Pulled Lamb with Pomegranate

Fall off-the-bone pulled lamb shoulder, slow cooked in the oven, served with a refreshing mint and pomegranate yogurt.

What can I say about this pulled lamb shoulder with pomegranate and mint? I liked it so much I could not stop eating it. Although I was quite full already before we even sat down to eat.

I had to tear the shoulder of lamb apart and take pictures before we had our meal, and while doing that, I kept eating those tender meat pieces like there was no tomorrow. So soft, so delicate, so packed with flavor... I could cook this again tomorrow!

Ingredients

Lamb's shoulder:

• My cut weighed almost 1,9 kg/ 4 lbs. However, it is not so important how much your shoulder weighs.
• If it is between 1,6 – 2 kg/ 3.5 – 4.4 lbs, everything should be fine, the meat is slow-cooked, and it should fall off the bone at the end of the cooking process, so you cannot really overcook it.

Spices:

• The spice mixture for the pulled lamb with pomegranate dip is Middle East inspired, it was wonderful, but you can choose other spices if you wish.
• The spices here are just a suggestion, and they fit the mint pomegranate yogurt, which is served as a side very well, not to mention the herbed bulgur wheat salad.

Pomegranate mint yogurt:

• I love this fresh-tasting pomegranate and mint dip.
• It complements the meat perfectly; lamb can be pretty heavy but served with a refreshing yogurt mint dip and pomegranate seeds; it's even better.

An impressive-looking and tasting lamb recipe with the minimum amount of effort involved.

How to make lamb with pomegranate?

Marinate the lamb shoulder overnight

• Mix together the grated garlic cloves, cinnamon, cumin, cardamom, paprika powder, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and olive oil in a small bowl.
• Rub the meat with the mixture.
• Marinate for at least a couple of hours (up to 24 hours).
• Remove from the fridge one hour before cooking.

Roast

• Step 1: Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius/ 320 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the shoulder with the fat side up in a roasting pan and arrange the sliced onions around it. Pour the water around it. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and roast for 4 hours.
• Step 2: Turn the heat up to 220 degrees Celsius/ 430 degrees Fahrenheit. Baste the meat with the juices from the pan, cover again, and continue roasting for another 15 minutes. The meat should be really tender.
• Step 3: Remove the foil, and baste well again. Roast for another 30 minutes to get a nice crust. Remove from the pan and reserve the juices for serving with the shredded meat.

Pomegranate and mint yogurt

• While the meat rests shortly, make the mint and pomegranate yogurt.
• Combine yogurt, honey, grated garlic, ⅔ of the pomegranate seeds, and ⅔ of the finely chopped mint in a small bowl.
• Adjust the taste with salt and pepper.

How to serve pulled lamb?

Pour some of the pan juices over the shredded meat and serve. I served this pulled lamb with bulgur wheat salad, whole roasted cauliflower, pomegranate, and mint dip.

However, you can consider the following side dishes as well:

• Zucchini with Pesto
• Garlic Smashed Potatoes
• French Style Green Beans
• Braised Fennel with Apples
• Couscous Salad
• Buckwheat Salad

More roast recipes

Pulled Lamb with Pomegranate

Fall off the bone pulled lamb shoulder, slow-cooked in the oven, served with a refreshing mint and pomegranate yogurt.

4.63 from 8 votes

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Course: Meat Recipes

Cuisine: Middle East

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 4 hours hours 54 minutes minutes

Total Time: 5 hours hours 14 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 947kcal

Author: Adina

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Ingredients 

• ▢ Lamb:
• ▢ 1 shoulder of lamb about 1,6 – 2 kg/ 3.5 – 4.4 lbs
• ▢ 5 garlic cloves grated
• ▢ 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• ▢ 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cardamon
• ▢ 2 teaspoons sweet paprika powder
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ▢ 3 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 2 red onions sliced
• ▢ 500 ml/ 1 pint/ 2 cups water
• ▢ Mint and Pomegranate Yogurt:
• ▢ 250 g/ 8.8 oz/ 1 cup Greek yogurt
• ▢ 1 tablespoon clear honey
• ▢ 2 garlic cloves grated (optional)
• ▢ 1 small pomegranate
• ▢ 1 small bunch mint

Instructions

Lamb:

• Combine grated garlic cloves, cinnamon, cumin, cardamom, paprika powder, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and olive oil in a small bowl. Rub the lamb with it and marinate for at least a couple of hours (up to 24 hours). Remove from the fridge one hour before roasting.
• Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius/ 320 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the lamb with the fat side up in a roasting pan and arrange the sliced onions around it. Pour the water around it. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and roast for 4 hours.
• Turn the heat up to 220 degrees Celsius/ 430 degrees Fahrenheit. Baste the meat with the juices from the pan, cover again and continue roasting for another 15 minutes. The meat should be really tender.
• Remove the foil, baste well again and roast for another 30 minutes to get a nice crust. Remove the meat from the pan and reserve the juices for drizzling over the shredded meat.
• While the meat rests shortly make the mint and pomegranate yogurt.

Pomegranate and Mint Yogurt:

• Mix yogurt, honey, grated garlic, ⅔ of the pomegranate seeds, and ⅔ of the finely chopped mint. Adjust the taste with salt and pepper.

Serve:

• Shred the lamb with two forks and serve drizzled with the roasting juices and sprinkled with the remaining pomegranate seeds and mint.
• Serve with mint and pomegranate yogurt.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/6 of the dish | Calories: 947kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 71g | Fat: 64g | Saturated Fat: 25g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 34g | Cholesterol: 261mg | Sodium: 743mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 13g

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