Instant Pot · Autumn and winter

Instant Pot Lamb Shoulder

A bone-in shoulder with the same simple rub, cooked until a fork pulls it apart. This is the long cook the chops should not have.

About 2 hours, mostly hands-off · Serves 6 · One shoulder, about 6 plates

Shredded lamb shoulder with rosemary and onion

“You open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.”

Psalm 145:16

Ingredients

  • 3 ½ lb bone-in lamb shoulder
  • 2 tsp fine salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
  • 1 tbsp avocado oil or beef tallow
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 4 garlic cloves, smashed
  • 1 cup beef broth, or water

Method

Making Instant Pot Lamb Shoulder: Pat the shoulder dry. Stir the salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, and rosemary together…
Pat the shoulder dry. Stir the salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, and rosemary together…
Making Instant Pot Lamb Shoulder: Cook the onion 3 minutes. Add the garlic and broth and scrape the bottom. Return the shoulder. The pot…
Cook the onion 3 minutes. Add the garlic and broth and scrape the bottom. Return the shoulder. The pot…
  1. 1

    Pat the shoulder dry. Stir the salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, and rosemary together and rub it over the meat, including the sides.

  2. 2

    Set the pot to sauté. Heat the avocado oil or tallow. Brown the shoulder as well as the pot allows, a few minutes a side. If it barely fits, brown the two largest faces and stop. Move it to a plate.

  3. 3

    Cook the onion 3 minutes. Add the garlic and broth and scrape the bottom. Return the shoulder. The pot should not be more than two-thirds full.

  4. 4

    High pressure for 65 minutes. Let the pressure fall on its own for 15 minutes, then release the rest. A fork should twist the meat off the bone. If it still holds, lock the lid and cook 10 minutes more, then release.

  5. 5

    Rest 10 minutes. Pull the meat, discard the bone and any hard pieces of fat, and taste the juices for salt. Skim the fat if there is more than you want at the table.

From the kitchen

  • Sixty-five minutes is for meat you will pull. If you want slices that still hold together, stop at 50 minutes and check. Shoulder is done for the table once it is tender, which is well past 145°F.
  • A boneless shoulder of the same weight needs about 55 minutes. Tie it if it is falling into pieces before it cooks, so it browns as one piece.

My note

Kept on this device, beside the recipe, for the next time you cook it.

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