Boneless shoulder of lamb is a flavorful and popular cut of meat that can be rolled and stuffed with various ingredients. It is often roasted or braised in the oven and should be cooked to an internal temperature of at least 145°F.
Lamb is a ewe barely a year old or younger that is still too young to have the trained muscles of an adolescent or adult ram. Many prize the shoulder, or forepart, for being one of the most processed and flavorful areas of lamb, if not the most tender, with a lightly marbled texture. Many prefer a boneless shoulder of lamb, which is often trimmed of both bone and skin, with a shoulder flap of the muscles rolled into a neat cylindrical roast that can also be filled with complementary ingredients such as stuffing, pesto or mushrooms.
Shoulder roasts from a lamb typically come one of two ways from the butcher. Some are sold as the whole shoulder, untrimmed and boneless. A so-called Saratoga style often requires a butcher to peel, cut, debark, quarter length, roll and tie the shoulder flap into a roast. Either the roast is ready to cook or it can be coated with stuffing and re-roasted.
If a recipe calls for a boneless lamb shoulder filling that is not broken down and rolled but simply carved from the bone, a rolled roast can be created by cutting the meat lengthwise about a finger’s breadth from the entire length. This results in two halves, which can then be cut in half again. The meat can be cut as many times as needed until a flat section of meat is created.
Many recipes call for a form of stuffing to be spread over this rolled roast, which when rolled and tied will give a flavorful and aesthetically pleasing piece of meat. Some use a complicated filling with ingredients such as chopped greens, garlic, nuts, bread, and herbs. An acceptable alternative is macerated mushrooms sautéed in a wine sauce. Filling it or not, cooks also routinely rub or marinate their roasts with complicated spice blends or marinades to impart distinction to a dish. Many others, however, prefer to prepare boneless shoulder of lamb simply with salt, pepper, garlic and perhaps some fresh herbs, wine and broth – accentuating the natural flavor of the shoulder.
Because this cut of meat is known to be gamer but not as tender as loin, cooks will often roast or braise boneless shoulder of lamb in an oven. The American Lamb Board recommends a roasting temperature of 325°F (about 163°C) for at least the 30 minutes required for medium rare. The internal temperature of the meat should be at least 145°F (about 63°C). Before heading to the oven, though, many cooks will give the outside of a boneless shoulder of lamb a quick sear in a hot, oiled pan for a slightly charred finished product. Any marinade that is used acts as a support to preserve the moisture of the meat during the cooking period.
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