This Slow-Braised Lamb Shoulder In Pale Ale & Honey was inspired by one of the best meals I have ever eaten from this little pub, whilst on holidays, on Bruny Island, Tasmania. Such a quant little pub it was and I was not expecting such an amazing meal. It has stayed with me ever since so I just had to try and re-create it myself at home. It comes fairly close to the meal I ate – lamby with a nice hint of beer and honey. Its rich and delicious and such a comforting meal to enjoy to friends and family.
Since I am re-creating this recipe as best I can I decided to serve the lamb just like I had on Bruny Island – served with whole baby baked potatoes, steamed green beans and baby spinach.
In Tassie they serve pink-eye potatoes (which are the best by the way) but as they are not available in my local area I chose to go with a small red baby potato instead. I par-boiled them then roasted them in my air-fryer whilst the lamb was cooking in the oven. And finally just some simple steamed green beans and baby spinach to serve.
The holy grail of this lamb is the gravy which is made from the cooking liquid and vegetables which you braised the lamb in. It truly is liquid gold and good enough to drink. Please DON’T miss this step!!!
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do. Its perfect for weekends when the weather is cool and you need a hearty delicious meal that is also simple to cook.
~ Slow Braised Lamb Shoulder in Pale Ale & Honey ~
❄️ Storage
FRIDGE:
Store any leftover lamb in an airtight container in the fridge and use within 3-4 days. Store any leftover pan juices in a separate container.
This dish can be made ahead of time. To do this, make as directed up until the end of Step 3 but leave the lamb in the pot. Allow it to cool until room temperature then pop the whole dish (with the lid) into the fridge for up to 3 days. You can remove some of the excess fat that congeals on the surface if desired and discard.
To reheat, place the pot over a medium heat and warm through until piping hot. Remove the lamb and set aside then carry on from Step 4.
FREEZE:
If desired, any leftover lamb and juices can be frozen into freezer-proof containers. Label, date and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before gently reheating in the microwave on MEDIUM (50% power) until piping hot.
Slow Braised Lamb Shoulder in Pale Ale & Honey
Equipment
- Heavy based pot with a lid or Dutch oven
- Baking tray
- Small saucepan
- Sieve or metal strainer
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1.2kg boneless lamb shoulder
- 2 tablespoons plain flour
- Salt and pepper
- 2 small brown onions, quartered
- 2 carrots, roughly chopped
- 1 stalk celery, roughly chopped
- 8 cloves garlic, lightly smashed
- 375ml can pale ale beer (I used a can of Balter AXP)
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 cups (500ml) good quality chicken stock
- 2 bay leaves (or 1 dried)
- 6 sprigs thyme
- 1 sprig rosemary
TO SERVE
- Whole baked baby chat potatoes
- Steamed green beans
- Baby spinach leaves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 160℃ (140℃ fan forced). Heat olive oil in a large flameproof casserole dish over high heat. Season lamb well with sea salt and pepper then sprinkle with flour. Cook the lamb for for 8-10 minutes or until well browned all over (we want lots of good colour on it). Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic to the pan, cook, stirring often for 5 minutes or until lightly golden in colour. Pour in the beer and allow it to bubble up for 1 minute then stir in the honey, chicken stock and herbs. Bring to a gentle boil, then return the lamb to the pot, nestling it in between the vegetables, then cover with a tight fitting lid.
- Transfer the lamb to the oven. Cook for 2 ½ hours, turning lamb twice during cooking time, or until lamb is very tender and almost falling apart. Carefully remove the lamb from the pot and transfer to a lined baking tray. Remove the elastic ties from the lamb (if it had them) and increase the oven temperature to 200℃ (180℃ fan forced).
- Return lamb to the oven and cook for a further 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on top. Meanwhile, strain the vegetables and liquid from the pot into a saucepan through a sieve. Using a a spoon, push down (hard) on the vegetables to extract as much of the vegetables through the sieve as possible. Discard remaining solids in the sieve.
- Place the pan juices over a high heat and bring to the boil. Boil rapidly until the sauce has reduced by half and thickened slightly. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide lamb (in large chunks) between serving plates. Spoon over pan juices and serve with baked baby chat potatoes, steamed green beans and some baby spinach leaves. Serve with remaining pan juices on the side.
Notes
- COOKS NOTES:
Oven Temps: Oven temperatures are for conventional, if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C.
Measurements: We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon = 5 ml, 1 tablespoon = 20 ml & 1 cup = 250 ml.
Herbs: All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed.
Vegetables: All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified.
Eggs: We use extra-large size and eggs are 55-60 g each, unless specified.
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