Pull Apart Oyster Cut Lamb Shoulder Curry

The oyster cut lamb shoulder is perfect for slow cooking. Even better, try making our oyster cut lamb shoulder curry. This recipe transforms the oyster cut lamb shoulder into a luxurious and tender curry with minimal effort.

All you need is a lamb shoulder, pre-packaged curry spices and a slow cooker. The goal here is to maximize flavor with ingredients that you already have in your house and make a delicious curry.  

Jump to the recipe or stay for the complete picture guide of this lamb shoulder curry recipe. Some other topics we’ll cover in this are:

Let’s start with an introduction to this cheap but fantastic cut of lamb:

What Is An Oyster Cut Lamb Shoulder?

The oyster shoulder cut of the lamb actually comes from the front legs of the lamb. This cut has the blade bone running through the cut. There are oyster lamb shoulder cuts that are square and some with the fore shank attached.

This lamb coconut curry slow cooker recipe is perfect for this specific cut because although lamb shoulder is tough, it can be very tender and delicious if cooked properly. The shoulder muscle of the lamb does more work compared to the leg muscle and has more flavor.

Slow cooking this lamb curry in slow cooker transforms this tough cut into a tender pull apart lamb. Similarly, the oyster cut lamb shoulder is also known as the banjo cut shoulder. Try getting the oyster blade cut if you can’t get a hold of the oyster cut lamb shoulder or would rather not cook with the bone.

Before we get into this lamb curry recipe slow cooker post, let’s look at the best way to cook this crockpot curry recipe without a slow cooker.

2 Ways To Cook Oyster Lamb Shoulder Without Slow Cooker

Don’t have a slow cooker or crock pot? No problem. The best way to cook or prepare the oyster cut lamb shoulder is by slow cooking. The beauty of a slow cooker or crockpot is that you cook this recipe in a few hours or make overnight lamb shoulder low and slow. 

1. Low and slow on the stove: To make this slow cooked lamb shoulder without a slow cooker, simply turn the heat down to low and place a cover on the pot. Keep an eye on the curry as it cooks because it may thicken and burn. If the lamb isn’t tender enough, add 2 cups of water and continue cooking the oyster cut lamb shoulder curry until it is.
2. In the oven: Don’t have time to watch this slow cook lamb curry over the stove? Transfer the lamb shoulder curry into an oven safe dish or dutch oven and cover with a lid. Bake this at 160c or 356f for 2-3 hours. 

Other Cuts For Pulled Lamb

What is the best cut of lamb for pulled lamb? This lamb shoulder korma slow cooker recipe makes for the perfect pulled lamb curry but if you’re looking for other cuts of lamb to make pulled lamb, try leg of lamb, lamb shanks, neck chops, and ribs.

As a rule of thumb: go for tougher cuts or boney ones. Yes, they have a lot of connective tissue and fat but when cooked slowly, these cuts transform into tender pull apart lamb.

The next section is for anyone looking for other flavor combinations to pair with your cut of lamb: what herbs go with lamb?

What Herbs Go With Lamb?

Whether you’re making stewed lamb shoulder or curried oyster cut lamb shoulder, the flavor combination of the herbs and spices matter. Here’s a list of herb pairings for your lamb dish:

• Rosemary
• Thyme
• Mint
• Sage
• Basil
• Tarragon
• Oregano 

Here’s a list of spices to take your lamb to the next level:

• Garlic
• Ginger
• Cumin
• Turmeric 
• Coriander
• Parsley
• Paprika
• Chili powder
• Curry powder
• Garam Masala
• Mustard
• Sumac

You can even add dried fruits like prunes, raisins, or figs to your lamb dishes. Here’s some possible herb and spice combinations you can try:

• Rosemary, garlic, and canned tomatoes
• Thyme, garlic, balsamic, and red wine
• Cumin, turmeric, garlic, prunes

Now that we’ve covered the all important flavor pairings, let’s get started with this recipe and learn how to cook this slow cooker oyster cut lamb shoulder curry!

How To Make This Slow Cooker Lamb Curry

This lamb shoulder in a slow cooker spends a lot of time in the crockpot or slow cooker but it starts off in a large heavy bottomed pot or dutch oven.

Add oil to a pot on medium high heat and place the oyster cut lamb shoulder when it starts smoking. Sear the lamb for about 2 minutes on each side. Remove the lamb and set it aside.

In the same pot, turn the heat down to medium and add the mustard seeds. Peel your ginger and garlic and blend until you get a smooth paste. Add the ginger and garlic paste into the pot and saute this mixture for a minute.

After that, add the curry leaves to the paste and sauté for another minute.

Add in the dry spices like the curry powder, cumin, garam masala and cook for 30 seconds. This removes the powdery raw taste from the spices and toasts them lightly to bring out their flavor.

Finally, add the canned tomatoes, coconut milk, beef stock (or the equivalent amount of water with 1 beef stock cube mixed in) and sugar. Stir everything together and allow the mixture to cook and thicken for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, add the seared lamb back to the curry and cook for an additional 10 minutes to allow the flavors to marry.

When this is done, move the lamb shoulder in the slow cooker or crockpot and pour the curry over the oyster cut lamb shoulder. 

We’re using the Russell Hobbs MaxiCooker and cooked it on level 2 for about 3-4 hours. After 3-4 hours, the lamb shoulder will be fork tender and the blade should slide off. 

Wondering what to serve with the best slow cooker lamb shoulder? The next section of this post has you covered.

What Sides Go With Lamb Shoulder?

If you’ve made this oyster cut lamb shoulder curry recipe or any other slow cooked lamb shoulder recipe, you’ll want to have some delicious sides to go along with this show stopper. Here are some sides to serve with lamb shoulder:

• Spiced rice
• Homemade sourdough bread
• 3 ingredient fried bread
• Whipped feta, pumpkin, and green beans
• Broccoli 
• Roasted or mashed potatoes
• Salad
• Naan, roti, or any flatbread

P.s. If you can’t eat garlic and are looking for low fodmap indian curry or any low fodmap curry recipe, remove the garlic from this recipe and swap it out with garlic oil. Worried spices like ginger will trigger IBS?

Is Ginger Low FODMAP?

How To Have Garlic On A Low FODMAP Diet

Who knew there was so much you could do with the oyster cut lamb shoulder? What do you think you’ll do with this cut of lamb now that you know what herbs, spices, and sides to serve with oyster cut lamb shoulder? Let us know in the comments below if you have any favorite lamb dishes!

Looking for more slow cooker recipes? Try making our slow cooker chicken!

Print Recipe

Slow Cooker Oyster Cut Lamb Shoulder Curry

Dinner, Lunch, – Malaysian

By Yummyble – Serves: 6

Prep Time: 30 minutes – Cooking Time: 3-4 hours – Total Time: 4 hours 30 minutes

Make the most delicious curry with the oyster cut lamb shoulder. This slow cooker lamb shoulder curry is an explosion of flavor with minimal effort and delivers tender pull apart lamb.

Ingredients

• 2 kgs (4.4 lbs) lamb shoulder (oyster cut lamb shoulder or any other cut of lamb)
• 50g (1.8 oz) peeled ginger
• 30g (1 oz) garlic or 4 tbsp garlic oil
• 2 tbs curry leaves (3 stalks or 2g)
• 3 tbsp curry powder of your choice *DIY Curry Powder
• 1 1/2 tsp garam masala powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tbs sugar
• salt to taste
• 4 tbsp oil for cooking
• 200 ml (6.7 oz) coconut milk
• 1 cube of beef stock in 200 ml (6.7 oz) water
• 400g (15oz) canned tomatoes

Instructions

1

Heat a large pot with oil at medium high heat.

2

When the pot starts to smoke, sear and brown the lamb for about 2 minutes on each side.

3

Remove the lamb and set aside for now. Turn the heat down to medium and add the mustard seeds into the pot.

4

Place the ginger and garlic in a blender and blend until smooth.

5

Add the ginger and garlic paste into the pot and sauté for a minute.

6

Add the curry leaves and sauté for another minute.

7

Next, add in the dry spices like the curry powder, cumin, garam masala and cook for 30 seconds. This removes the powdery raw taste from the spices and toasts them lightly.

8

Finally, add the canned tomatoes, coconut milk, beef stock (or the equivalent amount of water with 1 beef stock cube mixed in) and sugar. Mix everything together and allow the mixture to cook and thicken for 10 minutes.

9

Add the seared lamb back to the curry and cook for an additional 10 minutes to allow the flavors to marry.

10

After 10 minutes, move the lamb shoulder into a crockpot or slow cooker and pour the curry over the oyster cut lamb shoulder.

11

Cook on level 2 or the highest heat setting for about 3-4 hours.

12

After 3-4 hours, the lamb shoulder should be fork tender and the blade should come right off.

Optional: You can place this mixture back on the stove for 10-15 minutes to thicken it.

13

Garnish with parsley and serve on a bed of rice or mashed potatoes.

Notes

• DIY Curry Powder
• If you want to make this recipe low FODMAP, swap out the garlic for 4 tbs of garlic oil