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Tender, succulent and filled with flavour, this Slow Cooker Lamb Shoulder is out of this world. Perfect for a special meal or Sunday roast, it makes its own divine gravy and it’s then glazed with a sticky and sweet mint jelly.
However chaotic and busy we’ve been during the week, there’s something so calming about a Sunday roast, isn’t there?
Or maybe it’s just because there’s finally time to cook without being in a rush like midweek. Either way, it’s a tradition I love.
I thought I’d share one of my favourite and easiest ways to cook a roast dinner – Slow Cooker Lamb Shoulder (although technically it’s not a ‘roast’ as it’s not cooked in the oven, but it still FEELS like a ‘roast’ to me as it’s a joint of meat).
Why you’ll love this Slow Cooker Lamb recipe
⭐️ Lamb shoulder is a great value joint
⭐️ Hardly any prep
⭐️ Magically creates amazing gravy as it cooks!
How I came up with this recipe
Cooking a roast dinner may seem a little daunting if it’s not something you have had much practice at, and this is especially true of lamb as most of us don’t perhaps eat it as often as other meats.
So I wanted to create a way of making a simplified shoulder of lamb for a few reasons…
➡️ Many of us eat it at Easter, which can be a busy and sociable time, so we need to have something delicious to serve that doesn’t take up too much time or effort.
➡️ Also, lamb shoulder is a really budget-friendly and delicious cut of meat if you know what to do with it.
➡️ Finally, I wholeheartedly believe in making ‘roast’ dinners more convenient – namely in the slow cooker. It gives us a chance to make something comforting and impressive to feed our families and friends with, without spending hours slaving in the kitchen.
This is why I also created a Slow Cooker Roast Chicken, Slow Cooker Beef Joint and a Slow Cooker Ham too!
I have made this Slow Cooked Lamb recipe as foolproof as possible and, because I want this dish to have it ALL (mouthwatering tenderness but also a crispy brown top), I realised popping it in the oven at the end of cooking gave us the best of both worlds and created an amazing mint glaze.
You don’t have to do this step if you’d rather not, but it’s a wonderful finishing touch if you do!
Why use a slow cooker to cook a shoulder of lamb?
Saves electricity: These devices are so energy efficient compared to ovens or hobs, using only about 1.3kWh for 8 hours cooking time. The Energy Saving Trust say they use about the same amount of electricity as a standard light bulb.
Depth of flavour: Cooking a joint of meat long and slow creates a delicious depth of flavour. This recipe takes 10-12 hours and really achieves this (see notes below on how to work the timings).
Convenience: There is just something so lifesaving about being able to put everything in and know a meal is going to be ready later, when time might be tighter. Yes it requires a bit of thinking ahead, but the rewards are great.
More room in the oven: If you are making this as part of a bigger roast dinner, using a slow cooker means you’ve got plenty of room left in the oven for everything else!
Slow Cooker Lamb Shoulder Ingredients
- Lamb shoulder – See notes below about using leg instead
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Garlic
- Onions – Large
- Carrots
- Lamb stock
- Cornflour
- Mint jelly
- Soy sauce – I use reduced salt
How to cook lamb in a slow cooker
- Put the garlic, onions, carrots, lamb joint and stock into a slow cooker, then season.
- Cook on HIGH for 10 hours or LOW for 12 hours (see notes below).
- When cooked, put the meat in a tin, smother it with mint jelly and bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes on 220C.
- Remove the carrots and onions and set aside.
How to make the slow cooker lamb gravy
- Using a spoon or a gravy separator jug, pour off the fatty layer from the cooking liquid in the slow cooker. Discard the fatty part.
- From the remaining cooking juices, remove a small amount of the liquid from the pan (say a tablespoon or two) into a mug or bowl and stir in the cornflour into it until it dissolves. Add a small amount at first and stir in. Keep adding until you get a thick paste.
- Add this ‘slurry’ back into the pan, pour in the soy sauce and stir. You can leave this in your slow cooker on HIGH for about 30 minutes, or if your pan is able to go on the hob, pop onto the hob to bubble for 10 minutes until thick.
Leftovers
In the fridge You can keep this recipe in the fridge for 3 days.
I often serve lamb leftovers with orzo pasta because it’s super quick to cook and soaks up the gravy beautifully. You could also use it in a curry.
Leftover lamb also freezes fine in the gravy for another day’s feasting. Defrost thoroughly before reheating in the microwave or oven.
For any surplus gravy, freeze it to save for another day’s delicious beef gravy. Store in freezer bags so you can keep them flat to save space.
Top tips
How to cook the lamb so it’s ready for lunchtime
You can either put it on overnight and cook it on low for a little longer (it’s very difficult to overcook lamb shoulder) OR use a timer plug like this one to start the slow cooker overnight. Genius!
Finishing this off in the oven
You don’t have to do this step if you don’t want to, but it gives a delicious crispy golden glaze if you do. You can serve the lamb straight from the slow cooker and it will still be meltingly tender, it just won’t have any colour.
How to stop the gravy from being too fatty
I use my trusty Oxo Good Grips Gravy Separator for this job. It makes it a doddle to pour off the excess fat. Otherwise, you can do it manually by spooning off the layer of fat on top of the cooking liquid.
FAQs
No! I think you get a much better result with this dish by browning AFTER cooking, when a lot of the fat has already cooked off. The result is crunchy on top and soft underneath – YESSSS!
No, you can use a lamb leg too but it’s quite tricky to fit a whole one into the slow cooker! A lamb leg may take a little less cooking time depending on the size.
Serve it with some hearty sides, such as Cauliflower Cheese, Roast Potatoes, Boulangere Potatoes or Colcannon, and some vegetables and maybe Yorkshire puddings.
My favourite trusty slow cooker is the Morphy Richards Sear & Stew Slow Cooker for gas hobs as you can brown meat beforehand if necessary (I do try and avoid this most of the time though), or if anything needs a quick heat up after slow cooking. It’s also really light which is a bonus.
For induction hobs, I find that the Lakeland Digital 6.5l Slow Cooker is really good too.
You can, although the method and recipe is slightly different to this. Follow the tips on my Slow Roasted Shoulder of Lamb for the slow oven version.
Let me know how you got on and what you thought of these recipes. Please rate the recipe using the ⭐️ below.
Also I’d LOVE to see your cooking creations. If you’d like to share yours with me, you can tag me on Instagram (@tamingtwins).
Slow Cooker Lamb Shoulder {with Mint Glaze & Rich Gravy}
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg Lamb shoulder
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 Cloves garlic, Peeled and chopped/crushed
- 2 Large onions, Peeled and cut into chunks
- 3 Large carrots, Peeled and chopped into chunks
- 400 ml Lamb stock
- 3 tbsp Cornflour
- 100 g Mint jelly
- 2 tbsp Soy sauce, I use reduced salt
Instructions
- Put the garlic, onions, carrots, lamb joint and stock into the slow cooker. Add salt and pepper.
- Cook on HIGH for 10 hours or LOW for 12 hours.
- When cooked, remove the meat to a tin, smother in the mint jelly and bake in the oven at 220C for about 20 – 30 minutes or until browned.
- Remove the carrots and onions and set aside.
To make the gravy:
- Using a spoon or a gravy seperator jug, pour off the fatty layer from the cooking liquid in the slow cooker. Discard the fatty part.
- From the remaining cooking juices, remove a small amount of the liquid from the pan (say a tablespoon or two) into a mug or bowl and stir in the cornflour into it until it dissolves. Add a small amount at first and stir in, keep adding until you get a thick paste.
- Add this 'slurry' back into the pan, pour in the soy sauce and stir. You can leave this in your slow cooker on HIGH for about 30 minutes, or if your pan is able to go on the hob, pop onto the hob to bubble for 10 minutes until thick.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Just tweaked this for summer , did a smaller joint for a bit less time and shredded it after roasting to go in pittas with salad , tsatziki and fries on the side. It was delicious! Easy peasy and 5 clean plates including from my very hard to please kids! Thank you !!