Slow-Roasted Lamb Shoulder with Red Wine Vinegar Jus
For the lamb:
1 4-5 lb. lamb shoulder, bone-in
2 bunches fresh rosemary (or 15-20 good-sized sprigs)
2 bulbs of garlic, cloves separated but unpeeled
good olive oil
spice rub (our favorite is Lysander's)
kosher salt
freshly cracked black pepper
For the jus:
1 tablespoon flour
2 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
2. With a sharp knife, make cuts through the fat layer of the lamb about 1" apart, then repeat in the opposite direction to form a diamond pattern.
3. In a deep roasting pan, pour enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan and then layer half of the rosemary sprigs and half of the unpeeled garlic cloves over the oil.
4. Rub the lamb with olive oil, your favorite spice rub, a sprinkling of kosher salt, and fresh-cracked black pepper until the meat is well-coated.
5. Place the lamb shoulder in the pan on top of the rosemary and garlic.
6. Scatter the remainder of the rosemary sprigs and garlic cloves on top of the lamb.
7. Cover the roasting pan VERY TIGHTLY with several layers of aluminum foil - we used 3 layers - and place on the center rack of the pre-heated oven.
8. Immediately turn the oven's temperature down to 325 degrees.
9. Cook for four hours - do NOT peek under the aluminum foil at any point as this will release the heat and moisture in the roasting pan.
10. After four hours, remove the lamb from the oven and remove the aluminum foil. Pull on the large bone to remove it - the meat will be so tender that it should pull right out very easily.
11. Using two forks, separate the meat from the smaller bones and reserve, covered, in a separate dish. (This dish can be placed back in the warm oven while you prepare the sauce - just be sure the oven is turned off and the dish is covered with aluminum foil or a lid so the meat doesn't dry out.)
12. Remove and discard the rosemary sprigs from the roasting pan. Remove the now-roasted garlic cloves and set aside to cool.
13. Pour off most of the oil from the roasting pan, reserving about 1 tablespoon. Try to leave the lamb jus in the pan. If that sounds a little fiddly, you can pour everything into a large jar and when the oil separates from the lamb jus, pour all but 1 tablespoon off, then return the remaining oil and the jus to the pan.
14. Pop the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins, add back to the roasting pan, and mash with a fork until broken up.
15. Place the roasting pan on the stove over two burners set to medium heat. (If you used a non-stick roasting pan, you can transfer the contents to a large skillet.)
16. Stir in the flour. Gradually add the chicken stock while stirring constantly with a whisk.
17. Boil, still stirring regularly, for about 5 minutes. The jus will not thicken considerably, so rely on the cooking time rather than the sauce's appearance.
18. Add the red wine vinegar. Taste the jus and adjust seasonings if necessary.
19. Continue to boil the jus for one minute more, then pour into a serving container.
20. Remove the meat from the oven and serve, ladling some of the jus over each portion.
Notes: This recipe can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for a day or two - simply place the meat and the jus in separate, airtight containers and refrigerate. When you're ready to serve, put the meat in a large skillet and heat through. Pour the jus into a medium pot and heat over medium-low heat until warm, then serve. When we made this, we just combined all of the meat and all of the jus in one large covered dish and let it meld, so that's an alternative serving method you can try for a family-style meal or if you like a lot of jus with your meat.
