Pulled Slow Cooked Lamb Neck (Crock Pot Recipe)

Lamb neck roasted for hours is rich, tender and flavorful meat so soft it will pull from the bone with a fork.  It is often shredded and served with pasta or on thick, hearty bread. Taking the braised meat straight off the bone allows it to retain all of its moisture. Slow cooked necks are beautifully glazed by reducing the collection of intensely flavorful meat sauce during the last preparation step. Serve on pasta, tortillas or on bread with your favorite garnish and a salad.

Slow cooked lamb neck braising in a pot with herbs.
Braised Lamb Neck.

Tips

  • One of the secrets to the recipe is reducing down the cooking liquid until syrupy and using it to season the meat. Just be careful how much liquid you add as it will be salted.
  • If you have a smoker, one great thing to try is lightly smoking the meat at 300 F for an hour before putting it in the pot to braise. This is perfect for making barbecue lamb sandwiches.
  • If you don’t want to cook the braising liquid down it can be the base for a fantastic soup, such as lamb posole.
  • If you don’t want to cook the lamb neck on the stove, you can use a slow cooker.
  • The lamb will improve in flavor the day after it’s made.

Slow cooked lamb neck shredded and seasoned.
Prepared Shredded Lamb Neck.

How to Serve Slow-Cooked Lamb Neck

The finished pulled meat will be delicious on just about anything, but it’s perfect for sandwiches, over buttered noodles and pasta, or alongside polenta or tortillas. It’s also good fried up with sunny side eggs for breakfast or brunch.

Shredded lamb neck
Shredded lamb neck with pappardelle pasta, peppers and fresh tomatoes. Photo by Ben Spangler.

This recipe is by chef Ben Spangler. Hailing from Minnesota, Ben draws from his Midwestern roots to create dishes that are unpretentious and delicious. Ben has competed on national television for the Food Network and appeared on local Minneapolis food networks. He is currently executive chef at Mercy in Minneapolis.

Chef Ben Spangler.

Looking to buy lamb or goat online? Shepherd Song Farm: Grass to table. We raise lambs & goats traditionally, humanely and sustainably. 100% Grass Fed, Pasture Raised, Never Confined, no Hormones, Grains or Animal Byproducts. Born, raised and processed in the U.S.A. Good for you and good for the environment.

 

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Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Pulled Slow Cooked Lamb Neck

A recipe for simple, tender braised lamb neck.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time2 hours 45 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: pulled lamb neck
Servings: 4 People
Calories: 589kcal
Cost: 20

Equipment

  • 1 Braising pan or Dutch oven

Ingredients

  • 3 lb Lamb Neck  
  • 1 oz  Grape seed Oil
  • 3 Tablespoons onion powder roasted
  • 2 Tablespoon paprika
  • 4 oz Fish sauce
  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • 4 ea  Habarneros chili peppers
  • 6 ea  Onions halved

Instructions

  • Saute onions in oil on medium-high heat until seared in a large, tall sauce pot.
  • Season necks with onion powder,salt, and sear on all sides over medium-high heat until the meat is uniformly golden dark brown all over (about 10-15 minutes.) Do not burn.
  • Add habaneros, fish sauce, paprika and onion powder. Fill with water until necks are completely submerged.
  • Boil then drop heat down to a low simmer. Simmer for 2-3 hours until meat is tender. Add water as needed. In a slow cooker this may take 4-5 hours.
  • When tender remove necks and allow to sit at room temperature until cool to the touch. With a fork scrape off the meat.
  • Reduce braising liquid until syrupy and add to shredded meat. Add only enough to flavor.

Serving

  • Serve on pasta, tortillas or as sandwiches with your favorite garnish.

Notes

Serve the finished, pulled lamb neck anywhere you would shredded meat like pulled pork. 

Nutrition

Serving: 5oz | Calories: 589kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 86g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 257mg | Sodium: 346mg | Potassium: 456mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 255IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 61mg | Iron: 8mg

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