Meat – Cooking lamb that falls off the bone

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I'd like to cook my mother a nice lamb shoulder roast (cooked in the oven), I've cooked lamb before but always with mixed results. I want Lamb that's juicy, tender, flavourful and falls off the bone. How do I achieve this?

My questions:

  1. What temperature should I cook it at?
  2. How long should I cook it for?
  3. How do I make sure the shoulder retains it's moisture and doesn't become dry? I hear a lot about low and slow, would this help me achieve my goals?
  4. Do I tent the lamb in foil at the beginning, middle, end? Or at all?
  5. Do I have to put any liquid in the roasting pan along with the lamb so it doesn't dry out?
    Any other suggestions would be welcome.
    Thanks!

Best Answer

Brown the lamb on the stove top, or high temp oven. Then, braise rather than roasting. That means 2/3-3/4 of the pan is filled with liquid after you put the lamb in first. For flavorful liquids, consider beef, chicken or veg stock. In Malaysia I see a lot of grape juice substitutions for wine in traditional Italian recipes that call for braising. But I would dilute it, so it's not overly sweet. Perhaps some tomato juice would work as well.