7-hour slow cooked lamb shoulder that will MELT in your mouth
by Andy Cooks
This beautifully simple slow cooked lamb shoulder is the perfect set-and-forget recipe. Season and sear the lamb, then let your slow cooker do the hard work over 7 hours while you get on with your day. The lamb is braised low and slow in balsamic vinegar and chicken stock until it falls apart at the touch of a fork. Served alongside buttery balsamic-glazed banana shallots, this dish makes an impressive yet effortless weekend dinner. The braising liquid is strained and reduced into a rich, glossy gravy to tie everything together.
Watch: 7-hour slow cooked lamb shoulder that will MELT in your mouth
Original recipe video — click to play
Original method: 7 hours in a slow cooker on low (80°C)
Ingredients
Lamb
- 1200 g lamb shoulder, bone in
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1 brown onion, cut into quarters
- 150 ml balsamic vinegar
- 1000 ml reduced salt chicken stock
- 1 small bunch fresh thyme
- 1 tbsp cornflour, mixed with a small amount of water to form a slurry
Used at the end to thicken the reduced braising liquid into gravy.
- salt
To taste
- black pepper
To taste
- olive oil
For searing the lamb
Balsamic Shallots
- 6 banana shallots, peeled, root end left intact, halved lengthways
- 20 ml olive oil
- 40 g butter
- 50 ml balsamic vinegar
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- salt
To taste
Method
- 1
Season the lamb shoulder generously with salt. Add a good glug of oil to a heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat. Place the lamb in and sear on all sides until you have a deep, golden-brown colour all over. This should take around 15–20 minutes. Remove the lamb from the pan and set aside.
~20 minsTip: Don't rush this step — good colour means great flavour in the final dish.
- 2
Dice the carrot and cut the onion into quarters. Add them to the same pan and cook until nicely caramelised, stirring occasionally.
~5 mins - 3
Deglaze the pan with 150ml of balsamic vinegar, scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
~2 mins - 4
Pour the vegetables and balsamic liquid into your slow cooker. Place the seared lamb shoulder on top, then pour in the chicken stock and add the bunch of thyme. Set the slow cooker to low and cook for 7 hours.
~7 hrsTip: The slow cooker on low typically runs at around 80°C. Alternatively, use a Dutch oven in a conventional oven set to 80°C for 7 hours.
- 5
About 30 minutes before the lamb is ready, prepare the balsamic shallots. Peel the banana shallots, leaving the root end intact so they hold together, and cut them in half lengthways. Season with salt.
~5 mins - 6
Heat 20ml of olive oil in an oven-safe frying pan over a medium heat. Place the shallots cut-side down and cook until you get a lovely golden colour. Add the butter and, once melted, deglaze with 50ml of balsamic vinegar. Add the 3 sprigs of thyme.
~5 mins - 7
Transfer the frying pan to a preheated oven at 180°C (160°C fan / Gas 4) and cook for 15–20 minutes, or until the shallots are just soft.
~20 mins - 8
After 7 hours, carefully remove the lamb from the slow cooker and set it aside on a warm plate, loosely covered with foil. Pass the braising liquid through a fine mesh sieve into a saucepan, discarding the vegetables and thyme.
~5 mins - 9
Bring the braising liquid to a simmer and reduce it until the seasoning and flavour are concentrated to your liking. Mix the cornflour with a small splash of cold water to form a smooth slurry, then stir it into the simmering liquid. Cook for a further 1–2 minutes until the gravy has thickened and is glossy.
~10 minsTip: Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.
- 10
Serve the slow cooked lamb shoulder with the balsamic shallots alongside, spooning over the rich gravy.
~2 minsTip: The lamb should be so tender it falls apart easily with a fork.
Nutrition
Detailed nutritional information is coming soon. For now, we recommend using a tool like MyFitnessPal to calculate values for your specific brands and quantities.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can, but bone-in lamb shoulder gives a much richer flavour and helps the meat stay moist during the long cooking time. If using boneless, you may want to reduce the cooking time by about an hour and check for tenderness from the 5–6 hour mark.
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