Slow-Braised Lamb Shoulder
Sunday's Sacred Ritual
There's a photograph somewhere in my grandmother's old album — Sunday, 1974, the whole family gathered around her Formica table, laughing as steam rises from the lamb shoulder. She'd wake at dawn to start this, nursing it through the morning while we played in the yard. By afternoon, the whole house would smell like rosemary and red wine, that rich, deep aroma that meant family was coming together. This isn't just slow cooking — it's time-travel cooking. Every bite is a snapshot of those Sunday afternoons when the world moved slower and the table was the centre of everything.
Ingredients
- 2kg lamb shoulder, bone-in
- 4 cloves garlic, sliced
- Fresh rosemary sprigs
- 2 onions, quartered
- 3 carrots, roughly chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 400ml red wine
- 400g tinned tomatoes
- 500ml beef or lamb stock
- 2 bay leaves
- Olive oil
- Salt and black pepper
Method
- Preheat oven to 160°C. Pat the lamb shoulder dry and season generously with salt and pepper.
- Make small incisions all over the lamb and insert garlic slices and small rosemary sprigs into the cuts.
- Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the lamb on all sides until deeply golden, about 10 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- In the same pot, add onions, carrots, and celery. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Pour in red wine to deglaze, scraping up all the brown bits. Let it simmer for 3 minutes.
- Add tinned tomatoes, stock, and bay leaves. Return the lamb to the pot, nestling it into the vegetables.
- Cover tightly with lid or foil. Transfer to oven and braise for 3.5-4 hours, until the meat is fall-apart tender.
- Remove from oven, let rest for 15 minutes. Skim fat from sauce if desired.
- Serve the lamb with the braising vegetables and sauce, alongside creamy mashed potatoes or crusty bread.
Nutrition Information (per serve)
485
Calories
42g
Protein
12g
Carbs
28g
Fat