Shoulder of lamb - how to cook it?

Any advice? It's like this huge great slab of meat (seriously, we're talking the size that Rocky hits in the abbattoir) that I don't know what to with. It was available in tesco half price so, being a student I went for it.


Should I roast it and get housemates and mates round for parsnips, mint sauce and all the rest? It might be too big for our oven though.

Any chefs? Help!

It's probably horse. Bin it.

Stick it in the oven.
Turn on the heat.
Remove after 2 hours.
If it's still bloody, give it another half an hour.

Take out ... carve ... serve with roast pots, cabbage and mint sauce ... eat.

That'll be 20 guineas for the cookery lesson.

Bon apetit.

Roast it, LLL, with rosemary and seaoned with salt and pepper and drizzle some olive oil over too.

JKLever wrote:It's probably horse. Bin it.

But I paid £2.35 for it! That's good beer money. I could sell it on to a greasy takeaway. Give them some real meat to cook for a change.

Ta, Mrs V/Merlo.


I think there might be too much to roast. If I chop it in half, what do I do with the rest of it, short of roasting it?

eowyn wrote:Roast it, LLL, with rosemary and seaoned with salt and pepper and drizzle some olive oil over too.

Virgin's the best ... (and no, not the Branson type ...)

But I paid £2.35 for it!

Then it must be minutes before it's sell by date and nowhere near as big as you make out, lamb's never that cheap for a big joint!

Maybe you should make kebabs from it? It's far more 'studenty'.

Lara Lara Laughs wrote:Ta, Mrs V/Merlo.


I think there might be too much to roast. If I chop it in half, what do I do with the rest of it, short of roasting it?

Roast both halves - at separate times ...
One half tonight to impress your 2 friends ...
T'other for Sunday lunch ... invite a few hobos off the street.

I think there might be too much to roast. If I chop it in half, what do I do with the rest of it, short of roasting it?

How much does this piece of meat weigh? You make it sound like half a cow!

Is it deboned, LLL? It'll be hard to cut in half if it isn't.

eowyn wrote:Is it deboned, LLL? It'll be hard to cut in half if it isn't.

One word ...
Hatchet.

Cleaver, to you.

eowyn wrote:

But I paid £2.35 for it!

Then it must be minutes before it's sell by date and nowhere near as big as you make out, lamb's never that cheap for a big joint!

Maybe you should make kebabs from it? It's far more 'studenty'.

Sorry, it's 4.71 half price. I was reading the price per kg figure.

How the hell do you make kebabs??!! You'd have to be, like, some kind of genius or something.

I think it's got a bone in it but it's hard to tell without opening it and it says "once opened, use immediately".

Use by: 25 Nov it says.

You numpty.....

Kebabs, cut the lamb you don't want to roast into cubes.

Marinade it in chopped mint, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper and if you like a bit of spice, chopped chillies. Leave for a couple of hours. The put the cubes of meat onto skewers, if you buy some wooden ones (Tesco's will have some) soak them in water first, you can put pieces of pepper and onion on the skewers between the cubes of meat. Brush the marinade over the kebabs and shove them under the gril,l turn them over now and again to cook through. Take the meat and veg off the skewers and put in pitta bread with salad, add chilli sauce, jobs done.

Lara Lara Laughs wrote:I think it's got a bone in it but it's hard to tell without opening it and it says "once opened, use immediately".

Use by: 25 Nov it says.

Open it, use half today, cube the rest and freeze it for later. You really are a student aren't you?

Cor, it's not like making instant noodles is it? How long does all that take? An hour or two?

Angie, Think maybe he was musing about the student's fave post-pub piss up munch out of a dicreetly parked A reg Volkswagen van ....... the DONNER KEBAB ......

Your recipe sounds delicioso though .... may give it a try sometime.

Lara Lara Laughs wrote:Cor, it's not like making instant noodles is it? How long does all that take? An hour or two?

Prep 15 mins, marinading 1 to 2 hours (you can do other things while that goes on), grilling 15 to 20 mins tops.

Seriously though, I'm going to try that kebab recipe. Sounds nice. Why do they have to be on skewers? Can you not shove them on a roasting pan or something and turn them over now and again?

eowyn wrote:
marinading 1 to 2 hours (you can do other things while that goes on)

Since he's a student that will probably involve some weed and some sleep.

Merlin wrote:Angie, Think maybe he was musing about the student's fave post-pub piss up munch out of a dicreetly parked A reg Volkswagen van ....... the DONNER KEBAB ......

Your recipe sounds delicioso though .... may give it a try sometime.

I don't know how to make one of those great big lumps of reconstituted lamb things they turn in front of a one bar electric fire on it's side..... I do like donner though on certain occasions.

It's not bad, great for BBQing especially.

Btw, is a shoulder a tasty joint? I think someone once told me that neck of lamb is the nicest. True?

Lara Lara Laughs wrote:Seriously though, I'm going to try that kebab recipe. Sounds nice. Why do they have to be on skewers? Can you not shove them on a roasting pan or something and turn them over now and again?

That's roasting, kebabs come on skewers and are grilled..... I guess you could try it though.