Best Braised Lamb Shoulder Recipes

BRAISED LAMB SHOULDER CHOPS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Season lamb chops with salt and pepper. Sear lamb in hot oil until browned, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Remove chops to a plate to drain, reserving drippings in the skillet.
• Saute onion and garlic in reserved drippings until tender, about 5 minutes.
• Transfer drained lamb chops to a baking dish; add onion mixture. Sprinkle rosemary over the chops. Pour beef broth and red wine into the baking dish. Cover dish with aluminum foil.
• Bake in preheated oven for 3 hours.
• Remove lamb to a serving platter. Carefully drain liquid from baking dish into a saucepan and place over medium heat. Beat cornstarch and water together in a bowl using a whisk to assure no lumps remain; stir into the liquid in the saucepan. Add Worcestershire sauce and cook until the liquid thickens into a gravy, about 5 minutes.

BRAISED LAMB SHOULDER CHOPS WITH ROOT VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Blanch the root vegetables:
• Place diced carrots, turnips, and parsnips in a large saucepan. Add sugar and salt and cover with cold water. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to moderately high and simmer, uncovered, until tender, about 3 minutes. Drain, then immediately plunge into ice water to stop cooking. Drain again and pat dry. DO AHEAD: The root vegetables can be prepared in advance and refrigerated, in an airtight container, up to 24 hours.
• Roast the lamb:
• Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 275°F.
• Trim any excess fat from the lamb and sprinkle all sides with salt and pepper. In a large cast-iron pan or skillet over high heat, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil until smoking. Working in 3 or 4 batches (wipe the pan clean and add 1 tablespoon oil between batches), sear the lamb, turning with tongs, until golden brown on all sides, about 8 minutes per batch. Transfer as done to a large roasting pan. Add the garlic, carrots, celery, onions, rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, and lamb or beef stock. Place over high heat, using two burners, and bring to a simmer. Cover the roasting pan with foil, transfer to the oven, and roast until the meat is tender but not falling off the bone, about 2 hours.
• Allow the lamb to cool in its braising liquid for about 45 minutes. Using tongs, carefully transfer the lamb to a large bowl and cover with foil to keep warm. Pour the braising liquid through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing on any solids. Discard the solids and return the braising liquid to the roasting pan. Skim any fat from the braising liquid, then place over high heat on two burners and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to moderate and simmer, uncovered, until the braising liquid is slightly reduced, about 30 minutes. Check the seasoning, then lower the heat to low, return the lamb to the roasting pan, and cook until warmed through, about 15 minutes.
• While the lamb is heating, finish the root vegetables:
• In a medium sauté pan over moderate heat, melt the butter. Add the carrots, parsnips, and turnips, and cook, stirring occasionally until heated through, about 8 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• To serve:
• Divide carrots, parsnips, and turnips among 8 plates. Arrange 1 lamb shoulder blade chop on each plate, then drizzle with reduced braising liquid and serve immediately.

ROSEMARY AND THYME BRAISED LAMB SHOULDER

Steps:

• Roast lamb:
• Make slits in lamb shoulder all over at 2-inch intervals with a paring knife.
• Pound garlic with kosher salt, zest, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper to a coarse paste with mortar and pestle (or mince and mash with a large knife), then stir together with oil and 1 tablespoon each of rosemary and thyme. Rub paste all over lamb. Put in heavy pot or roasting pan, then chill, covered, 12 to 24 hours.
• Bring roast to room temperature (about 1 hour).
• Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in lower third.
• Pour wine and water around lamb and add herb sprigs. Cover roast with a sheet of parchment. Cover pot with lid or cover roasting pan tightly with heavy-duty foil. Braise lamb in oven until tender but not falling off the bone, about 3 hours.
• Increase oven to 450°F and remove parchment, then braise lamb, covered with lid (or foil), until very tender and top is browned, about 1 hour more. Carefully transfer lamb to a platter and loosely cover with foil. Let it stand 10 minutes.
• Make sauce:
• Pour braising liquid through a fine-mesh sieve, then spoon off and discard fat remaining on liquid (you should have about 2 cups liquid; reserve pot). Whisk together flour and 1 cup liquid in a small bowl until smooth. Bring remaining liquid to a boil in uncleaned pot, then whisk in flour mixture and boil, whisking, until thickened, about 4 minutes. Stir in thyme and rosemary and season with salt and pepper.
• To serve:
• Remove and discard strings. Meat is too tender to slice with a carving knife; use a meat fork to pull meat into serving pieces.

BRAISED LAMB SHOULDER CHOPS

Steps:

• Trim fat from chops.
• Heat oil in large deep non stick frypan or Dutch oven; brown chops on both sides, about 5 minutes each side; remove from pan, set aside.
• In the same pan, add onion chunks, saute until soft, about 5 minutes.
• Add carrots, celery, salt and pepper and lemon slices, saute until caramelized, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Stir in wine or broth, bring to simmer and deglaze pan.
• Meanwhile, empty tomatoes, undrained, into a bowl, add curry powder, cumin, coriander, garlic and soy sauce.
• Stir to mix, pour tomato mixture into pan; stir to mix with caramelized veggies.
• Return chops to pan and spoon mixture over them.
• Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for 1 hour or until chops are fork tender.
• Make a slurry of cold water and cornstarch, stir into pan and bring to boil, simmer until juices are thickened.
• Sprinkle with chopped fresh mint.
• Serve over mashed potatoes or rice or noodles.

BRAISED LAMB SHOULDER

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Season lamb all over with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Add lamb shoulder, and cook, turning occasionally, until lamb is browned all over, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove lamb; set aside. Pour out any excess oil, and discard. Add remaining tablespoon oil and heat over medium-high heat. Stir in garlic, celery, carrot, onion, herbs, nutmeg, and cloves. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 1 minute. Return lamb to Dutch oven. Add wine and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, cover, and transfer to the oven. Cook until fork-tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
• Remove from oven. Transfer lamb to a platter, and keep warm. Make sauce: Place the Dutch oven over low heat, and cook the liquid until it has reduced and thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove twine from lamb, and slice; serve with sauce.

BRAISED SHOULDER OF LAMB WITH JEWELLED STUFFING

Steps:

• To make the stuffing, soak the dates, apricots and cranberries in boiling water for 30 mins, then drain and squeeze dry gently. Mix with the rest of the stuffing ingredients and salt and pepper.
• Season the lamb well on both sides. Spread on the stuffing, then roll into shape and secure with string. Heat the oil in a large, lidded ovenproof pan. Add the lamb and brown on all sides. Remove to a plate.
• Heat oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. Brown the onions in the remaining fat for 5 mins, add the garlic and sizzle for 30 secs. Now pour in the cider and as it bubbles, scrape up any caramelised bits at the bottom and sides of the pan. Add enough of the stock to come ¹/³ of the way up the lamb, and the orange zest, cinnamon and bay leaves.
• Cover with a piece of crumpled baking parchment and cook for 2½-3 hrs, turning halfway through, until the meat is completely tender. Remove and wrap with foil. Strain the juices and spoon off any fat that comes to the top, then put into a wide pan and boil to reduce for 5-10 mins, until slightly thickened and rich in flavour. Season with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon or orange juice, if necessary. Slice the lamb and serve with the sauce, and parsley sprinkled over.

BEER BRAISED LAMB SHOULDER WITH ONIONS AND TURNIPS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Rub the lamb with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Preheat a 14-inch cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. Add the seasoned lamb and sear for 5 minutes. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast until browned, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, place a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Once heated, add the leeks and onions and cook until they begin to become tender, about 3 minutes. Set aside.
• After 30 minutes, remove one of the lamb shoulders from the oven and set aside. Add half of the turnips to the pan and return to the oven. Allow to continue roasting until everything is cooked through, about another 30 minutes.
• Add the other lamb shoulder to a stovetop pressure cooker along with the cooked leeks, onions, beer and remaining turnips. Secure the pressure cooker lid and follow the manufacturer's instructions to bring to high pressure over medium heat. Pressure cook for 20 minutes. Follow the manufacturer's instructions to carefully quick-release the steam and unlock the lid. Add everything in the pressure cooker to a large pan or shallow dish and stir, breaking up the lamb. Add to a platter. Add the roasted lamb and turnips to the same platter and serve.

BRAISED LAMB SHOULDER WITH THYME, CARROTS, AND FENNEL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Trim fat from lamb and discard. Cut each chop lengthwise along bones into 3 separate pieces, leaving bones attached to meat. Sprinkle lamb with salt and pepper. Melt 1 tablespoon butter with 1 tablespoon oil in large ovenproof pot over high heat. Working in batches, add lamb to pot and sauté until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes per batch. Transfer lamb to bowl. Add onions, 2 chopped carrots, halved head of garlic, and 6 thyme sprigs to pot and sauté until onions are brown, about 7 minutes. Add tomatoes and stir 2 minutes. Return lamb and any accumulated juices to pot. Stir in 1 1/2 cups water. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bring mixture to simmer. Cover pot tightly; transfer to oven and bake until lamb is very tender, adding up to 3/4 cup more water if juices evaporate, about 2 hours 15 minutes.
• Using tongs, transfer lamb to medium bowl; discard bones. Pour vegetable mixture from pot into strainer set over large bowl. Press on solids to extract as much vegetable pulp and pan juice as possible. Return strained pulp and juice to pot. Spoon off fat from surface. Return lamb to pot; bring mixture to simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Melt 2 tablespoons butter with 1 tablespoon oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sliced carrots, 2 thyme sprigs, fennel, and bay leaf and sauté until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer until vegetables are very tender, stirring often, about 35 minutes. Discard thyme and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with sautéed vegetables.

BRAISED ROSEMARY LAMB SHOULDER CHOPS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Over medium heat, melt the butter in a frying pan and then sauté the onion and garlic for 5 minutes; next add the spices and cook for another 2 minutes. remove the pan contents and set aside. Turn heat to high, pat dry the lamb and then place in frying pan. Brown on both sides. Turn heat off. Mix the onion spice mixture back with the lamb. Place the lamb and pan contents into a baking dish and pour the broth over the lamb then place the dish into the oven. the lamb will eeed to cook for 3 to 4 hours or until the meat is very tender and breaks up easily. Do not let the baking dish dry out and ad a little more water or broth as needed. Reserve the pan juices and serve as a sauce over the meat.

ROSEMARY-HONEY BRAISED LAMB SHOULDER AND MINT JASMATI RICE

Steps:

• For the lamb: Heat a medium size stockpot that can hold the lamb shoulder. Using a skewer, poke the lamb as deep as a sprig of rosemary. Completely insert rosemary in holes. (You can go around the top-side of the lamb like a crown.) Season the lamb well with salt and pepper. Mix together the flour, chile powder and cumin and rub on the lamb. Coat the pot with oil and sear the lamb on 1 side until brown. Rotate the lamb so all sides get brown, about 15-20 minutes total. Remove the lamb and set aside on a plate. Gently wipe out the pot and place back on high heat. Coat again with oil and saute the garlic, ginger, onions, carrots, celery and season. Add bay leaves and deglaze with red wine. Add the chickpeas, honey and soy. Add back the lamb and water to cover. Check for flavor of the braising liquid and season accordingly. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer for about 3 to 4 hours, or until fork tender.
• Make the rice using Fuji technique and a rice cooker. Meanwhile, blanch the mint in salted water for 30 seconds and shock in ice water. In a blender, puree the mint with the honey, garlic and oil. Season and set aside. When rice is done, fluff with fork before serving.
• Plating: On a very large platter, make a large ring of rice. Drizzle the mint puree on the rice. Place lamb and vegetables in the middle. Pull out the rosemary 1/3 out to resemble a small crown. Serve family style with harissa on the side.

MAPLE AND APPLE BRAISED LAMB SHOULDER CHOPS

Steps:

• Trim the chops of external fat and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Heat the oil in a large, heavy based pan and saute the chops on a high heat for 2 minutes each side or until browned.
• Combine the apple juice, stock, maple syrup and lemon juice and add to the pan.
• Reduce heat, cover and simmer over a low heat for 30-40 minutes or until lamb is very tender.
• Remove lamb from pan, cover with foil and keep warm.
• Boil the remaining juices until thick and syrupy.
• Return the lamb for a few minutes to heat through and coat well with the sauce.
• Serve the Lamb chops with the mashed potatoes or squash and spoon the sauce, apples and prunes over the chops.

BRAISED SHOULDER OF LAMB

Steps:

• Brown off the lamb and remove from the pan
• Add more oil if necessary and fry all of the spices for 3-4 minutes to release the aromas
• Add all the other ingredients and bring the lamb and beer braising liquor to the boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes
• Cover and bake for 3-4 hours at 150 degrees
• When the meat is tender remove the lamb and set to one side
• Over a low to medium flame, reduce the braising liquor to concentrate the flavour and consistency. Season with fish sauce and serve with Chang steamed sticky rice
• Garnish with coriander leaves and deep-fried crisp shallots

MAPLE-AND-APPLE BRAISED AUSTRALIAN LAMB SHOULDER CHOPS

Steps:

• 1. Trim the chops of external fat and season to taste. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based pan and sauté the chops on a high heat for 2 minutes each side or until browned. 2. Combine the apple juice, stock, maple syrup and lemon juice and add to the pan. Reduce heat, cover and simmer over a low heat for 30-40 minutes or until lamb is very tender. Remove lamb from pan, cover with foil and keep warm. 3. Boil the remaining juices until thick and syrupy. Return the lamb for a few minutes to heat through and coat well with the sauce. Serve the lamb chops on the mashed potatoes or squash and spoon over the sauce, apples and prunes.

LAMB TAGINE (BRAISED LAMB SHOULDER WITH NORTH AFRICAN SPICES)

Steps:

• Instructions: Cut the lamb into 16 pieces of approximately equal size. Toss with the onion, ginger, orange zest and salt. Cover and refrigerate overnight. For the spice blend: In a small skillet, toast the fennel seed, peppercorns, cumin seed and clove over moderate heat, shaking the skillet constantly until the spices become fragrant and the cumin begins to darken. Let cool, then pound fine in a mortar or grind in a spice mill. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the paprika, turmeric, coriander, saffron threads and cardamom. Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over moderate heat. Add the parsnips, onion and ginger and saute for about 5 minutes to soften the vegetables. Add the spice blend and saute for about 3 minutes to allow the spices to bloom. Discard the sliced onion and ginger used to season the meat, then add the meat to the pot along with the cinnamon stick, bay leaf, raisins and stock. Bring to a simmer, then add the cilantro, tucking it down into the liquid. Cover and adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook until the meat is fork tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours, turning it occasionally in the liquid to keep it moist. Transfer the meat to a platter with tongs. Discard the cilantro, bay leaf and cinnamon stick. Pass the sauce through a food mill or puree in a food processor, then return it to the pot. Taste for salt. Return the meat to the sauce and reheat gently. Serve hot.

SHOULDER OF LAMB BRAISED IN CHIANTI

Steps:

• Salt and pepper the lamb. Warm the olive oil in a wide-bottomed pot. When the oil is very hot, add the lamb. Brown the meat well on all sides over medium heat for 10 minutes. Remove it from the pan.
• Add the carrot, celery, shallot, garlic and thyme and cook over low heat, loosening any brown pan crust with 2 tablespoons of water. Add the meat to the pan and stir in the flour. Cook over medium-low heat for 5 to 8 minutes.
• Raise the heat to high, add the Chianti and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, 2 hours. Remove the meat from the sauce, discard the thyme and puree the sauce in a food processor. Return the meat to the sauce, stir in the vinegar and serve. Can be made a day in advance and gently re-warmed.