[pooks]

Hi all,  I have some mutton coming back soon and would like some slow roasting (leg and shoulder) recipes as it is the first lot of mutton we have produce and i want to do it justice.  any ideas?

[Fleecewife]

What breed, what age and what sex is your mutton?
 
In my experience, older wethers, above say 4, of the non-primitive breeds can be quite fatty, which I don't like, so any recipes would involve either cutting it off or including some fast cooking time in with slow cooking to burn off some of the fat.
 
If it's cull ewes then they are likely to be older and scrawnier and need really slow cooking, in a covered dish with plenty of herbs and some red wine.  Garlic can be good although I don't like garlic with sheep meat - love it with everything else.
 
If they are younger primitive wethers or hoggets then a long slow roast in a covered vessel, with plenty of Herbes de Provence and maybe rosemary, a dash of red wine and a final hot burst with the lid off to crisp the outside should be perfect.  Sometimes I turn my oven off partway through the cooking time, especially if I am using a Le Creuset roaster, to allow a bit of thorough really slow cooking to go on.  I started this when I would take various roast joints across to my son's, so the meat travelled in a hay box then had a hot blast on arrival - this makes the meat so tender and it falls off the bone.
What you don't want with mutton is short rapid cooking and red blood visible inside - it will be tough.
 
I nearly always serve roast hogget with mint sauce, or sometimes redcurrant jelly when it's cold the next day.
 
For shoulder, I would get it back boned but unrolled from the butcher, then stuff it and roll it myself, using ordinary white kitchen string to tie the roll.  The choices for stuffing are many - a simple packeted herb stuffing is fine, or you can make your own with north African herbs and spices, or some local fruit such as cranberries or redcurrants, or a hot chillie mix.  If the meat is at all fatty you need something like lemon or pineapple to cut through it.   I don't use mint for stuffing, or for making sausages or burgers, as I find it becomes disappointingly flavourless, even a large amount fresh from the garden.  Don't overstuff the roll as it will squeeze out at the ends.
 
I often find hot shoulder unsatisfactory as it falls to bits and you can see too much structure, so sometimes I cook the rolled shoulder then leave it to cool and eat it cold the following day when it's much nicer and holds together well.

[lachlanandmarcus]

Any kind of Tagine recipe is always amazing!!!

[pooks]

they are two year old Wiltshire horn ewes (who didnt give me lambs this year and who have given me other problems. so are going.

[Anke]

We only eat Shetland hogget or mutton and have found (with mutton in particular) to only have a simple cut.: both hindlegs on the bone for a roast (like Fleecewife describes above), shoulders boned and cubed (plus any other cube-able bits) for curries, stews and tagines and the rest minced for Shep's pie, chilli con carne and any other recipe that needs mince.

You could et more adventourous and make suasages or burgers, but we do that with pork, and that's enough variety.

[Greenerlife]

I did a slow roast of boned leg in my slow cooker last week and I am still eating it cold!   Just rubbed with a bit of oil, lots of garlic and rosemary, then added a glass of red wine and left it cooking for 7 hours.  It was delicious.

[Fleecewife]

they are two year old Wiltshire horn ewes (who didnt give me lambs this year and who have given me other problems. so are going.

 
That's barely mutton, closer to hogget, so will be less in need of a really slow cook.  Having failed to breed they will be like wether meat, so tender and flavoursome, but possibly a bit fat - check their conformation (or have they already gone?)   Chops from these sheep should be very tender so can be cooked fast - I love the crispy bits.
I do make burgers with the left over bits - I ask the butcher to leave out all the fat so it's a steak type mince.  I use the same flavours - Herbes de Provence, N.African (harissa, apricots and so on), chillies.  I add a small amount of onion to moisten it, mix all together, shape into flat-bottomed cakes and grill.
 
I think you're in for a treat 

[pooks]

Thanks Fleecewife, they are both on the podgy side, so yes will have a fair bit of fat!  Cant wait to try it.