Shoulder roast viewed from the inside, leg bone to the left, backbone curving up to the neck to the right.

Shoulder roast viewed from the outside, shoulder blade "7 bone" visible on the near side.

Buying:   This cut can be found in just about any market that carries lamb, but it's likely to cost significantly less from a market that serves communities that use a lot of lamb. Turkey, Armenia, Middle East, North Africa, Pakistan, etc.

Cooking:   Because of its complex structure and significant internal fat deposits, the best strategy for this cut is slow oven roasting until the meat pulls easily from the bone.

Yield:   The 2 pound 12 oz shoulder in the photos yielded:

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This is the sheep version of the beef 7 bone steak, complete with a 7 shaped slice of the shoulder blade (in some pieces - bone pattern varies from slice to slice). It is sliced from the Lamb Shoulder Roast. The photo specimen was 8 inches long, 3-1/2 inches wide, 3/4 inch thick and weighed 8-1/2 ounces.

Buying:   Many markets that sell the Lamb Shoulder Roast will also cut some into steaks.

Cooking:   This cut is suitable for pan frying, broiling or cooking on the grill. As with all lamb, it will tend to splatter, so cover the floor around your stove with newspapers if you pan fry.

Yield: based on a 2.77 pound tray (both fat and bones include some unrecoverable meat):

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