How long does it take to make Oven-Roasted Shoulder?

Lamb shank in a pan with red wine and stock, covered with foil, 3.5 hours at 130°C (265°F); about 15 minutes before the end, remove the foil and raise to 200°C (390°F) to brown.

2 hr 45 minTotal

14 minActive time

2 hr 31 minSetting

Step by Step

#	What to do	How long
1	Preheat the oven to 180°C (355°F)	12 min
2	Place the meat in a large baking pan and arrange the potatoes, carrot, onion and garlic cloves around it	1 min
3	Mix the olive oil, paprika, salt and black pepper and spread the mixture over the meat and the vegetables	1 min
4	Pour the water into the bottom of the pan	1 min
5	Bake tightly covered with foil 120 minutes	2 hr
6	Bake without the foil 30 minutes	30 min

How to Tell It's Done

until the meat softens
until the meat is browned, tender and falls apart easily with a fork

Tips

Put things in the oven only once it's reached temperature, after the heating light has gone off: an oven that hasn't reached temperature changes baking times, and the bake burns outside or stays underbaked.
Shoulder is rich in connective tissue: only long, covered baking, in the steam of the liquids in the pan, makes it tender. The cover comes off only at the end, for browning.

Common Mistakes

Check by the cue (until…), not just the clock: every oven bakes a little differently.

More Ways

Brown the meat on all sides in a wide, heavy pot and remove to a plate; fry the onion in the pot, add tomato paste, wine and water, return the meat with its juices, cover and transfer to a 180°C (355°F) oven.
Bake a roast in a covered dish at 200°C (390°F) for 2 hours and another half hour at 180°C (355°F); baste the meat with the liquids now and then, and at the end check with a fork that it's done.
Bake beef chuck (shoulder, Israeli cut no. 5) in a covered pot at 160°C (320°F) for about 4 hours, until tender and meltingly soft.
Lamb shoulder: push the garlic cloves deep into slits in the meat, wrap well and bake at 160°C (320°F) for about 4 hours; at the end, remove the wrapping for a short browning at high heat.

The full recipe: Oven-Roasted Shoulder →