What is the absolute best way to cook a whole shoulder of lamb please?

[LindorDoubleChoc]

We are having it on Easter Sunday and I will do the traditional roast dinner vegetables with it, but I really want the lamb to be the star and I don't mind if it's garlicky or has other flavours on it.

I just want it to be absolutely tender and delicious! It's a huge piece of meat, quite expensive, and I want to do it justice. Thanks in advance.

We often do the Ottelenghi herby lamb. You chop all kinds of fresh herbs up with lemon and garlic and marinate overnight before slow roasting. It’s a crowd pleaser

Do this. I was just going to suggest googling any 'Greek-style' cooking. This what we do - garlic and lemons. But I'm totally going to try this marinading it overnight job.

Get some flat breads and tzatziki in for the next day or do Jamie Oliver Bad Boy Lamb Burritos.

This recipe here is infallible, super easy and AMAZING. I cannot stress enough how delicious it is. It’s not my go-to for almost every time I have guests

www.recipetineats.com/ultimate-roast-lamb-12-hour-shoulder/

I'm quite basic at cooking. Chop carrots and onions in the pan. Add a pint of stock. Put garlic and rosemary in the lamb shoulder - cut slits and stuff it in.
Put it in at 200 for 25 mins. Cover with foil well. Turn it down to 150/160 and cook for about 3/4 hours. You can do potato dauphinoise in the oven at this temperature. But for really good roast spuds you need another oven - or put them in while the meat rests. Enjoy.

I roast on 200 for 30minutes then shove half a bottle of wine, 3 sliced garlic cloves, a couple of roughly chopped carrots, beef stock and rosemary and enough water do that the meat is sitting in about an inch of liquid.

Wrap the whole thing tightly in foil and reduce temp to 140. Roast for a further 4-5 hours depending on size of cut. Check every 30 minutes towards the end to ensure the liquid hasn't evaporated and add more.

Makes very very tender meat and delicious gravy in one go.

Haha, great minds.

Do you have a link to this recipe please? Sounds delicious but a quick google doesn’t show this particular recipe of his (lots of others though!)

I haven’t tried this, but honestly, Tin Eats is my go-to. Every time. It hasn’t failed me yet.

A leg of lamb should be tender without slow cooking and braising. It is a well flavoured meat and I don't think it needs the addition of tons of herbs and lemon (unless it's being served with new potatoes and salad). For a traditional roast, I'd stick to garlic slivers and rosemary.

20 minutes on 220 fan, then cover with foil and reduce to 180 fan. I usually give a large leg about two hours. I have a big oven so the spuds go in alongside, par boiled and into sizzling hot rape oil. When the lamb comes out to rest and allow the gravy to be made I put the spuds into their serving dish and turn down the oven, whilst warming plates at the same time.

I always make a red wine gravy with a dollop of redcurrant jelly.

Accompany with mint sauce and leeks in garlic sauce. Carrots and a green vegetable.

As with any question like this you will just have to read them all and plump for the one you like best.

I have been cooking roasts for about 40years and about 10 years ago switched to the Hugh Fernley Whittingstall method with the quick 20 minute sizzle.

My family all like pink roast beef and lamb. My eureka moment was using a meat thermometer and taking the meat out when it gets to 50 degrees centigrade. 50 degrees is lower than many recipes say, but it’s the only one to give you pink meat if that’s what you like.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CNM3xTFDmoW/?igsh=enRmcXpoMGsyNTlk

Yes agree but it's shoulder of lamb OP is cooking

I see my error now. Thank you. Nevertheless, a shoulder also tends to be tender and is more flavoursome, so I would cook it similarly to a leg although I might ask a good butcher to bone it and roll it for me.

It depends on the cut used though - shoulder can be quite tough and doesn’t come out well when pink. It needs long, slow cooking to break it down and make it tender. It would be hugely tough if cooked only to 50 degrees

Just don’t overcook it.

Ooooh lovely, some great replies! I will have a proper look and decide later, thank you everyone.

This is an absolute firm favourite here
www.nigella.com/recipes/warm-shredded-lamb-salad-with-mint-and-pomegranate

I do similar, and it just falls off the bone when cooked. I also put some anchovy slivers on it, adds an extra taste and cuts through some of the fatty taste you sometimes get