Overnight spiced lamb shoulder with an almond pomegranate crust

Name: Overnight spiced lamb shoulder with an almond pomegranate crust
Cook time: 2 h 30 min
Yield: 8-10
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Ingredients: 1 lamb shoulder, bone-in (about 2kg)

Katrina Meynink

April 9, 2025

Serve slow-roasted lamb shoulder with an almond and pomegranate crust, and the rest on the side.Katrina Meynink

Time:2 hours +Serves:8-10

In this make-ahead dish, the lamb shoulder goes in the oven the day before, and it just needs to be reheated to serve. A crust of buttery almonds, herbs and pomegranate arils is patted over the lamb before it lands on the table. If you have all the crust elements ready to go, but not combined, it’s a quick, low-effort assembly job.

Heads-up: tossing the crust mixture with orange blossom water may seem strange, but it lifts and invigorates this dish, and gives the lamb an entirely different dimension. Given the variability in strength across brands, add the floral water slowly and taste-check before adding more. It should taste fragrant and alive, not like you’re eating your grandmother’s doily.

Ingredients

1 lamb shoulder, bone-in (about 2kg)

SPICE MIX

35g coriander seeds
20g cumin seeds
1 tbsp Sichuan pepper
2 tbsp Aleppo pepper (or Turkish red pepper flakes)
180g brown sugar
¼ cup pomegranate molasses
750ml bottle white wine
250ml (1 cup) chicken stock

FOR THE CRUST

1 pomegranate, arils removed
1 bunch mint, leaves picked and finely sliced
1 bunch coriander, leaves finely chopped
120g flaked almonds, toasted in 2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp orange blossom water

Method

Step 1
Preheat the oven to 200C fan-forced (220C conventional).
Step 2
Add the lamb to a large roasting dish.
Place all the spices in a frying pan and lightly toast for a few minutes over low heat until fragrant. Transfer to a mortar and pestle and pound to a coarse powder.
Step 3
Use a pastry brush to brush the lamb with the pomegranate molasses and cover in the spice mix, using your hands to lightly pat it down. Pour the bottle of wine around the base of the lamb, trying not to lose the spice mix.
Step 4
Cover tightly with baking paper and foil and pop in the oven for 45 minutes. Gently peel back the foil, add the chicken stock and return to the oven. Reduce the heat to 100C fan-forced (120C conventional) and cook for 12 hours. Remove to a large dish. (Note: If you are timing this to serve immediately, you can still cook it a couple of hours ahead because it will keep warm, covered in foil, for 2 hours.)
Step 5
Reheat, covered, in the oven at 150C fan-forced (170C conventional) for 1 hour.
Step 6
To make the crust, prep all ingredients and keep them separate. When ready to serve, combine the crust ingredients and gently press onto the warm lamb. You want a light covering.
Step 7
Serve the lamb platter with serving forks − the meat will easily collapse under the pressure of the forks − so people can serve themselves. Put any remaining leftover crust ingredients into a bowl to serve alongside − pulled lamb with a heaping spoonful of the crust mixture is what life is all about.