Spiced slow cooked lamb shoulder tacos

This recipe is inspired by the Mexican restaurant, Esteban in Sydney. Spiced lamb shoulder is oven braised at a low temperature for up to six hours, until meltingly tender. Once shredded, the meat is piled onto soft tacos and served with a creamy homemade jalapeno cheese sauce. Don't forget a heaping of pickled onions, squeeze of lime juice and sprinkle of coriander for added freshness.

Spiced slow cooked lamb shoulder tacos Credit: Kitti Gould

• serves

  12

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  4 hours

• difficulty

  Easy

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Ingredients

Spiced Lamb

• 2 kg lamb shoulder, bone in
• salt and black pepper
• 1 tbsp light olive oil
• 3 oranges, juiced
• 1 large onion, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp chipotle pepper
• 2 tbsp cayenne pepper
• 4 tbsp cumin
• 2 tbsp dried oregano (or Italian herb mix)
• 2 tbsp ground coriander
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp allspice
• 1 tbsp cloves
• 1 tsp cardamom
• 7 bay leaves
• 1 tin whole Mexican jalapeños
• 1 cup (250 ml) beef stock
• 1 can stout or dark beer
• ½ cup apple cider vinegar (or old red wine)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tbsp honey

Queso Perfecto

• 1 ½ cups grated cheddar cheese
• 1 cup grated Red Leicester cheese
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 garlic cloves
• ½ brown onion, diced
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1 can evaporated milk
• ½ can diced jalapeño (we used La Morena)
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tbsp coriander, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp milk

To serve

• small bunch of coriander, sprigs picked
• lime wedges
• soft flour taco tortillas
• pickled red onions, to serve 

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 120˚C. Season the lamb shoulder with plenty of salt and pepper.
2. Heat the light olive oil in a large heavy-based saucepan over high heat. Add the lamb and brown on all sides. Add all the remaining ingredients (not including for the queso perfecto) and stir well to combine.
3. Cover and place in the oven and braise for 4-6 hours, or until tender. Check the liquid level after 3 hours. If it is drying up fast, add a layer of baking paper on top of the lamb to keep the moisture in.
4. Use two forks to shred the meat. Pan-fry the meat to brown if you like!
5. To make the queso perfecto, place the grated cheeses in a large mixing bowl and toss with the cornflour.
6. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the tomato and cook for a further 2 minutes.
7. Add the evaporated milk and stir to combine. While stirring, gradually add the cheese mixture. Add the remaining ingredients (except the milk) and stir until the cheese has melted. Stir through the milk, remove from the heat and set aside.
8. Warm the tacos in a sandwich press or in a pan. Spoon the queso onto the warmed tortillas, top with the lamb, pickled onions, coriander and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

 

Photography by Kitti Gould.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

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Recipe Remix

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