Slow Cooker Moroccan Lamb Shoulder is a flavor packed sensation that practically cooks itself. With a little prep work and a number of warm spices we bring together this easy family recipe. Great for a change to the Sunday roast this slow cooked moroccan lamb offers melt in your mouth meat with a tangy apricot tomato relish and yogurt sauce.
Recipes like the Slow Cooker Beef Massaman Curry, Slow Cooker Lamb Ribs, Slow Cooker Massaman Lamb Shanks and the Slow Cooker Curried Sausages are all about flavorsome slow cooker recipes.
The Slow Cooker Pulled Lamb Shoulder, Greek Leg Of Lamb, Greek Lamb Shanks and the Lamb Ribs are other great ways to cook this versatile protein.
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🤍 Recipe Highlights
I have summarised everything that you will come to know and love (LOVE ❤) about the recipe in the points below:
- Set and forget: after the hard work is done (ie prepping the lamb) we throw everything into the slow cooker and let it cook. We are hands on for a very small fraction of the time needed to create the recipe.
- Taste sensation: I like to think of this recipe as one where you have travelled to every country in the world and brought back a spice from it! Each of these combine to create our Moroccan flavors and we are rewarded with every single bite.
- Homemade: ras el hanout is the name of a spice mix commonly used in Moroccan recipes. With this recipe we make our own and ensure that the lamb is as jammed packed with flavor as it can possibly be!
- Family meal: slow cooking a shoulder of lamb that all ages can enjoy is a great way to bring the flavors of Morocco to the table. We combine sweet apricots and tender meat in a simple manner that delivers maximum deliciousness.
🥗 Ingredients
The photo below is to show you everything you need to make the slow-cooked lamb shoulder recipe. Please refer to the printable recipe card for specific ingredient measurements as well as detailed instructions.
As you can see the recipe calls for:
- Brown sugar: helps to balance the acidity of the crushed tomatoes.
- Bay leaf.
- Chicken stock: is the primary liquid that we use in the base of the slow cooker.
- Cinnamon stick.
- Onion.
- Dried apricots.
- Crushed tomatoes.
- Chickpeas: drained and rinsed.
- Lamb shoulder: lamb shoulder or shoulder of lamb. I recommend using bone in lamb shoulder. It is a relatively budget friendly cut of lamb that you will easily be able to source from the local grocery store or favorite butcher.
🫚 Spices
Along with the above, we also have a combination of ground powders used to make a spice blend that gets rubbed into the lamb. You can see what is needed in the photo below.
- Salt and pepper: salt and a little black pepper is used for seasoning.
- Butter: unsalted, spreadable.
- Paprika: smoked or ground.
- Ginger.
- Cumin.
- Cinnamon.
- Turmeric.
- Ground coriander: this is ground coriander in powered form. Not the dried herbs version.
- Ginger.
- All spice.
- Cloves.
Whilst you could simply use 'Moroccan spice' from a jar already combined, making your own is easy and ensures that you know exactly what has gone into the homemade spice rub.
😉 Substitutions and Variations
Here are my sub ins and outs that you might be thinking about as you read the post and I will tell you if I think they will work or why they won't:
- Tomatoes: you can use a tin of diced tomatoes in place of the crushed tomatoes. In either case we want to use a tin which has no additional flavors or herbs ie simply plain crushed or diced tomatoes.
- Chickpeas: you can use medjool dates (chopped) in place of the chickpeas if you wish too.
- Garlic: if you want to add garlic to the flavor profile you have 2 options. The 1st is a tablespoon of chunky chopped garlic poured in with the onions and stock. The 2nd is using a teaspoon of garlic powder with the other dried spices.
- Lamb: you can use a bone in lamb leg in place of the lamb shoulder if you wish too. As with the shoulder, it needs to fit your crock pot, so keep that in mind whilst checking out your options.
- Garnish: if you want to garnish the lamb for serving some great choices are pomegranate seeds and or fresh coriander leaves. These 2 will also add additional flavor boosts if you are keen for more.
- Crunch: if you want a crunchy texture in the dish (everything will soften as it cooks and loose their firmness) then you can sprinkle some (toasted or not) slivered almonds over the top of the dish. These will give a nice contrast to the rest of the textures already involved.
👩🍳 How to Make Slow Cooker Moroccan Lamb Shoulder
To make the slow cooked moroccan lamb we start by using a sharp knife and cutting board to peel and dice the onion and then to slicing each of the dried apricots in half.
🍳 Instructions
Here are the step by step instructions to make the recipe.
- Dice the onion (Photo 1)
- Slice the apricots (Photo 2)
- Gather the spices (Photo 3)
- Combine (Photo 4)
Next gather all of the ingredients to make the spice rub. Add these 1 by 1 to a small glass bowl and stir to combine. Once combined add the butter and stir again until it is consistently mixed in. You can see what this will look like in the photos below.
- Add butter and combine (Photo 5)
- Pat the lamb dry (Photo 6)
- Coat with spiced butter (Photo 7)
- Add the rest of the ingredients (Photo 8)
🥩 Slow Cooked Moroccan Lamb
Next place the lamb shoulder onto a clean, dry cutting board.
Spread half of the butter mixture over the lamb and spread across and over the sides to cover. Once done flip the lamp to the other side and repeat the process using the rest of the spice mix.
Once done start to layer the ingredients for the apricot relish into the slow cooker insert.
Start with the diced onion, then the chickpeas, followed by the chopped apricots. Next add the diced tomatoes, brown sugar and stock. Things will look like the photo above at this point.
- Add the lamb to the slow cooker (Photo 9)
- Then place the bay leaf on top (Photo 10)
- Add the cinnamon stick (Photo 11)
- Cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low (Photo 12)
Transfer the lamb shoulder into the slow cooker then place both the bay leaf and cinnamon stick on top.
Next put the lid on and cook.
You can use either 4 hours on high (my preference) or 8 hours on low.
Once the cook time is up, remove the lid from the slow cooker, discard the bay leaf and cinnamon stick and get ready to transfer all to a serving platter.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
There is a lot going on in the crockpot with this dish so you won't have to worry about too many additions when it comes to serving time.
I do like to add a yogurt sauce to the delicious slow-cooked moroccan lamb and some options are the Parsley Yogurt Sauce, Herbed Yogurt Sauce, Cilantro Lime Yogurt Sauce, Lemon Yogurt Sauce or the Basil Yogurt Sauce.
For the flavor profile of the moroccan lamb I like use a mint yogurt sauce and find that it is the perfect finishing touch.
I also add some couscous (cooked to packet instructions) fluffed with a fork with a touch of butter stirred through it.
If you want a bread side try the Tortilla Garlic Bread, Garlic Pizza Bread, Ciabatta Garlic Bread or the Turkish Garlic Bread.
👍 How to Guide
Transfer leftovers to a sealed, airtight container. Refrigerate these and reheat prior to consuming.
Or portion the lamb with relish and couscous into sealed containers and stack in the freezer. These can be kept for 3 months.
For refrigerated leftovers transfer them to a bowl, cover with cling wrap and heat for 2-3 minutes on high in the microwave. For frozen portions, remove from the freezer and let them thaw. Then reheat following the step above with an extra minute or so until warmed through.
💡 Tasty Tips
Here are my top tips and tricks that I want to share with you so that you master the recipe from the get go:
- Cooking oil: I do lightly spray the slow cooker insert with cooking oil. Whilst this is not an essential step especially as the liquids prevent the lamb sticking to the base I find it helps to ensure that nothing sticks to the sides of the slow cooker.
- Spiced butter: you will find that when you flip the lamb from one side to the other a small amount of the butter mixture sticks to the cutting board. That will happen due to the texture of the rub but is only a small amount so don't worry too much about this.
- Technique: you will see from the video that I like to use a long spatula to spread the rub over the lamb. This will help keep your hands clean as it can be a little bit messy as the butter mix will stick if you manually handle the meat a lot.
- Love slow cooking? Then you might also like the Slow Cooker Thai Red Curry Beef, Slow Cooker French Onion Chicken, Slow Cooker Chicken And Corn Soup or the Slow Cooker Chicken Barley Soup.
🤓 Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, we use a combination of chicken stock and crushed tomatoes as the liquids in the base of the slow cooker.
Yes, you can put raw lamb in the slow cooker. A lot of recipes call for doing this as to not brown the lamb before it is slow cooked.
Yes, 4 hours on high in a slow cooker is seen as the equivalent to 8 hours on low. When using either time period, both 4 hours on high and 8 hours on low will achieve a simmer point of around 210°F. This is because the low setting takes approximately twice as long to reach the same internal temperature as when high temperature is used.
😍 More Easy Dinner Recipes
If you need dinner ideas, then I can help! Here are a wide variety of recipes with different proteins, cook times and methods. Hopefully these will keep you inspired and looking forward to the main meal of the day 😉👌.
- More slow cooker: Slow Cooker Savoury Mince, Slow Cooker Dahl, Slow Cooker French Onion Pork Chops, Slow Cooker Dry Rub Ribs, Slow Cooker French Onion Beef or the Slow Cooker Pork Belly.
- More lamb recipes: Satay Lamb, Lamb Fried Rice, Crumbed Lamb Cutlets.
- Other proteins: Baked Chicken Drumsticks And Rice, Tuna And Rice Casserole, Chicken And Rice Tray Bake.
- Pasta or noodle options: Garlic Chicken Parmesan Pasta, Beef Pesto Pasta, Grilled Chicken Alfredo, Chicken Pesto Linguine.
- Easy meals with rice: Chorizo Fried Rice, Thai Minced Pork, Pork Mince Fried Rice, Shrimp And Chicken Fried Rice.
It is time to get our moroccan lamb on my friend! You can also find all of my dinner recipes or slow cooker recipes in the one spot.
Adrianne
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📖 Recipe
Slow Cooker Moroccan Lamb Shoulder
Ingredients
Spice Rub
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon all spice
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons/60 grams butter unsalted
Lamb
- 1.3 kg lamb shoulder Note 1
- 1 cinnamon stick Note 2
- 1 bay leaf Note 3
Apricot Tomato Relish
- 1 large brown onion peeled and diced
- 400 grams/14 oz chickpeas drained and rinsed, Note 4
- 1 cup dried apricots sliced in half
- 400 grams/14 oz crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup/250 ml chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
Instructions
- Spice rub: add each of the dried spices to a small glass bowl and use a spatula to combine. Next add the butter and stir until the spice mix is consistently mixed in.
- Lamb shoulder: place the lamb shoulder onto a clean, dry cutting board and use a folded piece of paper towel to pat dry.
- Marinade: use a spatula or butterknife to spread the butter mixture onto the underside of the lamb. Then flip it to the other side and repeat.
- Apricot tomato relish: lightly grease the slow cooker insert with cooking oil. Then add the diced onion, sliced apricots, chickpeas, crushed tomatoes, chicken stock and brown sugar.
- Cook: next place the spiced lamb into the slow cooker and add the bay leaf and cinnamon stick to the top. Put the lid on and set the cook time to high and timer for 4 hours. Once the cook time is up, remove the lid and use tongs to take out the bay leaf and cinnamon stick (discard).
- To serve: let the lamb rest for 5-10 minutes and use this time to cook some couscous according to packet instructions. Spread the cous cous out onto a serving platter and place the rested lamb on top. Stir the remaining ingredients in the slow cooker and then spoon this apricot tomato relish over the top. Sprinkle some fresh mint leaves over the top and serve with a mint yogurt sauce.
Video
Notes
- Note 1 - Lamb shoulder: we want to use a bone in lamb shoulder. As it slow cooks the connective tissues break down. This results in fork tender meat that falls apart.
- Note 2 - Cinnamon stick: can be omitted if you don't have one.
- Note 3 - Bay leaf: as above. These both need to be removed after the cook time is up before the lamb is served.
- Note 4 - Chickpeas: or you can switch these out and use some chopped medjool dates in their place.
Jean says
Everything about this recipe is right up my alley. Thank you for sharing.
Adrianne says
You are very welcome! 😊.