Bone-in lamb shoulder seared and braised in bone broth and orange juice with rosemary and carrots

A shoulder roast this size asks for two different kinds of effort, and neither one is hard on your body. 10 minutes of real attention at the stove for a proper sear, then the rest of the afternoon where the pot does the work without you. On a day when your energy budget is thin, that is the trade worth making: front-load the effort while you still have it, then let low heat and time finish what your hands started.

Zinc, one of the minerals linked to immune regulation, shows up in real quantity in a cut this size, a source worth having in a single serving. Simmering the bones and connective tissue into the braising liquid pulls collagen into the sauce too, a source of the amino acids your gut lining and connective tissue draw on to repair themselves.

A shoulder roast like this asks you to use the animal well, a tough cut turned tender through nothing but time and heat, and that is worth a quiet nod as you plate it. Spoon the reduced sauce over the meat and the carrots, and let the color and the smell fill the kitchen the way they are meant to.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp solid cooking fat
• 2-3 lb lamb shoulder roast, bone-in
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cups bone broth
• 1 orange, zest reserved and juiced
• 4 sprigs rosemary
• 1 1/2 lbs carrots, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
• Additional sea salt, to taste

Method

Pat the lamb shoulder dry and season it with the sea salt. Heat the cooking fat in a Dutch oven or heavy braising pot over medium-high heat. When it is hot, sear the lamb on all sides until it is deeply browned. This crust is flavor, so do not rush it. Move the lamb to a plate.

Lower the heat to medium and add the diced onion to the pot, cooking until it softens. Pour in the bone broth and the orange juice, scraping up the browned bits stuck to the bottom. Add the rosemary sprigs and the reserved orange zest.

Return the lamb to the pot, nestling it into the liquid. Bring it to a gentle simmer, then cover and braise low and slow, about 2.5 hours, until the meat is fork-tender. (Oven temperature was not given in the source - verify.)

Partway through, around the halfway mark, add the carrot chunks so they cook in the braising liquid and turn tender without falling apart.

When the lamb is tender, lift it and the carrots out and keep them warm. Bring the braising liquid to a boil and reduce it down into a glossy sauce. Taste and adjust with additional sea salt. Spoon the sauce over the lamb and carrots to serve.

Instant Pot variation

Use the Saute function to sear the lamb in the cooking fat, then soften the onion. Add the bone broth, orange juice, rosemary, and zest, and return the lamb. Lock the lid and cook on high pressure, then let the pressure release naturally. Add the carrots, bring back to pressure briefly to cook them through, then remove the meat and carrots and reduce the liquid on Saute into a sauce. (Pressure times here are a reasonable estimate and untested - verify before relying on them.)

*Adapted from autoimmunewellness.com*