How do I sous-vide a shoulder of lamb?

I've recently purchased a sous vide immersion circulator in preparation for Christmas. In my home we typically cook lamb on Christmas (don't ask..). The way that I usually cook a shoulder of lamb is by searing it in a skillet so that it is well-browned all over and I then place the shoulder in a very hot pre-heated oven. I then cover the tray in foil and immediately turn the temperature to 80 degrees celsius and then I let that cook for 7 hours or so. The resulting shoulder is fall off the bone tender, moist and unctuous because the collagen and fat have been rendered. I'd like to recreate the same thing using the sous vide method.

My family are very queasy at the thought of meat being even the slightest bit pink so ideally I'd like to avoid this. My biggest concern besides this is that the meat will become mushy if I cook it long enough for the collagen and fat to become tender and that it will look "boiled" as opposed to "roasted".

So my question is:

How can I achieve this same result with the sous vide immersion circulator?
What temperature would I have to sous vide the lamb at and for how long?
Also would it be advisable to sear it beforehand and then sous vide it? or sous vide it and then finish (to give it a brown roasted exterior) it off in the oven?

Best Answer

I would sear first, both to begin flavor development and to kill any bacteria on the surface of the meat. Bag with or without herbs and a small amount of liquid. Cook sous vide for 18 - 36 hours at 165F/74C for well-done/traditional braise texture. Then before serving, I would have a very hot oven ready. Carefully remove from bag (it will be very tender), pat dry, and finish in hot oven to finish browning.

At the end of the day, you just may prefer roasted/braised to sous vide. It's just another tool/technique.

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Quick Answer about "How do I sous-vide a shoulder of lamb?"

Heat a sous vide water bath to 132F degrees. Place the lamb shoulder in a vacuum seal bag (or ziplock freezer bag if using the water displacement method) with all the remaining ingredients (except mint). Seal the bag. Place the lamb in the water bath and cook for 24 hours.

How long do I sous vide lamb?

When cooking sous vide, you allow the the lamb cook for 2-6 hours. For medium, set the temperature between 135F and 144F. We do not recommend serving it any more well done (or less done, for that matter), as the meat will become extremely tough.

What is the cooking time for lamb shoulder?

Oven Cooking time for half or whole shoulder of lambShoulder of Lamb (bone-in) weight kg and (lb)Oven cooking time 170C / fan 150C Gas mark 3 (325F)Total cooking time1.6 kg - 1.9 kg (3.5 lb - 4.1 lb)3 hour 30 minutes4 hours2 kg - 2.5kg (4.4 lb - 5.5 lb)4 hour 30 minutes5 hours1 more row•Jan 23, 2021

What temperature do you cook lamb shoulder?

In general, with a preheated oven to 450\xb0F and then heat reduction to 350\xb0F you can calculate 17-19 minutes per pound for your meat to be rare, 21-23 minutes per pound for your meat to be medium-rare, 25-27 minutes per pound for your meat to be meat to be medium and 28-30 minutes per pound for your meat to be done.

What is the best cut of lamb for sous vide?

Sous Vide Lamb ShoulderLamb shoulder can benefit greatly from the extended cooking times of sous vide. For fall apart good lamb, I often use 165\xb0F (73.9\xb0C) for 12-18 hours.

Sous Vide Lamb Shoulder - It's easy!

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