Dad's Best Roast Lamb Shoulder
Bone-in lamb shoulder slow-roasted for three hours in a rich tomato and vinegar glaze until it falls apart at the touch. Fork tender, deeply savoury, served in its own juices. The kind of roast that makes the whole house smell like Sunday.
Sunday roast lamb is one of the most deeply South African food memories there is. The smell of it in the oven from mid-morning, the whole family gathering by early afternoon, the argument about who gets the bone. Lamb has always been central to South African cooking, from the Karoo farms that produce some of the best in the world to the Cape Malay kitchens that transformed it with spice. This version from Ina Paarman is low-effort and high-reward: you season it, cover it tightly and leave the oven to do the rest. In the UAE, lamb shoulder is widely available and excellent quality. Ask the butcher counter at Spinneys or Carrefour to leave the bone in.
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg medium bone-in lamb shoulder
- 250 ml water
- 125 ml water
- 45 ml tomato paste
- 5 ml cloves garlic
- 5 ml smoked paprika
- 5 ml dried oregano
- 5 ml olive oil
- 5 ml salt and black pepper mixed
- 30 ml brown or red wine vinegar
- 15 ml Worcestershire sauce
- 1 chicken or beef stock cube dissolved in 125 ml hot water
Method
- Preheat the oven to 160°C with the rack one slot below the middle position.
- Place the lamb shoulder fat-side up in a deep lidded casserole or roasting dish.
- Mix together the tomato paste, garlic, smoked paprika, oregano, olive oil, salt, pepper, vinegar and Worcestershire sauce in a small bowl until combined.
- Spoon the paste all over the lamb, coating it well on all sides.
- Pour 250 ml of water into the side of the dish, not over the meat.
- Wet a sheet of baking paper and lay it directly over the meat. Press the lid on tightly over the paper with the edges hanging down the sides to create a good seal.
- Roast for 3 to 3.5 hours until the meat is tender enough to twist the bones free easily.
- Remove the lamb and set aside to rest. Pour the stock into the pan juices and heat through, scraping up any sticky bits from the bottom.
- Slice or pull the meat and return it to the juices in the casserole.
- Serve warm with rice or roast potatoes and seasonal vegetables.
Notes
Method
- Preheat oven to 160°C, rack one slot below middle.
- Place lamb fat-side up in a deep lidded casserole.
- Mix tomato paste, garlic, smoked paprika, oregano, olive oil, salt, pepper, vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. Coat the lamb all over.
- Pour 250 ml water into the side of the dish.
- Wet a sheet of baking paper and lay over the meat. Press lid on tightly with paper edges hanging down.
- Roast for 3 to 3.5 hours until bones twist free easily.
- Remove lamb and rest. Add stock to pan juices and heat through.
- Slice or pull the meat and return to the juices.
- Serve with rice or roast potatoes and vegetables.
The wet baking paper under the lid creates a tighter seal and keeps the meat moist throughout the long cook. Don't skip this step. Leftovers are excellent shredded into wraps or on top of a jacket potato the next day.