Enjoy tender pulled lamb shoulder cooked to perfection in your oven. It's marinated with a blend of tasty spices and simmered in beer for extra flavor, and despite the long cooking time, it is made with minimal effort.
With its melt-in-your-mouth texture and rich taste, this pulled lamb recipe is perfect for any occasion, not just Easter. Slow-cooked lamb shoulder is usually reserved for a special occasion, but it doesn't have to be! The recipe is simple, with just a few steps and no special skills or techniques.
You can serve the shredded, tender lamb with a variety of sides, use the meat to make sandwiches, tacos, pulled lamb wraps, burgers, or roast lamb sliders, and probably always have leftovers to make delicious dishes like Leftover Lamb Shepherdโs Pie or Leftover Lamb Ragu.
If you like pulled meat, try our Dutch Oven Pulled Pork and Pulled Turkey recipes.
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๐Recipe ingredients
- The bone-in shoulder of lamb is the ideal cut for slow cooking because it's a tougher cut with lots of connective tissue. Slow cooking allows the meat to break down gradually, becoming incredibly tender and juicy. Additionally, the process allows this cut of meat to absorb the flavors of any spices, herbs, or liquids it's cooked with, resulting in an intensely flavorful dish.
- Try these fantastic recipes for Lamb Shoulder with Pomegranate or Lamb Shoulder in the Oven, too!
- Spices: I chose Moroccan-style or Middle Eastern-style spices like cinnamon, cumin, and cardamom. You will also need sweet and smoked paprika, fine sea salt or kosher salt, and ground black pepper. You can add cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes for a bit of heat.
- You can use another selection of spices or another spice rub to marinate the cut, but add grated garlic, lemon juice, and a little oil to the dry rub to form a thick, coarse paste. Try our Homemade Lamb Seasoning.
- Lemon: It is preferable to use an unwaxed, organic lemon, as you will also need the lemon zest. One medium lemon yields about 4 tablespoons of juice.
- Cooking liquid: Your favorite beer. You can use pils, lager, or a dark stout like Guinness. Each imparts a slightly different flavor to the lamb shoulder. Try the Dutch Oven Irish Stew with Guinness, too!
- Alternatively, you can use beef broth, chicken stock, white or red wine, or plain water. If you have the time, you can make the Lamb Stock yourself.
- Other ingredients are olive oil, garlic cloves, and red onions (white ones are also okay).
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
๐ฉ๐ปโ๐ณHow to make pulled lamb?
Step #1: In a small bowl, mix all the marinade ingredients. Rub the meat. Marinate it in a non-metallic container for 3 hours and up to 24 hours. Remove it from the fridge 1 hour before cooking.
Step #2: Place the shoulder into a large roasting tin. Add onions and cooking liquid (beer, stock, or water). Cover tightly with foil.
Step #3: Cook at low oven temperature for 4 hours. Cook at high heat, still covered, for 15 minutes. Baste and cook, uncovered, for another 20 minutes until deeply browned.
Step #4: Rest for 15 minutes, then shred the meat on a chopping board using two forks. I discard the onions but keep the cooking juices.
๐Expert Tips
Foil: If your aluminum foil isn't large enough to cover your roasting pan, overlap two sheets, ensuring no gaps or holes.
Cooking juices: I never discard them. Instead, I let them cool and refrigerate them. After a few hours (overnight), the fat solidifies on the surface, making it easy to remove. Then, I use the cooking juices to reheat the pulled lamb shoulder.
Make ahead: You can prepare the entire recipe 1-2 days in advance. Shred the meat and store it separately from the pan juices in containers in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve. When reheating, add a few tablespoons of the cooking juices (after removing the solidified fat) to the slow-cooked meat to keep it moist.
โRecipe FAQs
The shoulder has a higher fat content, more marbling, and connective tissues, yielding the best, most tender results when making pulled lamb. The leg is leaner and thus more suitable for quick roasting. Next, make this delicious Roasted Lamb Leg with White Wine!
Certainly, check out our Slow Cooker Pulled Lamb. Or make Slow Cooker Lamb Shanks.
While it's possible to overcook meat, it's less likely to happen when slow-cooking. As long as your meat weighs between 3.5 โ 4.5 lbs/ 1.6 โ 2 kg and you follow the recommended cooking time, there's minimal risk of overcooking.
Refrigerateย the shredded meat and the cooking juices in separate containers for 3-4 days.
Freezeย the meat and the juices in separate airtight containers or freezer bags for up to 3 months. Thaw them in the fridge and reheat them before serving.
Reheat in the preheated ovenย (250ยฐF/120ยฐC). Add a few tablespoons of the reserved cooking juices to the meat. Cover with foil and reheat for approximately 30 minutes or until heated through. Remove the foil during the last minutes to crisp up the top.ย
Reheat on the stovetop: Mix the meat with a few tablespoons of the cooking juices in a skillet and reheat, stirring regularly. Add more liquid if necessary to keep the shredded lamb moist.
Use the leftover shoulder roast to stuff pita bread, make a shawarma plate or lamb flatbreads, make a lamb salad or pie, and so on. Stir the shredded meat into Romanian Rice Pilaf, add it to Lamb Bone Soup, or make this Turkey Fricassee using leftover lamb instead of turkey.ย
๐ฝ๏ธWhat to serve with it?
Make a complete festive meal
- Starter: Cream of Asparagus Soup with Milk and Wild Garlic Bread.
- Sides: Rosemary Mashed Potatoes and French Green Beans.
- Dessert: Strawberry Mascarpone Dessert.
๐Recipe
Pulled Lamb Shoulder
Equipment
- Large container for marinating the lamb
- Plastic wrap
- Large roasting tin
Ingredients
- 3.5-4.5 lbs lamb shoulder 1.6 โ 2 kg, Note 1
- 5 garlic cloves grated, Note 2
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon cardamom
- 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
- ยฝ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 ยฝ teaspoons fine sea salt or kosher salt
- ยฝ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 lemon juice and zest, Note 3
- 2 red onions
- 2 cups beer or stock, Note 4
Instructions
- Prepare the lamb shoulder. Trim and discard excess fat or skin (if there is still some skin on).3.5-4.5 lbs lamb shoulder / 1.6 โ 2 kg
- Marinate lamb shoulder: Mix all the marinade ingredients in a small bowl. Spread the mixture all over the lamb. Place the meat in the marinating container and cover it with plastic wrap. Marinate the lamb in the refrigerator for at least 3-4 hours and up to 24 hours. Remove the lamb from the fridge 1 hour before cooking.5 garlic cloves + 1 teaspoon cinnamon + 1 teaspoon cardamom + 2 teaspoons sweet paprika + ยฝ teaspoon smoked paprika + 2 ยฝ teaspoons fine sea salt + ยฝ teaspoon ground black pepper + 1 lemon
- Preheat the oven to 320ยฐF/ 160ยฐC. Remove the wrap from the meat and place the lamb into the roasting tin.
- Assemble: Thickly slice the onions and place them around the lamb shoulder in the tin. Pour the beer or any other cooking liquid around the meat (not on top of it). Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil (Note 5).2 red onions + 2 cups beer / 500 ml
- Slow-cook the lamb, covered, at low temperature for 4 hours.
- Increase the oven temperature to 430ยฐF/ 220ยฐC. Cook, covered, at high temperature, for 15 minutes.
- Baste the lamb and cook, uncovered, for another 20 minutes until deeply browned (Note 6).
- Let the pulled lamb rest for 15 minutes. Reserve the cooking juices; you will need them if you want to reheat the pulled lamb.
- Pull the lamb shoulder on a large chopping board using two forks.
Notes
- Lamb: As long as your meat weighs between 3.5 โ 4.5 lbs/ 1.6 โ 2 kg and you follow the recommended cooking time, there's minimal risk of overcooking.
- Spices: You can use other spices or rub mixtures to marinade the lamb, but add grated garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil to the dry rub to form a thick paste.
- Lemon: Using an unwaxed, organic lemon is preferable as you will need its zest. One medium lemon yields about 4 tablespoons of juice.
- Beer: You can use pils, lager, or a dark stout like Guinness. Each imparts a slightly different flavor to the pulled lamb. You can also use lamb stock, beef stock, chicken stock, red or white wine, or plain water instead of beer.
- Foil: If your aluminum foil isn't large enough to cover your roasting pan, simply overlap two sheets, ensuring no gaps or holes.
- Cooking juices: Let them cool and refrigerate in an airtight container or a large jar. After a few hours (overnight), the fat solidifies on the surface, making it easy to remove. Use the cooking juices to reheat the pulled lamb.
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