It is a recipe for a succulent fall-apart tender lamb shoulder that’s gradual cooked in a wealthy massaman curry sauce, offered in a grand roast lamb centrepiece type. My present most-made lamb shoulder recipe. Bought 5 minutes to make it? 🙂
5 Minute Fall-apart Massaman Lamb Shoulder
This recipe goes to avoid wasting you on these events when it is advisable to serve a bunch and are pressed for time, but nonetheless eager to make one thing that appears spectacular. I imply, we now have a repute to uphold, in spite of everything! 🙂
You actually simply put every part in a pan, which takes all of 5 minutes, then depart it within the oven to gradual roast for 4 hours.
And what comes out is extraordinary. The lamb meat is succulent fall-apart tender, swimming in a to-die-for massaman curry sauce with comfortable potatoes that actually soften in your mouth.
Plus, it may be made the day earlier than as a result of it reheats 100% completely (can’t say that about most roasts!) and it’s child pleasant as a result of Massaman curry isn’t spicy.
Cynical? Don’t blame you!
If it sounds too good to be true – I don’t blame you for being cynical! This recipe works very particularly as a result of it’s slow-roasted (permits time for the sauce and meat to develop flavour), we’re utilizing lamb meat (extra flavourful than rooster, pork and beef) and since we’re utilizing a richly flavoured curry sauce because the braising liquid.
Want extra proof? Head over to the Massaman Lamb Shanks. Similar technique. Glowing opinions!
Elements in Massaman Lamb Shoulder
A shortcut on this recipe is that we use retailer purchased curry paste. In truth, home made Massaman Curry paste doesn’t work for this recipe as a result of it’s too recent! We’d like the concentrated flavour of retailer purchased.
Additionally, as talked about above, utilizing lamb here’s a deliberate alternative. In truth, conventional Massaman Curry is made with beef however I go for lamb as a result of it’s a stronger flavoured meat.
1. Lamb shoulder
Lamb shoulder is a reduce of lamb that must be cooked lengthy and gradual to offer the robust meat fibres time to interrupt down and change into tender. You’ll be able to’t cook dinner shoulder to blushing pink like a conventional Lamb Leg, it’s simply too robust.
The place to get it – Today, you could find shoulder in common grocery shops right here in Australia. It was once cheaper than lamb leg however now it’s about the identical value. However, it’s extra succulent and has higher flavour than lamb leg!
Get bone in as a result of the meat is juicier. Belief me on this, I’ve examined bone-in and boneless facet by facet. The distinction is phenomenal! (See FAQ for extra data).
Different lamb cuts – For lamb shanks, use the Massaman Lamb Shanks recipe (it’s barely totally different). Boneless lamb shoulder will work however cut back the cooking time by an hour.
Different proteins – I don’t assume beef chuck would add sufficient flavour into the sauce for this technique of cooking (ie no searing meat prior). Beef brief ribs do work (cut back bake time by about 1 1/2 hours, it was nice). Pork shoulder will even work however I haven’t bought my head round how good pork is with massaman curry sauce. Tasty, however maybe higher with beef or lamb? Rooster gained’t work as a result of it could possibly’t be cooked lengthy sufficient to offer the sauce adequate time to develop sufficient flavour. Keep in mind this recipe is designed with comfort in thoughts which implies we’d like slow-cooking time for flavour creation!
2. THE CURRY PART
Massaman Curry paste – Maesri is my most popular model. Not all curry pastes are made equal! Extra on this under.
Cinnamon and star anise – Flavour enhance of two dominant spices in Massaman curry paste.
Coconut milk – As utilized in conventional Massaman Curry sauce. Search for a coconut milk that’s not less than 80% coconut! Very economical manufacturers may be as little as 30% which barely style of coconut. I exploit Ayam (89%).
Rooster inventory/broth – To create quantity to make a braising liquid to largely submerge the lamb, in addition to including depth of flavour into the sauce. A shortcut – conventional Massaman Curry is made by braising items of beef in liquid to make a home made inventory which is used for the sauce.
Get low-sodium so your sauce doesn’t find yourself too salty. (Although it gained’t be a catastrophe when you don’t get low sodium as the enormous hunk of lamb + potatoes will take in the salt).
Potato and onion – historically included in conventional Massaman Curry. Use complete child potatoes, round 3cm/1.2″ extensive is good, in order that they maintain collectively and change into fantastically comfortable and creamy inside. ⚠️ Don’t use cubes of reduce potato as they’ll disintegrate and make the sauce grainy!
3. Maesri curry paste
Right here is the undisputed king of all retailer purchased Thai curry pastes – Maesri. Eating places use it, cooks use it, and meals obsessed folks like myself are mad for it.
And it occurs to be offered at common grocery shops and it’s the most affordable (at present ~$2.00).
I exploit it for all my Thai curries after I don’t have time / substances to make the curry paste from scratch – Crimson, Inexperienced and conventional Massaman beef curry. And every other recipe calling for a dollop or two of curry paste, from the peanut dipping sauce for Thai Satay Rooster to Thai Coconut Pumpkin Soup to Crimson Curry Pot Roast Rooster!
The place to seek out Maesri curry paste – At your native grocery retailer! It’s offered at most metropolitan Coles and Woolworths grocery shops in Australia (Asian part), at Harris Farms, virtually all Asian shops (it will be un-Asian to not carry it!) and right here it’s on-line in the US, Canada* and UK.
Can’t discover it? Use any Massaman Curry paste you could find. My private order of desire (Aussie manufacturers) – Ayam, 5 Tastes and mentioning the rear is Volcom (it’s all the time too candy).
* Obscenely costly, please attempt to get to an Asian retailer!
Find out how to make Massaman Lamb Shoulder
2 simple steps -put every part right into a pan, bake 4 hours! You too can use your gradual cooker – see recipe notes.
Sauce – Put the curry, coconut and inventory in a roasting pan. Whisk till lump free (together with pesky coconut milk lumps).
💡If making forward to reheat tomorrow, use a ceramic, glass or enamel coated forged iron baking dish quite than a metallic one. I sometimes attempt to keep away from conserving meals in any sort of metallic pans in a single day. Simply to be cautious!
Lamb the wrong way up – Put the lamb shoulder in then flip to coat within the sauce. Then organize it so it’s the wrong way up within the sauce. ie fats cap facet / meaty facet down, pink boney facet dealing with up. This manner many of the meat is submerged within the liquid so it braises.
Scatter the onion, cinnamon, star anise and potatoes across the lamb.
Sluggish roast excessive then low – Cowl with foil. Roast for 1 hour 220°C/425°F (200°C fan) to get the warmth going contained in the pan (it’s a giant hunk of meat there, which takes some time to warmth up), then 3 hours at 180°C/350°F (160°C fan) or till the meat is fork-tender. Which means that you must have the ability to pry the meat aside with two forks with none effort.
Brown it – Take away the foil and punctiliously flip the lamb over so. Spoon some sauce over then pop it again within the oven for half-hour till the floor is a beautiful deep golden brown.
Sauce changes – For those who don’t have sufficient sauce once you take away the foil, simply add water earlier than browning the lamb. If there’s an excessive amount of / too skinny, simply pop the pan again into the oven with out the lamb (as soon as browned). It’s really easy to regulate!
Making forward? After browning, let it totally cool uncovered then refrigerate in a single day. On the day of, simply reheat it within the oven lined for 1 hour. See recipe notes for instructions!
Skim fats – Take away it from the oven and let it relaxation for 10 to fifteen minutes. Skim off the surplus fats from the floor of the sauce utilizing a big spoon. There shall be a good quantity – round 1/2 to three/4 cup (125 – 180 ml). Lamb shoulder is a fatty reduce, and that’s the reason it’s so tasty! Don’t attempt to get all of the fats as a result of in any other case you’ll lose an excessive amount of sauce. And bear in mind, fats = flavour!
💡For those who refrigerated in a single day, you possibly can carry sheets of the fats off the floor of the sauce however you should definitely scrape all of the sauce off the underside!
Garnish and serve – For those who’re posh (I’m not), switch every part right into a serving dish then sprinkle with the pink chilli slices and coriander/cilantro. Serve with rice and tongs – no carving knife required right here, this isn’t the carving type! See the part under for varied serving kinds.
Serving kinds
An odd-sounding heading maybe, however it should make sense as soon as I clarify! Listed below are the three methods I’ve served this lamb up to now few months (it’s been frequently used since I invented it, so useful for teams):
Lazy format for acquainted folks eg household, informal lunch with the workforce – Depart the entire lamb shoulder within the roasting pan. It does get a bit messy because the meat-tearing progresses because the bone will get in the best way, and likewise there are pockets of fats that I discover folks are likely to keep away from and depart within the pan. However, it’s much less work for me to serve, and the entire lamb appears to be like spectacular! 🙂 I do that more often than not!
Meat totally eliminated – This one is simple for friends to serve themselves although lacks the visible impression of a complete lamb shoulder. Take away all of the meat off the bone and separate into large-ish serving-size chunks. Take away and discard giant identifiable pockets of fats. Squidge meat in sauce, garnish, serve with giant serving spoon.
Bone eliminated, lamb in-tact – It is a good solution to have visible impression of a complete piece of lamb however it’s simpler to serve as a result of the bone is eliminated. You actually simply seize the bone and slide it out of the meat, taking care to maintain the lamb in tact. As a result of the meat is so tender, it ought to slide out effortlessly.
What to serve with Massaman Lamb Shoulder
Rice is important, for sauce soaking. Jasmine is my first choose (being Thai and all) although basmati is gorgeous with it too, given the Indian affect of Massaman curry. They each have a slight fragrance of flavour that goes so nicely with this dish however I’m positive no one would snob different rice sorts on provide! 🙂
I’d counsel choosing a light-weight and recent facet salad as this dish is sort of wealthy. It’s pictured above with an Asian Slaw on the facet. Some extra ideas: Leafy Asian salad, Chang’s Crispy Noodle Salad, Smashed Cucumber Salad, Japanese Slaw, Glass Noodle Salad (skip the rooster), or any recent greens/salady issues / blanched greens you need tossed with my easy 4 ingredient Asian Sesame Dressing.
Get pleasure from! – Nagi x
Massaman lamb shoulder FAQ
Make per recipe, preserve it complete and let it totally cool (takes about 2 hours). Cowl and refrigerate (24 hours finest, as much as 3 days). Take it out 2 hours prior. Reheat 1 hour at 180°C/350°F (160°C fan) lined in foil.
It reheats 100% completely which is a novel characteristic right here as a result of it’s uncommon {that a} “roast” model dish to have the ability to be reheated with out lack of high quality. For instance, I’d by no means do this with a lamb rack or prime rib!
As many as you possibly can comfy match within the oven, although chances are you’ll want to extend the roasting time when you crowd the oven. I can match 4 in my customary measurement 60cm oven, 2 shoulders in 2 giant pans. I’ve used giant disposable aluminium trays to make cleansing up simpler and likewise as a result of they match 2 lambs.
Sure, however it’s not fairly nearly as good as a result of it lacks the long-roasting-time caramelisation you get on the floor of the lamb and sauce. Sluggish cook dinner for 10 hours then end within the oven to brown / cut back sauce (~ 1 hour).
As a result of when butchers reduce into the meat to take away the bone they’re reducing the flesh which creates extra escape routes for juices.
I as soon as made my 12 hour lamb shoulder utilizing a bone-in and boneless lamb shoulder and in contrast the load of the lamb meat after roasting. The distinction is extraordinary – the bone in lamb meat retains about 20% extra juices so the meat is much extra succulent.
YES. Proof right here – that recipe makes use of the identical technique however makes use of shanks as an alternative of shoulder. It’s a beloved reader fave!
See in submit for why this recipe works although it’s really easy.
It makes extra meat so this dish serves extra. And since lamb shoulder is fattier than lamb shanks, I begin with extra liquid within the braising sauce so the sauce on the finish is barely thinner and fewer wealthy. The primary time I made it simply switching the shanks for shoulder, the sauce was simply too wealthy and likewise there wasn’t sufficient for all of the meat.
Additionally – roasting temp. Beginning with a 1 hour excessive warmth blast is essential for this recipe, it cuts the overall roasting time down by an hour.
Sure, it’s on the massive facet. Usually you’ll find that butchers carry smaller ones round 1.4 – 1.7kg and grocery shops carry bigger ones ~2kg as much as 2.5 kg. The bigger lamb is technically mutton, not lamb, from a sheep that’s older. Lamb from youthful sheep is extra tender and can cook dinner sooner so when you use a small shoulder, verify if the meat is tender somewhat earlier.
4 days within the fridge, 3 months within the freezer. Reheats 100% excellent!
Watch learn how to make it
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Fall-apart massaman lamb shoulder
Prep: 5 minutes
Prepare dinner: 4 hours 30 minutes
Resting: 15 minutes
Fundamental
Thai-ish
Servings6 – 8
Faucet or hover to scale
Forestall display screen from sleeping
Directions
Abbreviated recipe:
Whisk curry, coconut and inventory, put lamb in the wrong way up. Add spices and potatoes, foil cowl, roast 1 hour at 220°C/425°F (200°C fan), 3 hours 180°C/350°F (160°C fan) or till fall-apart. Uncover, flip lamb, half-hour. Garnish, serve!
Full recipe steps:
Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F (200°C fan-forced).
Whisk the curry paste, coconut milk and rooster inventory in a pan till lump free. Put lamb shoulder in, flip to coat within the sauce then place it so it is the wrong way up (ie meaty / fats facet down).
Place the onion, cinnamon sticks, star anise and potatoes across the lamb. Cowl with foil.
Sluggish-cook – Roast for 1 hour. LOWER the oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan) then roast for an additional 3 hours. (Observe 5)
Verify – Take away foil and use forks to verify the meat is nearly “fall-apart-tender”, it must be by this time. If not, cowl and preserve cooking.
Brown – Flip the lamb over, spoon over sauce. Bake uncovered half-hour or till deep golden. (Observe 6 for sauce changes)
Serve – Relaxation for 10 – quarter-hour. Spoon off as a lot or as little extra fats off floor, discard. Combine sauce nicely (it is fairly runny, if it was thicker it would be too wealthy). Switch to a serving dish, when you like, sprinkle with chilli and coriander. Serve! (Observe 7 for serving kinds)
Recipe Notes:
Different meat that may work: boneless brief rib, complete pork shoulder (bone-in), however please learn in submit for feedback on these cuts. Rooster not advisable!
2. Massaman curry paste – finest is Maesri model, offered at most Woolworths (see right here) & Coles in Australia, in addition to Harris Farms and Asian shops. Additionally occurs to be the most affordable at ~$2.10 a can.
In any other case, use no matter model you could find (my preferences: Ayam, 5 Tastes and lastly Volcom).
3. Coconut milk – not all coconut milk is created equal. Search for manufacturers which are not less than 80% coconut for higher coconut flavour (verify the substances), I exploit Ayam which is 89%.
4. Potatoes – small ones ~3cm / 1.2″ is good. Preserve them complete or halve, with pores and skin on. Don’t use peeled cubes of potato, they’ll disintegrate and make the sauce grainy.
5. Oven temps – Preliminary excessive temp roasting is to get warmth contained in the lamb and liquid, cuts down on gradual roasting time by an hour.
Sluggish cooker – 10 hours on low. Switch every part to a pan (lamb the wrong way up), 180°C/350°F (160°C fan) half-hour, flip lamb, 30 – 45 minutes till properly colored and sauce diminished (take away lamb and cut back in oven extra if wanted). Helpful, however, oven roasting is best flavour (higher caramelisation). 🙂
6. Sauce quantity – For those who don’t have sufficient sauce once you take away the foil, simply add water earlier than browning the lamb. If there’s an excessive amount of / too skinny, simply pop the pan again into the oven with out the lamb (as soon as browned). It’s really easy to regulate!
7. Serving model – See in submit for ideas, part above the video. Complete, or boneless complete, or shredded. Completely different events for every!
8. MAKE-AHEAD BRILLIANCE – One of many uncommon roasts that reheats virtually 100% completely (the truth is, the sauce flavour will get higher with time), making it glorious for making forward for gatherings. Use a ceramic or glass baking dish, totally cool (complete) then refrigerate in a single day within the dish. Take out of the fridge a great 2 hours prior, cowl loosely with foil, reheat at 180°C/350°F (160°C) for 1 hour (2 shoulders every in separate pans took 1 hour quarter-hour).
Vitamin per serving assuming 8 servings. It should serve 6 comfortably with rice and a single facet salad (lamb meat + the sauce is fairly wealthy), as much as 8 when you had a few sides.
Vitamin Data:
Energy: 478cal (24%)Carbohydrates: 18g (6%)Protein: 48g (96%)Fats: 24g (37%)Saturated Fats: 14g (88%)Polyunsaturated Fats: 1gMonounsaturated Fats: 6gLdl cholesterol: 142mg (47%)Sodium: 502mg (22%)Potassium: 1100mg (31%)Fiber: 3g (13%)Sugar: 2g (2%)Vitamin A: 2250IU (45%)Vitamin C: 18mg (22%)Calcium: 75mg (8%)Iron: 7mg (39%)
Lamb shoulder is a agency favorite for entertaining
See?
Lifetime of Dozer
For those who instructed me 10 years in the past I’d be sitting on the ground of a buying centre with a canine watching a lightwall till the advert for my e-book signing got here up, I’d have checked out you want I’m loopy.
As an alternative, folks have been taking a look at me like I’m loopy!! 😂
Right here’s a enjoyable little video I put collectively of Dozer’s go to to Warringah Mall yesterday to take a look at our lightwall! In truth, I used to be somewhat disillusioned. I used to be secretly hoping for an enormous photograph of Dozer. I do know, I do know, I’m such an ungrateful brat! 😈