Slow-Braised Lamb Shoulder

There are certain dishes that exist outside the realm of everyday cooking—recipes that demand not just your time, but your patience, your trust, and a certain willingness to believe in alchemy. This lamb shoulder is one of them.

It begins unceremoniously: a hefty cut of meat, bone-in and stubborn, that seems almost too large for your largest pot. You brown it carelessly, splash it with wine that's perhaps a shade better than you'd normally cook with, and bury it beneath aromatics. Then comes the long wait—four hours during which your kitchen slowly transforms into something from a memory, warm and aromatic, the windows fogging with promise.

What emerges is not the same roast you started with. The meat has surrendered entirely, falling from the bone at the gentlest prod. The wine and stock have reduced to a sauce so rich it coats the back of a spoon. This is cooking as meditation, as faith rewarded. Serve it on a cold evening, with crusty bread to soak up the juices, and watch your table fall silent with contentment.

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 160°C. Pat the lamb shoulder dry with paper towel and season generously with salt and pepper. Make small incisions across the meat and insert garlic slices and small sprigs of rosemary.
Heat a large, heavy-based pot or Dutch oven over high heat. Add a generous glug of olive oil and brown the lamb on all sides until deeply golden—this will take about 10 minutes. Remove and set aside.
Lower the heat to medium and add the onions, carrots, and celery to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften and caramelise, about 8 minutes.
Pour in the red wine, scraping up all the delicious browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Let it bubble away for 2-3 minutes.
Add the tinned tomatoes, stock, bay leaves, and remaining rosemary. Stir to combine, then nestle the lamb shoulder back into the pot. The liquid should come about halfway up the meat.
Bring to a gentle simmer, then cover tightly with a lid and transfer to the oven. Braise for 3.5 to 4 hours, turning the lamb every hour or so, until the meat is completely tender and falling off the bone.
Remove the lamb from the pot and let it rest on a warm platter, covered loosely with foil. Skim any excess fat from the braising liquid.
Place the pot over high heat and reduce the sauce by about a third, until it's rich and glossy. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
Shred the lamb with two forks, discarding the bone and any large bits of fat. Pour the sauce over the meat and serve immediately with creamy mashed potatoes or crusty bread.

Fireside