Turn an inexpensive cut of meat into a delicious meal. Lamb shoulder chops are so underestimated, and braising them turns them incredibly tender and juicy.
When it comes to choosing cuts of meat I’m honestly not that great. Okay, okay I do know breast, thighs, loins and minced meat, that’s a start no? But hear me out before you judge please, I promise I have good excuses. First excuse, language barrier. I have yet to learn all the cut names in Czech, they just don’t stick in my brain. Excuse number 2, I never learned about cuts and their names in either English or Spanish. That is because I only started cooking since we moved to Prague. Last excuse is that the cuts are different in Prague than they are in the states, and I think Mexico. My husband who worked at a butcher shop as a teenager, in the states, verified that the cuts are indeed different. See all good excuses and now you can judge me for not working harder at learning the names in Czech.
You can imagine that one of the good reasons my husband and I do our grocery shopping together is to make sure we have decent cuts of meat to eat. When I go off by myself to pick up some meat its best to stick with fish and the few cuts I know, unless I’m feeling adventurous. Sadly for my husband I’m very curious about food. The other day I saw lamb at the grocery store and it’s not an every day occurrence, woohoo happy dance! Plus it was organic meat, double happy dance! Without much more thinking I took the lamb home. On the walk home I was daydreaming about how soft, tender and juicy it was going to be. I showed my hubby what I bought and he broke the news to me that is was Lamb shoulder. Of course I looked at him completely perplexed and said yeah but it’s going to be good right? Oh.
We both started doing some research online about the best methods to prepare this cut and site after site suggested braising. Braising is a great technique to use on cuts that are tougher or chewier, aka cheaper cuts. But it is also a technique I like to use with other more expensive cuts. Of course good spices must be used and the results are always tender and juicy meat. We ended up with succulent lamb shoulder chops that were so tender, juicy, and the meat just fell off the bone. No chewy or fatty taste at all, Just awesome!
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Braised Rosemary Lamb Shoulder Chops
- Total Time: 3 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
Description
Turn an inexpensive cut of meat into a delicious meal. Lamb shoulder chops are so underestimated, and braising them turns them incredibly tender and juicy.
Ingredients
- 2 lamb shoulder chops, weighed 550 grams or 1.20 lb
- 1 medium onion, cut into 1/8ths
- 3 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 1/2 tbsp dried rosemary
- 6 whole allspice, crushed
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup or 118 ml vegetable broth
- fresh rosemary for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 150c / 300f. Over medium heat melt the butter in a frying pan, saute the onion and garlic for 5 minutes then add the spices and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove the pan contents and set aside. Turn heat to high, Pat dry the lamb then place in frying pan. Brown on both sides. Turn heat off. Mix the onion spice mixture back with the lamb.
- Place the lamb and pan contents into a baking dish and pour the broth over the lamb then place the dish into the oven. The lamb will need to cook for 3 – 4 hours or until the meat is very tender and breaks up easily. Do not let the baking dish dry out and add a little more water or broth as needed.
- Reserve the pan juices and serve as a sauce over the meat.
- Serve with fresh rosemary sprigs
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Category: main course
- Method: braising
- Cuisine: italian
I served our lamb with some mashed potatoes, from scratch, and so wilted baby spinach. Enjoy and try my recipe with any lamb cut of your choice. See mistakes always have a way of working themselves out and a cheap cut of meat can still be tasty.
I love lamb and I really like the spices you used in this dish, the meat looks great!
Thank you Tamara !
Looks like you braised it to perfection…the meat looks fork-tender. I often buy lamb shoulder and I’m definitely going to remember your recipe for the next time.
It was so tender you hardly touched it and it came apart, perfect. Please let me know how you like it.
Beautifully prepared Nancy! And I think all of your excuses are quite valid :)
Thank you Alisha! You know I highly value your opinion :)
Going to try the recipe today…just thought you should know that the pictures posted are of lamb leg chops not shoulder.
Yeah, lol. The chops in these pictures are beautiful (and no doubt expensive) lamb leg chops that would be wonderful, tasty and tender with just a little bit of seasoning (garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper) and simple pan frying in a cooking quality olive oil blend. Long slow cooking of chops like these is a sad waste.
Even so, this sounds like a great recipe for preparing shoulder chops, if you do happen to have them at hand.
Yes, the chops in the pictures are lamb leg steaks, not shoulder chops. Delicious sounding recipe, though! I have some lamb shoulder chops & may give this recipe a try tonight.
Update: I made the recipe in January 2021 using lamb shoulder chops, and it was delicious, my family loved it! I got some more shoulder lamb chops today and look forward to making this recipe again this week. :)
So yummy! I had thinner chops than what you have here, but it came out so good nonetheless! Bravo!
Very good basic recipe, it was delicious with egg noodles and braised cabbage and carrots. I’ve always liked lamb, and the allspice gave a great flavor note.
I tried this recipe once my wife loved it and my stepdaughter who a very picky eater liked it as well. Extremely easy to make, great template to start with and add things to it, to make your own creation. I’m making it for dinner to note again at my wife’s request. Thanks!
This was outstanding! I did not have allspice so I added some dried mint and about 1/4 tsp of cinnamon. We had it with mashed cauliflower, and the sauce worked with that too. Great recipe!
Sorry- can’t get the 5th star to light up.
What a great recipe!! I originally bought the shoulder chops for a stew recipe but kept thinking “too much meat to waste in a stew”. So I prepared the meat exactly the way you described and am SOOO GLAD that I did. Turns out I was right that there was too much meat for a stew!! Tasted every bit as good as any leg of lamb I have ever cooked or tasted for that matter. Thanks!!
My future husband loves this dish and I make it a regular in our household, served with mashed garlic potatoes and glass of really good French red wine.
He describes the dish as “making a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.” It’s that delicious.
Amazing. Planned on eating alone and ended up sharing with a neighbor. Served with quineo simmered with apples and and an apple Fennel salad dressed with a maple syrup vinegar and olive oil dressing.
AMAZING. Will keep this recipe as a “tried and true”.
Thank you.
Hi Nancy ~
I have a question for you: I am cooking half a lamb in the oven already pre-sliced by the butcher. With an excessive amount of meat, obviously I will not be able to saute every piece of meat on high first, and then braise it on low. Am I able to get the same affect and end result of tenderness by roasting it in the oven on high and then turning the temp down to braise?
Thanks,
Mona.
I absolutely love this recipe! My husband wanted Lamb for Easter dinner and he loved the final outcome. This was my first time cooking Lamb and it came out fork tender! I made it with parmesan mash and sauteed zucchini. I also took pictures because I was so proud! Thank you!
My hubby and I just made this for dinner. It’s hard to wait the three hours for it to cook…but believe me, it is WORTH IT. This was an amazing recipe and the meat really did just fall off the bones. Great taste, really helped tone down the strong flavor of the lamb. Make sure to make potatoes with it so you can spoon some of the yummy sauce onto it.
the recipe looks wonderful and I am going to try it, but do you cover it in the oven
tried this tonite; it was utterly delicious, the meat was tender & did fall off the bones. YUMMY!
my youngest son loves lamb; and no how i try to marinate and cook it; it always turns out tough. so i had almost given up on cooking shoulder chops.. that is, until i came across your recipe. thank you so much. this is going to be one of our regulars – tried & tested as they say.
Really good recepie. Came out amazing
Making this recipe for the 3rd time since my first post!! Can not believe how fantastic this dish is!! I always follow your recipe to a “T”. Thank you ever so much for sharing this!!
I bought the lamb shoulder chop from the local grocery store but wasn’t sure how to prepare it. I then did a Google search for the best recipe for the meat. Your recipe came up among several others bit upon reading the reviews I opted to go with your yours. I’ll let you know how it turns up. Thanks everyone.
Davidson
This was very tasty (and super easy). I didn’t have vegetable broth, so I used chicken broth, which worked fine. I also served it over redskin mashed potatoes and sauteed spinach. I strained the reserved juices and poured the liquid over the top of everything, which was a nice touch.
I love lamb shoulder. I did a really great lamb stew a couple of weeks ago but was looking for something without tomato this time. Looks like I found my match! If you are interested in lamb shoulder, might I suggest my Lamb and Farro stew?
http://fictionalkitchen.wordpress.com/2013/10/02/lamb-stew/
this recipe is awesome!
Thanks for a great recipe. I don’t cook lamb that often, so I always have to search online for ideas when we do have it. Your braise is definitely a keeper!
Thanks for info on this cut that I was not familiar with. I have them in oven right now. I do have a suggestion as I hate having all these extra pans and dishes. Use a cast iron frying pan then you can just stick it in the oven. Plus it gives extra flavor to the dish.
i was wondering, after i did the onions etc and then browned the lamb, etc. into a baking dish etc. the recipe said ‘check to make sure the dish doesnt dry out and add water/broth if necessary. i presume this is for the oven braising. should i cover the dish in tinfoil or left it open. seems it might dry out quicker if i do not cover it?
I’m making the dish right now but with fresh rosemary and thyme since I had them on hand. Very easy prep and I’m using a roasting pan (uncovered) since I’m making four (though I might use a cast iron pan when I make two). It’s been cooking for two hours so far and smells amazing, and there is still plenty of liquid, even as the lamb continues to brown. I’m looking forward to eating it tonight, alongside mashed potatoes and an asparagus/tomato/black olives from Jamie Oliver
Thanks so much for the technique. My husband and I love lamb but it’s obviously pricey and so hard to find around my area, so I was happy to get some shoulder chops. I will probably cook these in a dutch oven. Do you think that would decrease the cooking time? I have found that it does for other meats, but I’m not sure how to tell as it will be cooked so slow. Just until it falls apart easily? Thanks!
Do you cover the dish with foil???
I made this dish for Easter Sunday and it was a huge hit! Easy and fast to prep, 3 hours in the oven, perfect lamb.I served it with mashed potatoes and roasted carrots. Thanks for the recipe, will definitely make it again.
Lovely, lovely recipe. Just finished my supper in Barbados with fresh local thyme and rosemary. The lamb is from NZ. Cooked up beautifully in 3.25 hours at 300. Mine turned out a darker colour but the meat was lovely and tender. Added a bit of hot pepper to spice it up. Delicious. Thank you for adding this.
Made this for my husband tonight and he said it was delicious! Thanks for the great recipe!
I just put this in the oven, my house smells wonderful. I didn’t have whole allspice, so I used 1/4 tsp. of ground allspice. I will complete this meal by serving roast yams, salad and french bread. I can already taste this meal, Yum.
After seeing the picture and all the wonderful comments I made this with the lamb shoulder chops that I bought to grill. I also did not have all spice at home but did have mint and cinnamon and it turned out great- thanks for the suggestion Anastacia. Since my oven is being repaired right now I put everything in a crock pot instead of the oven for 4 hours on high. I may have had too much liquid left compared to the oven but it was delish. Everyone loved it and smell was incredible with the fresh herbs. Thank you Nancy for this wonderful recipe!!!
this is my lamb shielded recipe always now. I play with the spices sometimes for a different flavour but the method is divine. So soft so juicy so tasty. Kudos
Tried this but tweeted it just a bit. My husband loves it!
Thank you
Donna
Best lamb chops I ever had! Thank you
Did anyone turn the lamb halfway through?
So…..I had some forequarter chops in the fridge and really felt like something different…..this recipe worked a treat with them! Exceeded my expectations :-)
I got a steal on lamb shoulder at my university’s Ag department meat sale, but have never had or made lamb. Stumbled on your recipe, made it with colcannon on the side last night, and it was delicious perfection! Mine could’ve used more oven time, but we were starving…still came out so flavorful and juicy. A keeper!…Thanks!
Didn’t have the allspice the way you requested, but I had the powder..used1/4 tsp….was really very very good. Thank you, will do it again.
No oven temp noted
Hi Vee, in the first step it notes 150C/300F for your oven temperature. Happy Cooking!
sounds lovely l will try it l also cook lamb but in a different way l get a whole leg of lamb stick chopped garlic into the lamb using a knife and fresh rosmary twigs rub olive oil over the leg slice up 2 oranges place all over the leg and wrap in aluminum foil l then put in a converted stainless steel beer keg which is on top a cas burner conected to a gas bottle sitting on a circula pan above a foot of water which steams for obout three hours in the last hour l put in vegtable etc corn,potato,sqaush all wrapped in foil you then have a meal for 4 adults the meat just about melts in your mouth
I made this recipe this evening…having bought the lamb with my own level of ignorance, lol!…so appreciative of your guidance!!!! I added some baby Bella and shiitake mushrooms because I had them, and I thought it might work. It was just mouth watering! Also made mashed redskin mashed potatoes from our garden and wilted Tuscan Kale, also from our garden. Thank you again!!!!
Sounds very wonderful, however, I didn’t realize that they would have taken so long to cook either. That’s what I had planned on making for dinner tonight. Is there any faster way to cook these and still have them come out tender? Maybe broiler? Thanks, in a pinch ????
I love this recipe! I now make lamb every couple weeks. This recipe is so easy and worry free. Not scared of lamb anymore :)
This recipe was a total failure for me! Have been cooking for 59 yrs. so you can’t say I’m a beginner. Without covering the meat it can not stay juicy, should have followed my instincts. No longer tastes like lamb either. Tastes like onion, garlic, thyme, erc. Had beautiful young lamb shoulder just over 1lb. A fresh slaughter from a friend. Probably the lamb already too tender for this recipe. Can not recommend this recipe.
Do you cover when cooking
Absolutely mouth-watering and chef quality, sone right, this will knock your socks off! I made this recipe with a few slight modifications: I added crimini mushrooms to the onions, then after searing the meat, I deglazed the pan with half a cup of the broth, in order to capture the fond to add to the roasting pan. Patience was everything; while the meat may appear done and the smell enticing, truly waiting until it was fork tender (my thin chops took 3.5 hrs) was well worth it, to eliminate the toughness of the meat. I doubled the garlic, onion, and broth,in order to ensure plenty of topping. This paires really well with quinoa, which I added sautéed criminis, spinach, garlic, and thyme to, then just before serving, added some of the pan drippings from the lamb.
All in all, this is by far one of the best meals I’ve ever tasted, and my guests were blown away. The best part, very inexpensive and easy!
I’m making this right now, so I am very curious to see how it turns out. Even just cooking the onions and garlic with the spices smells yummy. I did add mushrooms with the onions. I’m also cooking 6 shoulder chops, so I’m hoping it all turns out good.
I tried your recipe and it was delicious.I used half a cube of Maggi to make my veg. stock.
Can anyone who has had success with this recipe answer the question if they covered the meat in the oven. Thanks, I’m making it today and so excited. I rarely cook lamb because I’m just so unfamiliar with it.
Hi Nancy
I love Lamb shoulder.
I don’t have 3-4 hours to try your recipe today, so I am just going to brown the chops, and then braise for about 40 min. right in the fry pan.
However, I will try your recipe when I do have more time.
Thank You
Don
Thanks Nancy for your recipe and I will try it as soon as I get the spices for it. It sounds wonderful. I will let you know how it turns out. I am sur eit will tun out great.! And thank you! Cathy.
Great! Made them tonight from blade chps my husband thought “looked good”. I had no idea what to do with them until I came across this recipe. Delicious! I made rice to go with, but our blades were pretty fatty, so juices probably should have been de-fatted. Thanks!
You don’t mention covering the pan when braising lamp shoulder chops ??
We tried these and they were DELICIOUS! Really easy recipe and perfect savory, well-rounded taste for Fall and Winter dinners.
This is so amazing! I’ve made this several times and it’s fantastic. I’ve also put it in the slow cooker and it comes out fine.
You didn’t say whether you covered the dish when you put it in the oven.
I’ve made this numerous times and it always comes out delicious! My husband loves it. It’s so easy to make. I love that I can use an inexpensive piece of lamb to make such a great dish. Thanks
Does the lamb need to be completely covered with the broth so it doesn’t dry out? What size along dish are you using the 1/2 cup broth with ?
Thank you. It was an easy recipe, but so delicious.
Just made this tonight. Came out tasty and tender. Thanks.
Just made this tonight. So yummy!
I love this recipe. It’s so easy and so delicious. I’m poor and can’t afford lamb very often and in fact only buy it when I find a special. I’ve made this half a dozen times since I found this recipe and I’d eat it a whole lot more often if I could.
Love this recipe- the chop came out super flavorful. I did 1/4 cup of red wine + 1/4 cup of low sodium vegetable broth. Ended up adding about a cup of vegetable broth throughout the cooking process
I tried this recipe out. I used one cup of broth to the two shoulder chops. I turned the oven on to 350 degrees. Three hours later, I could smell something burning. The chops were charred and all of the onions burnt and stuck to the bottom of the pan. I will try this recipe again, but next time I will cook the lamb for a shorter period of time. Probably about an hour and a half to two hours. They still tasted good and I ate them with mint jelly and no sauce. It was a good thing that I liked my meat well done.
do i cover before putting in oven?
I’m going to making this right now because it just looked so good! I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Devine!! Mine only took 2 and a half hours, my fork slid right through the meat. There was still a good amount of liquid left as well. Very tender, juicy, and flavorful. No knife needed! Will definitely make again!
This was phenomenal. I took ours out after 2.75 hour, and it was perfect. Quite possibly the best dish I’ve ever made in my 32.5 years. 10/10. Will make again. Soon!
So good! Used homemade chicken bone broth, a mixed dried spice of Italian herbs, and nutmeg and cinnamon (didn’t have the spices listed). Cut the onions smaller, and braised in iron skillet with some leftover bacon grease. After braising, put onions on top with the broth (didn’t measure broth). Cooked for 2 1/2 hours. Would have had all the fat melt with that last 1/2. It was delicious!!! Ate it with rice and simple arugula salad. I ate a half of a chop but could have had a little less because of how rich it was. For a $6 chop and no new ingredient purchases, it was an amazingly inexpensive and tasty meal.
This was genius. After many years of leg of lamb or the more expensive chops, I blindly bought shoulder chops for my large Christmas dinner. I am an adventurous 82 year old Nana fascinated with the internet instead of my many cookbooks. We went bonkers it was so flavorful, tender and Easy. Congrats Nancy
Wonderful! I like mint jelly with mine too!!!
Fantastic. They are fall-of-the-bone as others have found. I used a 3 hour roast personally but 30 minutes here or there shouldn’t be too different. A nice red wine for the braising liquid would be an excellent addition.
I made this but a little bit different. I was making 4 pieces of lamb shoulder which weighed out to 2.25.lb. i also used shallot instead of onion and omitted the allspice. Therefore i used 10oz of broth (i used beef) . I also seasoned the lamb prior to braising but i used salt free butter and broth. I seard each piece (in batches of 2) for avout 2.5 minutes a side in a hot pan. Once i transferred everything (lamb and shallot&herb mixture) i put into a 300°oven uncovered. Afyer 90 minutes i flipped the meat over in the braising liquid. Finally, i let it cook for only a half an hour more. OH MY GOD! it was amazing! I finished off with mashed potatoes and a mushroom and wine grazy (made from the lamb juice). It was the best!!
Thank you f9r such an awesome base recipe :)
I made this las night and it was delicious. I did a few things differently. I used shallot instead of white onions. Since i had 4 shoulder chops i used 10oz of broth ( i used beef). After about 90 minutes in the oven i flipped them over and only cooked for a half hour longer, so total braising time was 2 hours. Thanks for this recipe, i buy lamb loin chops when i feel like splurging but know i know i can have lamb more often!
Looks wonderful and can’t wait to try – but curious, if you’re english and spanish, why would you have to know czech? Did you buy this in the czech republic or something?
Would transfer to crockpot work just as well,?
Too hot for oven today!
“Braising (from the French word braiser) is a combination-cooking method that uses both wet and dry heats: typically, the food is first sautéed or seared at a high temperature, then finished in a covered pot at a lower temperature while sitting in some (variable) amount of liquid (which may also add flavor).”
Hi Nancy, or anyone who wishes to weigh in (pun), I asked the butcher for 1.5-2″ trying to indicate I didn’t want a thin steak. So each streak is around 1.5 lbs and 2″ thick. Does the cook time change at all? Thanks so much for your help lamb lovers!
Sounds delicious! Good choice. ??
**I GIVE THIS RECIPE THREE STARS. IT’S NOT LETTING ME REDUCE THE RATING** Just made this and it was super tender! It was a perfect texture around three hours in. Unfortunately, the taste was somewhat lacking. It definitely needed a hit of salt and honestly just to up all the spices a bit.
Those 2 chops you have there….. are leg chops. Unless you call a leg a shoulder.
This is on regular rotation at my house. It’s delicious and so easy. My son loves lamb and this beats his dad’s best recipe. So win win! :) I use lamb shoulder chops and it falls off the bones so easily. I also want to say, I hate hate lamb recipes with mint … rosemary and lamb is far superior. Thank you for the recipe!
I just made this for my family tonight! It was phenomenal- the best lamb we’ve ever had! We also added maitake mushrooms to ours and it was fantastic. Than you so much for sharing your recipe!
Hooray, that’s awesome to hear!! An ooh, we love maitakes!
Excellent!
This is a great Easter recipe, making it again – for the third time – tomorrow!
I’m not a huge lamb fan, but this for sure is my favorite lamb dish of all times.
Turned out well, but I think mine should have cooked a little longer. My mistake, I took it off too early.
I’m not a lamb-lover in general, but this actually was really delicious.