Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder
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Making a lamb shoulder is incredibly easy, and slow cooking is a fool-proof method for perfectly tender and juicy roasted lamb, every time. This delicious meal is sure to be your new favorite comfort food! Make it for an easy weeknight dinner, a holiday meal, or for entertaining friends.
2025 Update: This recipe is still a family favorite and has been updated to simplify the cooking instructions and add extra cooking tips for our readers. We hope you love it as much as we do!
Lamb Shoulder Recipe
Get ready to meet your new favorite dinner recipe! A bone-in lamb shoulder, slow cooked to tender perfection with lots of garlic, onion, and bright Italian seasoning.
The lamb simmers away in your crockpot for hours, making your mouth water as the smell fills your home. It’s an incredibly comforting and cozy meal, just like my Ranch Pot Roast and Mississippi Chicken.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- “Dump and start” recipe. Just add (or dump) all the ingredients to your Crock-Pot, and let it cook until the meat is so tender is practically falls off the bone.
- Easy recipe for beginners. This recipe great if you’re new to cooking, but if you’re a seasoned cook, or just looking for something simple to make for once, this is for you, too.
- Special enough to serve on holidays. Making a guest-worthy Easter meal has never been easier! It tastes like a gourmet dinner, but only you will know how it easy it is to make!
👉 What does lamb shoulder taste like? The texture of this lean meat is similar to beef, but the flavor is rich and earthy.
I’ve personally come to love lamb over the years, and I think it’s a wonderful protein for hearty recipes like my Irish Lamb Stew, and rustic Italian Lamb Meatballs. I buy my lamb from Porter Road because the taste and quality is 💯.
Ingredients and Substitutions
This recipe contains just eight simple ingredients, total. Because when you start with great ingredients, you don’t need to do much to make them shine! Here are the ingredients you’ll need:
For this recipe, use a whole bone-in lamb shoulder OR lamb shoulder chops, whichever you prefer!
👉 What kind of cut is lamb shoulder? Lamb shoulder is a tough, fatty cut of meat taken from the top of the animal’s back. Lamb shoulder is best cooked slowly to allow the meat to tenderize and the fat to render, until it’s fall apart tender. It’s also budget friendly compared to other cuts of lamb (about 1/3 the price of a leg of lamb the same size).
- Broth: You can use either broth or stock. I typically use chicken broth or vegetable broth, but beef bone broth would be great too.
- Vinegar: An acidic ingredient like vinegar helps to marinate and tenderize the meat. I prefer red wine vinegar, but balsamic vinegar would add a fantastic Italian flavor.
- Italian Seasoning: Making your own seasoning blend ensures that it’s sugar-free has no preservatives. If it’s more convenient to use store-bought, feel free!
- Aromatics: Use either a white or yellow onion, and a couple of fresh garlic cloves or a jar of minced garlic.
- Fresh rosemary sprigs: This is for garnish, so you can omit it without affecting the flavor of the dish.
- Arrowroot powder, for the gravy. If you’re not following Whole30 or Keto, feel free to substitute any other thickener, like cornstarch or all-purpose flour.
How to Make a Perfect Lamb Shoulder
Scroll down to the recipe card for the full step by step instructions! ⬇️
Prep the vegetables: Quarter the onions and remove the garlic from their skins. Guess what? You’re DONE with the knife & cutting board. Go ahead and put them away because you don’t need them anymore!
Layer the veggies in the bottom of the crockpot. You don’t have to get fancy with it, just scatter them.
Set the lamb shoulder on the vegetables. Be sure the fat cap is facing up (this will prevent the vegetables from being saturated with fat). The roast should be partially submerged in the liquid, but not completely covered.
Sprinkle the meat with Italian seasoning. If your seasoning blend is salt-free, feel free to season the lamb shoulder with one-half teaspoon of salt as well.
Cover the slow cooker with a lid and turn it on. Now prepare yourself, because as it cooks, the most delicious smell will begin to fill your house. It’s so delicious that waiting is almost torturous!
Whole Bone-in Lamb Shoulder Cook Times
- High: 4.5 to 5.5 hours
- Low: 7 to 8 hours
Note: For lamb shoulder chops, cook on Low for 5.5 to 6.5 hours, or on High for 3 to 4 hours.
When the lamb shoulder is ready, you should be able to shred the meat easily with a fork (no knife necessary!).
Remove it from the pot and set it on a serving platter or cutting board. Then, tent it loosely with foil and let it rest for about 10 minutes. *This allows the juices time to absorb back into the meat.
Prepare the Gravy
Strain the cooking liquid. Pour or ladle the liquid in the crockpot through a fine mesh sieve. Let it strain into a 2-quart (or larger) saucepan over medium-high heat. *You can discard the onion and garlic that are in the strainer.
Whisk in the thickener. Whisk the arrowroot powder or whatever thickener you're using into the liquid and let the gravy simmer, whisking often, until it thickens a bit. Taste the gravy, then season it with salt and pepper.
Remove the lamb shoulder bone and shred the meat. Last, go back to the rested lamb. Use two forks to pull apart the pieces of the cooked lamb. *Discard the bones and any large pieces of fat.
Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and serve with a healthy drizzle of the gravy and garnish with rosemary.
Instant Pot Adaptation
Just about any slow cooker recipe can be adapted for cooking in the Instant Pot, and this recipe is no exception! Here's how to make a bone in lamb shoulder in your trusty Instant Pot.
Optional step: Set the Instant Pot to sauté mode and add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Pat the lamb shoulder dry and season with salt and pepper. Once the oil is heated and shimmering, brown the roast on all sides, about 3-4 minutes per side.
Next, add the onions, garlic, vinegar, and broth to the Instant Pot. Secure the lid and turn to High Pressure. Set for 45 minutes, then once it's done cooking, allow for a natural pressure release (allow the steam to naturally dissipate). This usually takes about 15 minutes.
Serving Suggestions
Roasted root vegetables, especially red potatoes and carrots, taste great with the slow cooked lamb. To make them, quarter the veggies, then toss with oil, salt, and pepper, and bake at 425°F for 35 minutes, turning once.
To keep it Keto and Low Carb, serve your lamb with cauliflower mashed potatoes. You may want to serve it with a healthy spinach salad, or cook up some green beans in the air fryer, or roast a spaghetti squash.
If your diet allows, pair it with a lovely bed of dill rice.
A fancy beverage like lavender lemonade will complete this lovely holiday meal perfectly. Or enjoy a sweet dessert like this adorable Easter cookie cake.
Bone-In Lamb Shoulder Recipe FAQ
The time for slow cooking a bone-in lamb shoulder depends on whether you cook it on Low or High. On Low, it typically takes 7 to 8 hours to roast the lamb, and on High it takes 4 to 5 hours.
It's best to cook a bone-in lamb shoulder for a longer time at lower heat. This will give you the most tender meat.
Other Fantastic Slow Cooker Dinner Recipes
If you made this recipe, I'd love to hear about your experience! Leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram @cookathomemom.
Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 lb bone-in lamb shoulder or bone-in lamb shoulder chops
- 2 cups chicken broth or broth/stock of your choice
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1½ Tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 6 cloves garlic
- 2 yellow onions
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder optional, for making gravy
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary optional, for garnish
Video
Instructions
- Quarter the onions and remove the garlic from their skins. Add the onions, garlic, broth, and vinegar to the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Set the whole lamb shoulder in the slow cooker, with the fat cap facing up. Sprinkle the top of the lamb shoulder with the Italian seasoning. If the Italian seasoning blend does NOT contain salt, sprinkle the roast with about 1/2 teaspoon of salt as well. Cover and turn the slow cooker on. Cook on Low heat for 7-8 hours, if time allows. Otherwise, set it to cook on High heat for 4.5-5.5 hours.Note: If using chops instead of a whole lamb shoulder, cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 5.5 to 6.5 hours.
- Test the tenderness of the lamb close to the end of cook time. If it's so tender that you can easily pull the meat apart with a fork, it's ready. Carefully remove the lamb from the slow cooker and set it aside on a large rimmed plate. Spoon a little liquid from the slow cooker over the meat. Cover it loosely with a piece of tin foil and let it rest.
- Meanwhile, prepare the gravy. Strain all the liquid from the slow cooker into a medium sauce pan to remove the large pieces of onion and garlic. Turn to medium heat and bring to a simmer.Whisk the arrowroot powder into the simmering gravy, continuing to whisk occasionally as it thickens, for about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Note: If your arrowroot powder becomes clumpy, use an immersion blender to blend the clumps out.
- Last, go back to the rested lamb. Use two forks to pull apart the pieces of the cooked lamb. Set aside the bones and any large pieces of fat. Serve the lamb with a healthy drizzle of the gravy, a little salt and pepper, and garnish with rosemary.
