One of my favourite ways to cook lamb is slow roasting - long and very gently until the meat falls off the bone, deliciously tender and full of flavour. This recipe for lamb shoulder with a Korean-inspired marinade is a real feast but requiring very little effort, as the glorious slow-cooked meat does the hard work and all you have to do is prepare a few simple accompaniments. Make time to marinade the lamb shoulder overnight and cook it slowly until it pulls apart at the touch of a fork. The delicious result is well worth the wait: soft juicy pulled lamb with Korean sauces soaking into sticky sushi rice, topped with sweet hoisin sauce and a hit of chilli from sriracha, all wrapped up in a little gem 'scoop' with a crunch of cucumber and spring onion in each mouthful! Yummmmmmy. It is messy, but very tasty, and a real crowd pleaser. My recipe serves four greedy people. Get stuck in...

 

Ingredients:

Approx. 2kg Lamb shoulder (on the bone)
2 tbsp vegetable oil

For the marinade:

3 tbsp Sesame oil
2 tbsp Gochujang chilli sauce
2 tbsp Japanese miso paste
2 tbsp Soy sauce
1 tbsp Mirin
6 Garlic cloves, crushed 
2 Spring onions, finely chopped 
3-4 cms Fresh ginger, grated 
Salt and pepper

To serve:

A few large handfuls of little gem lettuce leaves, trimmed
4 Spring onions, julienned 
1/2 Cucumber, seeds scooped and julienned 
300g Sushi rice  (I always use Yutaka and cook it exactly as per the instructions - do not remove that lid!)
2 tbsp Black sesame seeds
Hoisin sauce, to serve
Sriracha, to serve 




Method:

1. Season the lamb shoulder with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix all of the marinade ingredients together and then smother all over the lamb. Put the lamb shoulder into a large freezer bag or a large bowl covered with cling film and place in the fridge to marinate overnight.

2. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. On the hob, heat the vegetable oil in a large pan or roasting dish and brown the lamb on all sides. Transfer the lamb to the oven, tipping in any leftover marinade, and roast for 30 minutes.

3. Reduce the temperate to 140 degrees C and remove the lamb from the oven. Cover tightly with two large pieces of foil and return to the oven to roast for 4-5 hours, or until the meat pulls away easily and falls off the bone. Check the lamb during cooking and baste occasionally with the marinade and juices.

4. Meanwhile, prepare your accoutrements: cook the sushi rice according to packet instructions and leave to stand with the lid on the pan; chop your cucumber and spring onion and trim your lettuce and put them onto serving plates. Once the lamb is cooked, transfer it onto a large serving platter or dish. Drain the excess fat from the roasting tray and spoon some of the sticky dark brown juices over the meat.

5. To serve, fluff up the rice with a fork and sprinkle with black sesame seeds and shred the lamb into small pieces. Use the little gem leaves as scoops, with a pile of sushi rice, lamb, cucumber and spring onion in each, topped with a generous squirt of sriracha and hoisin sauce to taste.

Warning: this is incredibly moreish and delicious so I recommend over catering to ensure people can go back in for seconds, and more, and then one final little pile... and you'll still have leftovers for Korean lamb tacos or stir fry the next day.