Go Back Email Link
lamb shoulder with potatoes

Slow Braised Lamb Shoulder in Pale Ale & Honey

This Slow-Braised Lamb Shoulder In Pale Ale & Honey was inspired by one of the best meals I have ever eaten. Boneless lamb shoulder is browned to perfection then slowly braised in the oven with vegetables, garlic, herbs, pale ale beer and chicken stock until it becomes melt in your mouth tender. Whilst you finish off the lamb in the oven to get a crispy coating, the vegetables and cooking liquid is then turned into the most unbelievable gravy which is then ladled over the lamb. It is lip smacking delicious.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time:25 minutes
Cook Time:3 hours
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Australian
Keyword: braising, honey, lamb shoulder, pale ale, slow cooking
Servings: 4 people

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

  1. 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.