Recette Conseils
FR

Braised Lamb Shoulder

Braised Lamb Shoulder
⏱️ Prep time: 30 min 🔥 Cook time: 420 min 🍽️ Servings: 5

Ingredients

  • 1 lamb shoulder on the bone (important to have the bone for flavor)
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter (margarine is not an acceptable substitute)
  • 2 tbsp canola oil
  • 500 ml unsalted veal stock (from butcher shops)
  • 1 bulb of garlic
  • 1 bunch of thyme
  • 2 sprigs of rosemary
  • 375 ml red wine
  • 2 cloves
  • 2 1/2 onions
  • 4 large carrots
  • 1 tbsp jam
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Cut three garlic cloves in half lengthwise. Insert the halved cloves into small incisions made in the lamb shoulder using the tip of a knife.
  2. Cut the carrots and two onions roughly into pieces about one inch in size.
  3. Heat 2 tbsp of butter and the oil in a hot pan. When the butter stops sizzling and is hazelnut-colored, sear the shoulder on all sides (hold it with tongs to sear the narrow sides). Salt and pepper the shoulder (not before, not after searing...during). Be careful never to let the butter blacken. The goal is to achieve the Maillard reaction which concentrates the sugars.
  4. Set the shoulder aside. In the same pan, sauté the carrots, two onions, and the herbs.
  5. Deglaze the pan with the red wine (vegetables and herbs still in the pan).
  6. In a Dutch oven, place the shoulder and the contents of the pan. Add veal stock until the liquid reaches halfway up the shoulder. Add the half onion studded with cloves and pepper.
  7. Cover and place in the middle of the oven at 280°F for 7 hours. Turn the shoulder every hour and a half. After 4 hours of cooking, check the meat's condition. The shoulder is done when it easily pulls away from the bone.
  8. When the shoulder is ready, set it aside in a dish at room temperature, then cover with aluminum foil.
  9. Strain the liquid using a strainer or chinois. Reduce the liquid until the sauce coats the spoon. The reduction can take up to 40 minutes. At the end of the reduction, incorporate the last knob of butter. If the reduction brings out bitterness from the veal stock, add a tablespoon of jam.

Notes

  • One lamb shoulder serves 5 people
  • You can complete up to step 9 the day before and make the sauce one hour before serving
  • The bone is important for flavor
  • Margarine is not an acceptable substitute for butter
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