Shiraz Braised Lamb Shoulder

This simple, slow-cooked dish receives a complex flavor from our Shiraz. It is always best to use the same wine for cooking and drinking. We know this is tough when the wine tastes so good alone. When the recipe calls for a whole bottle of wine some people might be tempted to use a cheaper bottle of Syrah and keep the Williamson Shiraz for drinking. This will compromise the integrity of the dish so perhaps the cook should drink a glass of the wine while cooking to ensure the quality of the wine being used.

Ingredients

• Herbie's Cumin Seed (ground)  ·  2 tablespoons 
• Olive Oil, Extra Virgin  ·  3 tablespoons 
• Salt  ·  ½  teaspoon 
• Black Pepper, fresh ground  ·  ½  teaspoon 
• Lamb shoulder roast, boneless, tied  ·  5 pounds 
• Chicken stock  ·  4 cups 
• Thyme sprigs, tied  ·  12 

Instructions

Mix the cumin, two tablespoons of oil salt and pepper in a bowl then rub the mixture all over the lamb.

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil over relatively high heat in a large heavy casserole or Dutch oven (the dish or pot must have a well fitting lid) then carefully place the lamb shoulder in the casserole and brown it completely for about 15 minutes. Place the lamb on a plate and clean the casserole dish.

Place the lamb back in the clean casserole, add the wine, chicken stock and thyme sprigs and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, cover the casserole with its lid and place it in the oven which has been preheated to 350°. Allow the lamb to braise for 3 hours, turning the meat occasionally and testing for tenderness.

When done the lamb should be quite soft so take care and move it to a large platter and tent with foil.

In the casserole remove the thyme sprigs and boil the remaining liquid until it reduces to about a cup. This should take 30- 40 minutes then place the sauce in a pre heated gravy boat.

Remove the strings from the roast and slice the lamb. When serving the lamb, drizzle with the sauce and serve with Williamson Heritage Shiraz.