Mechoui-Style Slow-Roast Lamb Shoulder with Cumin Salt

Ingredients

• 2 lb Lamb Shoulder, bone-in
• 4 tbsp softened butter
• 5 cloves garlic, crushed to a paste
• 1 tbsp ground cumin, plus 1 tsp for the table
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• ½ tsp cayenne
• 1 tbsp flaky salt, plus 1 tsp for the table
• 1 cup water
• Flatbread and lemon wedges, for serving

Method

1. Heat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Mash the butter with the garlic, 1 tbsp cumin, paprika, cayenne, and 1 tbsp salt into a thick paste.
2. Slash the Lamb Shoulder deeply every couple of inches and work the paste into every cut and across the surface. Get your hands in — a polite coating gives you a polite result.
3. Set it in a roasting dish, pour the water into the bottom, and cover tightly with foil. Roast 60 minutes, basting once with the pan juices halfway through.
4. Uncover, raise the heat to 425°F (220°C), and roast 25–30 minutes more until the outside is burnished and the meat pulls apart in strands. Lamb shoulder wants 195°F (90°C) internal for that; poultry only needs 175°F (79°C), so pull it earlier.
5. Rest 15 minutes under loose foil. Serve with a small dish of cumin mixed with flaky salt for dipping each shred, plus bread and lemon.