Slow-Roast Hogget Shoulder
Ysgwydd Hesbin Wedi’i Rhostio’n Araf
Very occasionally we get some cold and damp weather in Wales, but the weather cannot get in the way of life and we truly believe that the harshest elements can be softened by a hearty meal.
Hogget is a more mature version of lamb. Those additional days munching grass (lamb less than 12 months, hogget 12–24 months, mutton more than 24 months) transform the sweet lamb into a darker, richer meat, which lends itself beautifully to slower cooking. Lamb will work as a substitute if you can’t get hold of hogget, although it will not have the depth of flavour that more mature meat does.
Slow roasting hogget shoulder on a bed of root vegetables, well seasoned with flaked sea salt, gives you a deeply savoury, pull-apart centrepiece that practically cooks itself.
What is hogget?
If you have ever wondered what is a hogget or what is hoggett, it is simply sheep meat that sits between lamb and mutton in age.
- Lamb: under 12 months
- Hogget: 12–24 months
- Mutton: more than 24 months
Those extra months on grass give hogget:
- A darker colour than lamb
- A richer, more complex flavour
- A texture that holds up very well to slow roasting and braising
For a slow-roast hogget shoulder, this means:
- You get all the tenderness you love in lamb
- Plus a deeper, more satisfying “lamb hogget” flavour that stands up to herbs, garlic and long cooking times
If you cannot find hogget where you are, a good-quality lamb shoulder can be used instead. Cook it in the same gentle way, but expect a slightly lighter flavour and paler meat.
Hogget shoulder vs lamb shoulder
If you are specifically looking for hogget shoulder and only find lamb, do not worry:
- Use a similar weight of lamb shoulder
- Follow the same method and timings for a slow roast
- Expect a slightly milder flavour compared to roast hogget
Because hogget is more mature, it gives you:
- More pronounced flavour
- A texture that holds together but still yields to a fork after slow roasting
How to know when slow-roast hogget is done
For this slow-roast hogget shoulder:
- After 4 hours covered, plus 30 minutes uncovered, the meat should be very tender
- A fork or knife should slide in easily, and the meat should pull away from the bone with little effort
If it feels firm or resistant:
- Cover loosely with foil again
- Return to the oven for 20–30 minutes and check once more
Seasoning and serving suggestions
- Use a good-quality flaked sea salt throughout the recipe for the best flavour. Season lightly at the start, then adjust at the table.
- The apple and mint salsa cuts through the richness of the slow-roast hogget.
- Green beans or braised red cabbage, as suggested in the recipe, both work very well with the sweet, caramelised root vegetables under the meat.
Leftover roast hogget is excellent shredded into salads or gently reheated with a splash of stock for another meal.
Slow-roast hogget shoulder recipe
Recipe from: Sea Salt: A perfectly seasoned cookbook
A Welsh organic hogget shoulder is roasted low and slow on a bed of sweet onions and root vegetables, with garlic and herbs tucked into every slice of meat. The waxy potatoes crisp up on top, and everything is brightened at the table with a sharp, fresh apple and mint salsa.
RECIPE: From our book Sea Salt: A perfectly seasoned cookbook.
Ingredients
- 25g/1oz butter, softened
- 2 white onions, sliced
- 3 large parsnips, finely sliced lengthways
- 1 small celeriac, peeled and finely sliced
- 6 garlic cloves, half cut into thin slices, half cut into shards
- 2 thyme sprigs, leaves picked
- 2 rosemary sprigs, leaves picked
- 2 large waxy potatoes (eg. Charlotte or Anya), finely sliced
- 1 Welsh organic hogget shoulder, about 1.5–2kg/3lb 4¾oz–6lb 6½oz (choose the size according to the appetite of your guests)
- 500ml/18fl oz vegetable stock
- Flaked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- For the salsa
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 garlic clove, crushed or grated
- 2 Granny Smith apples, cored and cut into matchsticks
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- Small bunch of mint, leaves picked and finely sliced
- 1 red chilli, finely chopped, deseeded for a mellow heat
Method
- Preheat the oven to 140C/120C fan/275F/Gas 1. Grease a large roasting dish, about 37cm x 25cm/14 x 10in, with half the butter. A heavy cast-iron dish is best, but other roasting pans will also work.
- Mix the onions, parsnips, celeriac, 1/2 teaspoon flaked sea salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, the sliced garlic and half the thyme and rosemary in the roasting dish. Spread into an even layer.
- Add a neat layer of sliced potatoes over the vegetables and dot with a few spots of the remaining butter. Season the top of the potatoes with flaked sea salt and pepper and sprinkle on the remaining thyme.
- Pierce the hogget joint with a sharp knife about ten times all over. In each incision, poke in a shard of garlic and a few rosemary leaves. Season the hogget all over with flaked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, then place it on top of the bed of vegetables.
- Warm the vegetable stock in a large saucepan until it comes to the boil, then pour carefully over the vegetables around the hogget.
- Cover the roasting pan tightly with two layers of foil and cook in the oven for 4 hours. Now is a good time to go and enjoy the weather.
- Remove the foil, increase the oven temperature to 180C, and cook for another 30 minutes. This final stage of cooking will crisp up the potatoes and the top of the hogget.
- While the hogget finishes cooking, mix the olive oil, apple cider vinegar and garlic together in a small bowl until thoroughly combined. Just before serving, add the apples, shallot, mint and chilli and mix well. Season to taste.
- Serve the hogget shoulder whole or pulled into large pieces, with the crisp potatoes and vegetables from the pan. Spoon the apple and mint salsa over the top or serve it alongside, with green beans or braised red cabbage.
