Moroccan Sous Vide Lamb Shoulder

Name: Moroccan Sous Vide Lamb Shoulder
Yield: 6 shoulders of 2.5 kg, 15 kg raw
Ingredients: 6 tbsp Cumin seed; 4 tbsp Coriander seed; 2 tbsp Fennel seed; 1 tbsp Black peppercorn; 2 tsp White pepper; 12 each Green cardamom pods; 4 each Cloves; 2 each Cinnamon sticks; 4 tbsp Smoked paprika; 2 tbsp Sweet paprika; 2 tbsp Ginger powder; 1 tbsp Turmeric; 1 tsp Nutmeg; a pinch Saffron; 1 tsp Kashmiri masala; 4 each Onions, large; 20 each Garlic, cloves; a large bunch Coriander; a large bunch Mint; 3 each Preserved lemons; 3 tbsp Tomato paste; 300 ml Olive oil; 120 ml White grape vinegar; 150 ml Orange juice; 80 ml Lemon juice; 120 g Honey or palm sugar; 180 g to 225 g Salt, 1.2 to 1.5 percent of the meat weight, here for 15 kg; a knob Butter; Thyme; a tiny piece Cinnamon

Dark spice, saffron, preserved lemon and herbs, then charcoal at the end.

Earthy, aromatic and smoky, with citrus lifting it and a little sweetness behind. The shoulder is marinated for a day or two, cooked long and low in the bag, then finished hard over fire so the outside is dark and the fat is crisp.

Written for 6 shoulders of 2.5 kg, 15 kg raw · one eighth of a 2.5 kg shoulder

Cook this

Salt at 1.2 to 1.5 percent of the meat weight is what seasons a shoulder properly from the inside. It is the one number not to guess at.
Chef Paul Dukai

Ingredients

Serves

Whole spices, toasted and ground

Cumin seed6 tbsp
Coriander seed4 tbsp
Fennel seed2 tbsp
Black peppercorn1 tbsp
White pepper2 tsp
Green cardamom pods12 each
Cloves4 each
Cinnamon sticks2 each

Ground spices, added after grinding

Smoked paprika4 tbsp
Sweet paprika2 tbsp
Ginger powder2 tbsp
Turmeric1 tbsp
Nutmeg1 tsp
Saffrona pinch
Kashmiri masala1 tsp

The aromatic paste

Onions, large4 each
Garlic, cloves20 each
Coriandera large bunch
Minta large bunch
Preserved lemons3 each
Tomato paste3 tbsp

The liquids

Olive oil300 ml
White grape vinegar120 ml
Orange juice150 ml
Lemon juice80 ml
Honey or palm sugar120 g

Salt

Salt, 1.2 to 1.5 percent of the meat weight, here for 15 kg180 g to 225 g

In the bag, per shoulder

Buttera knob
Thyme
Cinnamona tiny piece
Orange peela strip

Method

The marinade

Toast the whole spices until aromatic, then grind them.
Add the ground spices to the mix after grinding.
Blend the onions, garlic, coriander, mint, preserved lemons and tomato paste into a paste.
Add the olive oil, vinegar, orange juice, lemon juice and honey.
Add the salt, calculated at 1.2 to 1.5 percent of the weight of the meat.

Marination

Score the shoulders lightly. Do not cut deeply.
Massage the marinade thoroughly into every fold. A vacuum bag helps it penetrate.
Marinate for a minimum of 24 hours. 48 hours is better, and changes the depth of flavour considerably.

Sous vide

One shoulder per bag, with its marinade, a knob of butter, thyme, a tiny piece of cinnamon and a strip of orange peel. Avoid too much liquid and vacuum tightly.
For a sliceable fine dining texture: 74°C for 24 hours. Tender, juicy and sliceable, with the collagen properly converted and nothing mushy about it.
For a softer, pull-apart texture: 78°C for 30 to 36 hours. Almost silk-like, and made for a dramatic plated service.
Rest in an ice bath for 20 to 30 minutes. This stabilises the juices.
Strain the bag juices carefully and reserve them. They reduce into the sauce.

The finish

Finish on a charcoal grill or in a ripping hot oven.
You want dark edges, caramelisation, smoke and crisp fat, not prolonged cooking. This is a finish, not a second cooking.

Chef’s notes

The two programmes are alternatives, not stages. 74°C for 24 hours gives a shoulder you can slice. 78°C for 30 to 36 hours gives one that pulls apart.
The service yield is 8 main-course portions from each 2.5 kg shoulder, which is 48 from the full six. That figure is a DUKAI service assumption rather than something the original document states, and it is what the scaling on this page is built on. The production reference of 6 shoulders at 2.5 kg, 15 kg raw, stays beside it for ordering.
The jus is built from the bag liquid with lamb stock, a splash of red wine, saffron, roasted onion and a touch of honey, finished with cold butter and preserved lemon oil. It has direction but no quantities yet, so it is not a recipe of its own.
For a more perfumed marinade, add a tablespoon of rose water and a touch of orange blossom water. Very restrained: it should be an aroma, not a flavour.
It sits well with saffron yoghurt, smoked aubergine, charred onion petals, mint oil, pickled raisins, burnt citrus dust and grilled flatbread.

Keeping

DUKAI storage guidance

Straight from the bag into an ice bath, as the recipe says, then refrigerate at 5°C or below and use within 3 to 4 days, or freeze it in the bag. Reheat it thoroughly rather than warming it through.

Allergens and diet

Milk, from the butter. Sulphites, from the vinegar.

Also in the Recipe Book

Last refined · September 2026