces. Well-cooked lamb should tear very easily, coming straight off the bone. 

To Serve Whole: When your lamb is cooked, preheat the oven to 180° C Fan. Take the lamb shoulder out of the liquid and place it onto a roasting tin. Take the rosemary sprigs out. Cook it in the oven for 15 minutes to brown the top. Then leave the meat to rest for 10-15 minutes, covered with tin foil.

7. Place it on a serving platter, take it to the middle of the table and carve it with a sharp knife. 

How Long Should You Cook A Shoulder of Lamb?

It depends. Cooking time will depend on a few things:

• Low, high or medium heat. We recommend cooking your lamb on low or medium for more even cooking. It will take 8-10 hours on low temperature, 7-8 hours on medium or 5-6 hours on high, depending on the type of slow cooker you're using. 
• The size of your lamb shoulder. Generally speaking, it is easy to undercook lamb shoulder, but relatively hard to overcook it. It's one of the most forgiving cuts of lamb. Large lamb shoulders will take longer to cook, but I would always recommend going by how tender the meat is. If the meat is falling off the bone, and if the flesh pulls away easily, your lamb is cooked. Note that boneless lamb shoulder will also cook quicker. 
• Your individual slow cooker. Slow cookers differ so much. Generally, the ones with ceramic bowls take a lot longer compared with the ones with metal bowls. 

Red Wine Gravy (Optional Step)

Let your meat rest, and use this time to turn cooking juices into a lovely red wine gravy! To do that, you need to let the liquid in the slow cooker settle, so that the fat separates from the rest of the juices and settles on top.

Using a small ladle or a large serving spoon, scoop most of the fat off the top and into a container (do not pour the fat into your sink. Instead, leave it to set and place the container in your bin). 

Pour the remaining lamb juices through a fine sieve into a medium pan, add 1 tablespoon dark or light brown sugar and set it over medium-high heat.

Add 2 tablespoon of cornflour to a small bowl. Take a ladle of the cooking juices from the pan and add it to the cornflour.

Mix well, then add it back to the pan and stir for 4-5 minutes, or until the gravy thickens to your preferred consistency. 

Reader Review

"This is the ONLY way that I cook lamb now, fork tender and fall off the bone tender. I can taste it from miles away."

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Recipe FAQs

Storage And Reheating

If you have some slow-cooked lamb left over, you can cool it down to room temperature and then place it in an airtight container to store it in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Alternatively, freeze the meat for up to 3 months in freezer bags or airtight containers. Thaw it before reheating.

To reheat, wrap the pulled or sliced lamb in a sheet of tin foil, making sure the parcel is airtight. This will prevent the moisture from escaping and the meat from drying out. Reheat the lamb in the oven at 180°C for 10-15 minutes.

How To Serve It?

Slow cooked lamb shoulder is a wonderful and versatile recipe that produces extremely tender meat. You can serve it as:

• a centrepiece on your Sunday Roast Dinner table or to celebrate special occasions (hint: Easter)
• at a garden party as Pulled Lamb Sandwiches / Lamb Burgers (we highly recommend brioche buns for them) - a perfect way to use leftovers!
• on a bed of creamy parmesan polenta or mashed potatoes
• any leftovers can be mixed with your favourite curry sauce
• or you can roll leftover lamb pieces in cornflour, fry them to crisp up and top your favourite salad with it.

What To Serve With Slow-Cooked Lamb?

If you are serving this lamb shoulder roast recipe as a centrepiece on your festive table, you must serve it with some type of potato dish. Whilst you may immediately think about roast potatoes, we absolutely love Boulangere Potatoes, Baby Hasselback Potatoes or a Silky Smooth Potato Mash with it. If you are looking for some extra dishes, here are some of the vegetable side dishes that we think go particularly well with slow cooker lamb shoulder:

• Minted Mushy Peas
• Ultimate Beetroot and Feta Salad
• Green Beans and Cherry Tomatoes
• Pan-Fried Tenderstem Broccoli with Lemon and Garlic
• Roast Swede (Rutabaga)

And if you are wondering what sauce goes well with this slow cooker lamb shoulder recipe, we highly recommend making the red wine gravy, using the liquid the lamb was cooked in. See the recipe in the notes on the recipe card. Some traditional mint sauce goes beautifully with it too.

Other Lamb Recipes To Try

If you love lamb, especially around Easter time, we have a bunch of recipes for you to try.

• South African Bobotie (Lamb Bobotie)
• Slow Cooker Lamb Shanks With Red Wine Gravy
• Lamb Shashlik | Central Asian Lamb Skewers
• Apricot Stuffed Roasted Leg of Lamb
• Lamb Sambousek
• Lamb Shoulder Chops

And if you have some pulled lamb shoulder left, why not make a delicious Leftover Lamb Salad With Harissa Dressing?

Slow Cooker Lamb Shoulder

Slow-cooked, fall-off-the-bone succulent meat with red wine gravy is the ultimate way to enjoy lamb shoulder. So whether you are looking for a delicious recipe for your Sunday roast, a festive centrepiece for your Easter table or tender pulled lamb to serve in a brioche bun, this Slow Cooker Lamb Shoulder recipe is definitely for you!

5 from 19 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 8 hours hrs

Total Time 8 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Course Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine American, British

Servings 3 -4 portions

Calories 301 kcal

Equipment

• Slow Cooker
• Sharp Pointy Knife

Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

• 1.2 kg (2.65 lb) bone-in lamb shoulder excess fat trimmed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 springs rosemary
• 2 garlic cloves cut into thin strips
• 1 -2 brown onions cut into wedges
• 1 heaped tablespoon cornflour
• 350 ml (1½ cups) beef or lamb stock
• 200 ml (⅘ cups) red wine

Instructions

 

• Start by trimming any excess fat off of your lamb shoulder. Using a sharp pointy knife, make small holes in the surface of the flesh. Then Rub a tablespoon of olive oil on top of the lamb, then season with salt and black pepper.
• Poke a slice/ strip of garlic and a small sprig or rosemary into each of the holes.
• Place the onion wedges in the bottom of the pot of your slow cooker. Sprinkle a heaped tablespoon of cornflour (cornstarch) on top. You may skip the cornflour if you do not intend to make gravy out of the cooking juices.
• Place your prepared lamb roast on top. Then pour the stock and wine into the pot, avoiding the lamb, so you don't wash away the seasoning from the top of the meat. The liquid should cover the meat halfway to ⅔ up. If your lamb shoulder is less flat, just add a bit more stock and wine.
• Place a lid on top and set it to cook for 8-10 hours on low, 7-8 hours on medium or 5-6 hours on high. However, note that different slow cookers have different cook time suggestions, so I would recommend referring to the manual.
• For Pulled Lamb Shoulder: Take the lamb out of the liquid and cover it with a sheet of foil to rest for 15-20 minutes. Then using two forks, shred and pull the lamb shoulder into bite-sized pieces. Well-cooked lamb should tear very easily, coming straight off the bone.
• To Serve Whole: When your lamb is cooked, preheat the oven to 180° C Fan. Take the lamb shoulder out of the liquid and place it onto a roasting tin. Cook it in the oven for 15 minutes to brown the top. Then leave the meat to rest for 10-15 minutes, covered with tin foil.
• Take it to the table and slice it with a carving knife.

Notes

Serve your Lamb Shoulder with Red Wine Gravy using cooking juices from your slow cooker. You will need the following: 

• Cooking Juices The Lamb Cooked In
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar, dark or light 
• 2 tablespoon cornflour 

Once you take the lamb out of the slow cooker, let the liquid settle again, so that the fat separates from the rest of the juices and settles on top. Using a small ladle or a large serving spoon, scoop most of the fat off the top and into a container (do not pour the far into your sink. Instead, leave it to set and place the container in your bin).

Pour the remaining cooking juices through a fine sieve into a medium pan, add 1 tablespoon dark or light brown sugar and set it over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoon of cornflour to a small bowl. Take a ladle of the cooking juices from the pan and add it to the cornflour. Mix well, then add it back to the pan and stir for 4-5 minutes, or until the gravy thickens to your preferred consistency.

 

Nutrition

Calories: 301kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 38gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 121mgSodium: 594mgPotassium: 552mgFiber: 0.1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 249IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 27mgIron: 3mg

Keyword Cooking Lamb Shoulder, Lamb Joint In Slow Cooker, Lamb Shoulder Recipe, Pulled Lamb Shoulder, Pulled Lamb Slow Cooker, Shoulder of Lamb in Slow Cooker, Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder, Slow Cooker Lamb Shoulder

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