Slow Roast Lamb Shoulder in Buttermilk Recipe | Kids Eat by Shanai (2024)

FAQs

What is the best cut of lamb for slow roasting? ›

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.

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.

Season your lamb shoulder with rosemary and garlic, or even just a little salt and pepper. Sear the lamb shoulder in a hot pan to seal in the flavours if you wish, this is not compulsory however, slow cooking it as is works just as well.

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.

For the perfect roast lamb, we recommend seasoning the surface of the meat, and then searing it, especially fat side down in a pan before roasting. Why bother with searing? Contrary to some stories, searing is less about locking in moisture, and all about improving the flavour!

And when you have a gorgeous cut, like a rack of lamb, you can cook it the good ol' Gordon Ramsay way—which is to say, lightly pan-sear it first, then baste it with an herby, garlicky butter, and finally finish it off in the oven until it's still pink and juicy in the middle. It comes out perfectly every time.

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.

Ideal Cooking Methods: Due to its higher fat and connective tissue content, the lamb shoulder shines when subjected to various slow-cooking methods. Braising, stewing and slow roasting break down its tissues, rendering the meat succulently tender.

"Browning, or caramelizing, meat before putting it into a slow cooker isn't 100 percent necessary, but it is well worth the effort for the most flavorful and full-bodied end result," he says. "The caramelized surface of the meat will lend rich flavor and color to the finished dish."

What happens if you don't sear a roast before cooking? ›

Admittedly, searing isn't strictly necessary for the cooking process. Technically speaking. The meat will cook just fine without searing. (And any surface bacteria will die during cooking anyway.)

While searing meat before slow cooking can enhance flavors by developing a caramelized crust, it's not strictly necessary. If you skip searing, the meat may lack some depth of flavor, but it will still cook and become tender in the slow cooker.

There are several reasons why this could have happened even after so much cooking. First, your choice of a rump roast could be a factor since cuts from the hind quarter are very muscular and, since muscles are the most resistant to breaking, this cut is quite stubborn when it comes to becoming tender.

The classic slow roast lamb, with healthy amount of fat which renders down to produce amazing flavour. A boned and rolled shoulder makes it easy to carve. Suggested portion size - 250-300g per person.

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.

Lamb leg is always a great option for a Sunday roast dinner. The leg meat is juicy and tender and can slow-cooked with herbs or roasted for less time and served slightly pink in the middle. This is a very versatile cut of meat and goes well with a variety of seasonings and is a great all-rounder cut of lamb.

The shoulder has a higher fat content, is richer in flavor and is less expensive than the lamb leg. Because of the higher fat content, it is also more forgiving and stays juicier.

American Lamb:

Raised in the USA, most quality lamb comes from Colorado and the Midwestern States. Their diet in being partially grain-fed plays a large part in their flavor, which is why most will say that American lamb tastes much less “gamey” and rather sweeter than its counterparts (which are mainly grass-fed).

We think stew meat from the shoulder is best, as it becomes incomparably tender during stewing and braising. You can save money by buying deboned portions of the shoulder and cutting it into one-and-a-half-inch cubes yourself.