A shoulder roast comes from the upper body portion of meat where the leg and the body meet. It is a term that collectively refers to all meat varieties like beef, pork, lamb etc and are often cooked by oven roasting. In order to determine the doneness, a meat thermometer is generally used.
Varieties of Shoulder Roast
Beef Shoulder Roast : Beef shoulder roast recipes are either oven cooked or cooked in a slow cooker. For oven cooking or stovetop cooking vegetables can be added to the roast during the last hour of cooking time. Beef shoulder roast can be cooked in a crock pot also for many hours. The moist nature of the cooking in a crock pot gives excellent results with the shoulder roast. Most of the other cooking methods will make the beef tough and gristly. Sometimes the meat is browned first before putting it to the crockpot as it cuts down the amount of fat. When using a crock pot for cooking shoulder roast, add the vegetables at the same time you add the roast.
Pork Shoulder Roast: Pork shoulder roasts can be cooked in the same way as beef. While roasting, it is recommended to add a little water to not let the roast stick to the pan. It can also be prepared in a slow cooker.
Lamb Pork Shoulder: Lamb shoulder roasts can be cooked as it is or with stuffing or filling. If the roast is stuffed it is cooked for longer time in an oven or in a crock pot.
