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Lamb Shoulder Roast

This Lamb Shoulder Roast with Pomegranate molasses, warm spice and garlic is one of our favourite family recipes. It’s perfect for the Holidays and any special occasion. This is another easy lamb recipe that I promise you’ll love and make more often than you think.

Prep Time
1 d 10 mins
Cook Time
3 hrs 10 mins
Additional Time
1 d
Servings: 10
Calories: 432 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mediterranean

Ingredients

Lamb
  • 8-9 lb lamb shoulder American lamb, whole shoulder bone-in
  • 5-6 garlic cloves whole
  • 4 cardamom cloves whole
Marinade
  • 1 Tablespoon each salt and pepper
  • 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
  • 2 Tablespoons onion powder
  • 2 Tablespoons Pul Biber or chilli flakes
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 Tablespoons ketchup
  • 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 cup yogurt
  • 1/3 cup pomegranate molasses
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
To Roast
  • 2 onions cut in half
  • 1 head garlic cut in half
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 3 cardamom pods
  • 6 cups stock

Notes

  • Always buy American Lamb. For the tastiest and freshest meat possible, do yourself a favor and buy local. You’ll taste the difference and you’ll make a difference by supporting local ranchers too. 
  • Ask your meat person or butcher to trim down the fat to your liking. We love to trim most of it, but keep a thin layer at the top. Also ask them to cut out the arm and neck if you want a smaller piece. 
  • The slits in the lamb are meant to infuse it with another depth of roasted garlic flavor. It’s completely optional, but imagine whole garlic cloves that roast with the meat—just impeccable taste!
  • You can leave the shoulder to marinate for as little as one hour, but we prefer an overnight. That way the yogurt has enough time to tenderize the meat so much. 
  • Adding whole spices is important for more flavour to infuse as it gets absorbed by the stock during roasting. 
  • You can use any type of stock, or even water. 
  • If you don’t have pomegranate molasses, or can’t buy it, you can use balsamic glaze with the juice of 1 lemon. 
  • Roasting the shoulder at a high temperature for the first hour helps the stock and meat come to temperature, and then begin the roasting process.
  • This shoulder roast was close to 8 pounds and it took 3 hours in the oven. Roasting times and temperatures are usually calculated per pound of meat. Although it’s best to keep checking on your meat every 45 minutes after the first hour. 
  • Factors that affect roasting time including the oven you’re using, the type of roasting pan, the amount of fat in the meat and much more. 
  • Once the lamb is ready, it should have a deep roasted color with easy to flake meat out of the bone. 
  • You don’t really need to have the lamb rest, you can enjoy it right away!
  • The USDA recommends cooking lamb to an internal temperature of 145 degrees F. Since this a long hour roast, the meat will be well over 150 degrees F. 
  • Cooking time is about 20-23 minutes per pound, but as mentioned above it depends on other factors too. The roasting pan you use (dark versus light, glass versus metal, etc), and the oven you have. If you use convection or regular roast function, that also makes a difference. 
  • While I can’t speak for everyone, because our family LOVES lamb—kids and adults included :) On average this 8 pound shoulder roast is good enough for 10 people, especially when paired with hearty side dishes. 
  • Leftovers are GREAT! They make awesome sandwiches, toss them with pasta sauce and make a lamb ragu, serve them over salads and more!  
  • Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days. You can freeze the cooked lamb meat in a ziplock bag, well sealed for 3 months. 
  • To reheat the meat from the fridge, you can place it in an oven safe dish. Cover the lamb with foil and heat it up at 350 degrees F for about 15 minutes. If frozen, reheat for 30 minutes or more. 
  • While you can microwave the meat to reheat, we don’t recommend it.
  • Always buy American Lamb. For the tastiest and freshest meat possible, do yourself a favor and buy local. You’ll taste the difference and you’ll make a difference by supporting local ranchers too. 
  • Ask your meat person or butcher to trim down the fat to your liking. We love to trim most of it, but keep a thin layer at the top. Also ask them to cut out the arm and neck if you want a smaller piece. 
  • The slits in the lamb are meant to infuse it with another depth of roasted garlic flavor. It’s completely optional, but imagine whole garlic cloves that roast with the meat—just impeccable taste!
  • You can leave the shoulder to marinate for as little as one hour, but we prefer an overnight. That way the yogurt has enough time to tenderize the meat so much. 
  • Adding whole spices is important for more flavour to infuse as it gets absorbed by the stock during roasting. 
  • You can use any type of stock, or even water. 
  • If you don’t have pomegranate molasses, or can’t buy it, you can use balsamic glaze with the juice of 1 lemon. 
  • Roasting the shoulder at a high temperature for the first hour helps the stock and meat come to temperature, and then begin the roasting process.
  • This shoulder roast was close to 8 pounds and it took 3 hours in the oven. Roasting times and temperatures are usually calculated per pound of meat. Although it’s best to keep checking on your meat every 45 minutes after the first hour. 
  • Factors that affect roasting time including the oven you’re using, the type of roasting pan, the amount of fat in the meat and much more. 
  • Once the lamb is ready, it should have a deep roasted color with easy to flake meat out of the bone. 
  • You don’t really need to have the lamb rest, you can enjoy it right away!
  • The USDA recommends cooking lamb to an internal temperature of 145 degrees F. Since this a long hour roast, the meat will be well over 150 degrees F. 
  • Cooking time is about 20-23 minutes per pound, but as mentioned above it depends on other factors too. The roasting pan you use (dark versus light, glass versus metal, etc), and the oven you have. If you use convection or regular roast function, that also makes a difference. 
  • While I can’t speak for everyone, because our family LOVES lamb—kids and adults included :) On average this 8 pound shoulder roast is good enough for 10 people, especially when paired with hearty side dishes. 
  • Leftovers are GREAT! They make awesome sandwiches, toss them with pasta sauce and make a lamb ragu, serve them over salads and more!  
  • Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days. You can freeze the cooked lamb meat in a ziplock bag, well sealed for 3 months. 
  • To reheat the meat from the fridge, you can place it in an oven safe dish. Cover the lamb with foil and heat it up at 350 degrees F for about 15 minutes. If frozen, reheat for 30 minutes or more. 
  • While you can microwave the meat to reheat, we don’t recommend it.