5 Minute Fall-apart Massaman Lamb Shoulder

This is a recipe for a succulent fall-apart tender lamb shoulder that is slow cooked in a rich massaman curry sauce, presented in a grand roast lamb centrepiece form. My current most-made lamb shoulder recipe. Got 5 minutes to make it? 🙂

This recipe is going to save you on those occasions when you need to serve a group and are pressed for time, yet still wanting to make something that looks impressive. I mean, we have a reputation to uphold, after all! 🙂

You literally just put everything in a pan, which takes all of 5 minutes, then leave it in the oven to slow roast for 4 hours.

And what comes out is extraordinary. The lamb meat is succulent fall-apart tender, swimming in a to-die-for massaman curry sauce with soft potatoes that literally melt in your mouth.

Plus, it can be made the day before because it reheats 100% perfectly (can’t say that about most roasts!) and it’s kid friendly because Massaman curry isn’t spicy.

Cynical? Don’t blame you!

If it sounds too good to be true – I don’t blame you for being cynical! This recipe works very specifically because it’s slow-roasted (allows time for the sauce and meat to develop flavour), we’re using lamb meat (more flavourful than chicken, pork and beef) and because we’re using a richly flavoured curry sauce as the braising liquid.

Need more proof? Head over to the Massaman Lamb Shanks. Same method. Glowing reviews!

Slow Roasted Lamb Shanks in Massaman Curry — Lamb Shank version

Ingredients in Massaman Lamb Shoulder

A shortcut in this recipe is that we use store bought curry paste. In fact, homemade Massaman Curry paste doesn’t work for this recipe because it’s too fresh! We need the concentrated flavour of store bought.

Also, as mentioned above, using lamb here is a deliberate choice. In fact, traditional Massaman Curry is made with beef but I opt for lamb because it’s a stronger flavoured meat.

1. Lamb shoulder

Lamb shoulder is a cut of lamb that needs to be cooked long and slow to give the tough meat fibres time to break down and become tender. You can’t cook shoulder to blushing pink like a traditional Lamb Leg, it’s just too tough.

Where to get it – These days, you can find shoulder in regular grocery stores here in Australia. It used to be cheaper than lamb leg but now it’s about the same price. But, it is more succulent and has better flavour than lamb leg!
Get bone in because the meat is juicier. Trust me on this, I’ve tested bone-in and boneless side by side. The difference is phenomenal! (See FAQ for more information).
Other lamb cuts – For lamb shanks, use the Massaman Lamb Shanks recipe (it’s slightly different). Boneless lamb shoulder will work but reduce the cooking time by an hour.
Other proteins – I don’t think beef chuck would add enough flavour into the sauce for this method of cooking (ie no searing meat prior). Beef short ribs do work (reduce bake time by about 1 1/2 hours, it was great). Pork shoulder will also work but I haven’t got my head around how good pork is with massaman curry sauce. Tasty, but perhaps better with beef or lamb? Chicken won’t work because it can’t be cooked long enough to give the sauce sufficient time to develop enough flavour. Bear in mind this recipe is designed with convenience in mind which means we need slow-cooking time for flavour creation!

2. THE CURRY PART

Massaman Curry paste – Maesri is my preferred brand. Not all curry pastes are made equal! More on this below.
Cinnamon and star anise – Flavour boost of two dominant spices in Massaman curry paste.
Coconut milk – As used in traditional Massaman Curry sauce. Look for a coconut milk that is at least 80% coconut! Very economical brands can be as low as 30% which barely taste of coconut. I use Ayam (89%).
Chicken stock/broth – To create volume to make a braising liquid to mostly submerge the lamb, as well as adding depth of flavour into the sauce. A shortcut – traditional Massaman Curry is made by braising pieces of beef in liquid to make a homemade stock which is used for the sauce.

Get low-sodium so your sauce doesn’t end up too salty. (Though it won’t be a disaster if you don’t get low sodium as the giant hunk of lamb + potatoes will absorb the salt).
Potato and onion – traditionally included in traditional Massaman Curry. Use whole baby potatoes, around 3cm/1.2″ wide is ideal, so they hold together and become beautifully soft and creamy inside. ⚠️ Do not use cubes of cut potato as they will disintegrate and make the sauce grainy!

3. Maesri curry paste

Here is the undisputed king of all store bought Thai curry pastes – Maesri. Restaurants use it, chefs use it, and food obsessed people like myself are mad for it.

And it happens to be sold at regular grocery stores and it’s the cheapest (currently ~$2.00).

Massaman Curry Lamb Shanks — Maesri curry paste

I use it for all my Thai curries when I don’t have time / ingredients to make the curry paste from scratch – Red, Green and traditional Massaman beef curry. And any other recipe calling for a dollop or two of curry paste, from the peanut dipping sauce for Thai Satay Chicken to Thai Coconut Pumpkin Soup to Red Curry Pot Roast Chicken!

Where to find Maesri curry paste – At your local grocery store! It’s sold at most metropolitan Coles and Woolworths grocery stores in Australia (Asian section), at Harris Farms, practically all Asian stores (it would be un-Asian not to carry it!) and here it is online in the US, Canada* and UK.
Can’t find it? Use any Massaman Curry paste you can find. My personal order of preference (Aussie brands) – Ayam, Five Tastes and bringing up the rear is Volcom (it’s always too sweet).

* Obscenely expensive, please try to get to an Asian store!

How to make Massaman Lamb Shoulder

2 easy steps -put everything into a pan, bake 4 hours! You can also use your slow cooker – see recipe notes.

Sauce – Put the curry, coconut and stock in a roasting pan. Whisk until lump free (including pesky coconut milk lumps).

💡If making ahead to reheat tomorrow, use a ceramic, glass or enamel coated cast iron baking dish rather than a metal one. I typically try to avoid keeping foods in any type of metal pans overnight. Just to be cautious!
Lamb upside down – Put the lamb shoulder in then turn to coat in the sauce. Then arrange it so it is upside down in the sauce. ie fat cap side / meaty side down, red boney side facing up. This way most of the meat is submerged in the liquid so it braises.

Scatter the onion, cinnamon, star anise and potatoes around the lamb.

Slow roast high then low – Cover with foil. Roast for 1 hour 220°C/425°F (200°C fan) to get the heat going inside the pan (it’s a big hunk of meat there, which takes a while to heat up), then 3 hours at 180°C/350°F (160°C fan) or until the meat is fork-tender. This means that you should be able to pry the meat apart with two forks without any effort.
Brown it – Remove the foil and carefully turn the lamb over so. Spoon some sauce over then pop it back in the oven for 30 minutes until the surface is a lovely deep golden brown.

Making ahead? After browning, let it fully cool uncovered then refrigerate overnight. On the day of, just reheat it in the oven covered for 1 hour. See recipe notes for directions!

Skim fat – Remove it from the oven and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Skim off the excess fat from the surface of the sauce using a large spoon. There will be a fair amount – around 1/2 to 3/4 cup (125 – 180 ml). Lamb shoulder is a fatty cut, and that is why it is so tasty! Don’t try to get all the fat because otherwise you’ll lose too much sauce. And remember, fat = flavour!

💡If you refrigerated overnight, you can lift sheets of the fat off the surface of the sauce but be sure to scrape all the sauce off the underside!
Garnish and serve – If you’re posh (I’m not), transfer everything into a serving dish then sprinkle with the red chilli slices and coriander/cilantro. Serve with rice and tongs – no carving knife required here, this is not the carving sort! See the section below for various serving styles.

Serving styles

An odd-sounding heading perhaps, but it will make sense once I explain! Here are the 3 ways I have served this lamb in the past few months (it’s been regularly used since I invented it, so handy for groups):

Lazy format for familiar people eg family, casual lunch with the team – Leave the whole lamb shoulder in the roasting pan. It does get a bit messy as the meat-tearing progresses as the bone gets in the way, and also there are pockets of fat that I find people tend to avoid and leave in the pan. But, it’s less work for me to serve, and the whole lamb looks impressive! 🙂
Meat fully removed – This one is easy for guests to serve themselves though lacks the visual impact of a whole lamb shoulder. Remove all the meat off the bone and separate into large-ish serving-size chunks. Remove and discard large identifiable pockets of fat. Squidge meat in sauce, garnish, serve with large serving spoon.
Bone removed, lamb in-tact – This is a good way to have visual impact of a whole piece of lamb but it’s easier to serve because the bone is removed. You literally just grab the bone and slide it out of the meat, taking care to keep the lamb in tact. Because the meat is so tender, it should slide out effortlessly.

What to serve with Massaman Lamb Shoulder

Rice is essential, for sauce soaking. Jasmine is my first pick (being Thai and all) though basmati is beautiful with it too, given the Indian influence of Massaman curry. They both have a slight perfume of flavour that goes so well with this dish but I’m sure nobody would snob other rice types on offer! 🙂

I’d suggest opting for a light and fresh side salad as this dish is quite rich. It’s pictured above with an Asian Slaw on the side. Some more suggestions: Leafy Asian salad, Chang’s Crispy Noodle Salad, Smashed Cucumber Salad, Japanese Slaw, Glass Noodle Salad (skip the chicken), or any fresh vegetables/salady things / blanched greens you want tossed with my simple 4 ingredient Asian Sesame Dressing.

Enjoy! – Nagi x

Massaman lamb shoulder FAQ

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5 Minute Fall-apart Massaman Lamb Shoulder