Lamb Shoulder Chops with Red Wine

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2009

Show: Good EatsEpisode: Fermentation Nation

Rated: 4 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (8)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(8)

Cook Time:
3 hr 45 min
Level:
Intermediate
Yield:
4 servings

Times:

Prep: 45 min
Inactive Prep: 3 hr 0 min
Cook: 3 hr 45 min
Total:: 7 hr 30 min

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Ingredients

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
4 (8 to 12-ounce) lamb shoulder blade chops
16 ounces red wine blend, plus 1 tablespoon (recommended: Syrah, Grenache or Mourvedre)
4 large sprigs fresh rosemary, plus 1 teaspoon chopped leaves
3 ounces dried plums, finely chopped
3 ounces dried apricots, finely chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into several small pieces
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Put a 10-inch straight-sided saute pan over medium heat for 5 minutes. Toss the lamb with the vegetable oil in a medium mixing bowl. When the pan is hot, sear the lamb for 1 minute on each side. Remove to a plate and cool for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the meat to a 1-gallon resealable plastic bag, then pour in the 16 ounces of wine and 4 rosemary sprigs. Remove as much air as possible so that the wine is completely surrounding the meat. Put the bag in a container to prevent leaks and refrigerate for 3 hours.

Heat the oven to 250 degrees F.

Transfer the contents of the bag back to the 10-inch straight-sided saute pan and cover. Put the pan on the middle rack of the oven and braise until the meat is tender and falling away from the bone, about 3 1/2 hours.

Remove the meat from the oven to a platter. Discard the rosemary. Cover the meat with aluminum foil to keep warm while finishing the sauce.

Pour the pan juices into a gravy separator and allow it to separate before pouring 2 cups of the liquid back into the pan. Set the pan over medium-low heat and add the dried plums and apricots. Simmer, whisking frequently, until the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly, about 10 minutes. Whisk in the butter 1 piece at a time, adding another piece only after the previous piece has melted. Whisk in the remaining 1 tablespoon of wine and the remaining chopped rosemary and continue to cook for another minute. Taste and adjust seasoning by adding salt and pepper, if needed.

Pour the sauce over the meat and serve immediately.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Lamb Shoulder Chops with Red Wine
Kelli Colchester, CT 01-17-2010
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My New Go-to Recipe for Winter Comfort
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

My husband and I were blown away by this dish and it couldn't be easier! I've made it twice, once serving it over home-made... noodles and then alongside mashed potatoes. I was a little worried as I began making the sauce and was amazed how gradual addition of the butter TRANSFORMED it!! I must admit though, I did take one liberty, heeding the warning of the sweetness from the reviewer below, I subsituted dried cherries--I chopped them up a bit. I can't wait to try this with beef.Read more
recipe Lamb Shoulder Chops with Red Wine
Diane Port Coquitlam, BC 12-11-2009
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Absolutely Delicious
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I made this with beef (a Round steak) and it was perfect. For the person who was disappointed that it was so sweet, what... did you think a recipe that included 6 oz of dried fruit in the sauce would be? And OF COURSE the lamb wasn't pink in the middle! THe meat cooked for 3.5 hours! It's a braise!Read more
recipe Lamb Shoulder Chops with Red Wine
John Raleigh, NC 11-22-2009
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Had high hopes, disappointed as a result
Rated: 3 stars out of 5

The alterations I made to this dish were 1)used Australian wine as it was half the price of the french wine, 2)cooked for an... extra hour. The texture was good, like slow cooked meat should be. The flavor, however, was somewhat disappointing, it wasn't lamb-y at all (something that I had been looking forward to). The color of the meat was very dark and somewhat unappealing. The sauce smelled marvelous, but was both too sweet, and a bit too heavy (due to the butter). The meat may have been helped by some salt at the searing process, but, I figure that this would've affected the final sauce. I'm not likely to make this dish again as written, it's a substantial amount of time for a mediocre meal. Read more
recipe Lamb Shoulder Chops with Red Wine
LT Rochester Hills, MI 11-09-2009
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Great with game meat too
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I made this recipe with some elk steaks that had been in the freezer for a bit too long. While the meat was not falling... apart, it was tender and not at all gamy. The reduction was especially easy because the meat lacked fat and thus the liquid did not need to be separated. While the cooking time seemed long, my hands-on time was actually less than the recipe stated and I had no trouble filling the marinating & cooking hours. Dinner guests raved about how great the meat tasted! I'll be trying the recipe again this week with some venison.Read more
recipe Lamb Shoulder Chops with Red Wine
Mark San Diego, CA 10-30-2009
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Awful waste of Lamb, Wine, and Time
Rated: 1 stars out of 5

I don't get it AB. I followed the steps from the show to a T. I had some great organic lamb shoulder, fresh from the market,... and the wine was top notch and yet this was the first Good Eats recipe that both my girlfriend and I (who both love lamb and wine) threw out before finishing. How can I describe the things that are wrong with this... First, the 6+ hours could be spent better drinking a few bottles of the wine instead of getting some perfectly nice lamb cuts drunk. The lamb does fall off the bones, but the done-ness of the lamb with the oozy-ness of the fat are not a good combination. I would much prefer a little pink in my lamb than dark gray that I got.(I even took it out 30 minutes early). The sauce reduction time varried significantly for me taking almost double the time to thicken on the medium low heat prescribed by you. The butter made the whole dish even fattier tasting that it really needed. I guess the biggest question that I have for you AB is why couldn't you come up with a better recipe for wine?Read more
recipe Lamb Shoulder Chops with Red Wine
Bobbi Sherwood, OR 10-26-2009
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Top Notch!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

The ingredients for this recipe cost me between $25 - $30 (I live on the west coast), but well worth it. It fed four adults... quite generously. The sauce is soooo flavorful. I served it with golden couscous ? added some more of the diced dried fruit along with chopped parsley and toasted pine nuts at the end when fluffed. This is a winner. If you think you don?t like lamb, you will change your mind after eating this! It?s very easy to make. Another Alton winner.Read more