Chef Juliette
Baron (or Pair of Hind-quarters) of Lamb
A whole saddle and its two hind legs, butter-poêlé under a close cover, carved rosy beside new vegetables and clear pan gravy: grand anatomy brought within reach of one home oven.
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Leg and Shoulder of Lamb
Created by Chef Juliette
Based on No. 1369, Leg and Shoulder of Lamb, from Le Guide Culinaire (1907) by Auguste Escoffier
One joint, two faithful treatments: shoulder scored in a lattice and grilled over a moderate fire, or Gigot à la Boulangère (No. 1307), where lamb fat bronzes onions and potatoes.
Main Dishes
French
Comfort Food
Easter
Special Occasion
20 min
Active Time
1 hr 10 min cook•1 hr 45 min total
Yield4 servings
Gigot et épaule d’agneau (leg and shoulder of lamb) teach one rule before anything meets the heat: the fire must suit the joint. A young shoulder, scored en quadrillage (in a lattice), can be grilled until its fat turns bronze and the meat remains juicy; either shoulder or leg can instead become Gigot à la Boulangère (No. 1307), the baker’s-style roast in which the joint gives its fat and juices to onions and potatoes.
The original entry assumed a tender house-lamb joint, an open fire with a cook tending it, and an earthenware dish large enough for the roast. Unlike many grand formulas, it needs neither a saucier with a stockpot nor a salamander. A small shoulder and a lidded two-zone grill are the honest home equivalents, scaled for four. The brigade-size joint and dedicated fire-tender are scaffolding we can shed; moderate heat and the quadrillage are the grilled dish itself and must stay.
The oven treatment remains a complete, separate preparation, exactly as the canon organized it, so reach for Gigot à la Boulangère (No. 1307) rather than folding a shortened imitation into these instructions. For the grilled shoulder, the step that matters most is controlling the fire: brown patiently, move away from flare-ups, and never let fierce heat burn the fat before the centre is ready.
Gigot à la Boulangère (No. 1307) belongs to the cuisine bourgeoise Sunday table rather than to one pastoral province, and became especially familiar in the households and bistros of French towns. The word boulangère records a practical custom: a household dish went to the neighborhood baker’s residual oven, where lamb juices seasoned onions and potatoes as the joint roasted. The baker did not invent a special sauce; the treatment moved naturally from bakery oven to home oven, while the lattice-cut grilled shoulder preserved the canon’s direct-fire answer for very young, tender lamb.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
small bone-in shoulder of young lamb
Quantity
1 shoulder, 3 to 3½ lb (1.4 to 1.6 kg)
trim only loose surface fat; leave the fat cap intact
fine sea salt
Quantity
2 teaspoons (10 ml / 12 g)
freshly ground black pepper
Quantity
1 teaspoon (5 ml / 2 g)
Gigot à la Boulangère (optional)
Quantity
1 home-scale preparation Gigot à la Boulangère (No. 1307), made with a 3 to 3½ lb (1.4 to 1.6 kg) lamb leg or shoulder
use as the complete alternate treatment
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| small bone-in shoulder of young lambtrim only loose surface fat; leave the fat cap intact | 1 shoulder, 3 to 3½ lb (1.4 to 1.6 kg) |
| fine sea salt | 2 teaspoons (10 ml / 12 g) |
| freshly ground black pepper | 1 teaspoon (5 ml / 2 g) |
| Gigot à la Boulangère (optional)use as the complete alternate treatment | 1 home-scale preparation Gigot à la Boulangère (No. 1307), made with a 3 to 3½ lb (1.4 to 1.6 kg) lamb leg or shoulder |
Equipment Needed
- •Lidded charcoal or gas grill large enough for a two-zone fire
- •Instant-read thermometer
- •Long grilling tongs
- •Sharp boning or carving knife
- •Large oval serving platter
Instructions
- 1
Choose the treatment
If you have a leg, or want either joint served over onions and potatoes, prepare the finished Gigot à la Boulangère (No. 1307) exactly through its own entry. The cross-reference is part of the original construction, and that preparation is used whole, with its ingredients, sequence, and timing intact. For the grilled treatment below, use the young shoulder, salt, and pepper only. Do not grill the joint first and then send it into the oven; these are two complete paths, not successive stages.
- 2
Cut the quadrillage
Pat the shoulder thoroughly dry. With a sharp knife, cut the fat cap en quadrillage, making diagonal lines about 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart and then crossing them to form diamonds. Cut through the fat but not deeply into the flesh, or the juices escape through every incision. Season all over with the salt and pepper, working some into the scored surface, then leave the shoulder uncovered for 30 minutes while the grill heats.
The quadrillage gives the fat more edges to bronze and lets it render evenly. Deep gashes do the opposite, opening the meat and drying its outer layers. - 3
Build a moderate fire
Prepare a two-zone charcoal or gas grill, with one side holding moderate direct heat and the other left cooler. Close the lid and settle the temperature around 350 to 375°F (175 to 190°C), then clean the grate well. The old open grill had a cook moving the joint constantly; two zones give one home cook the same control without another pair of hands.
- 4
Brown over the fire
Lay the shoulder fat-side down over the moderate direct heat. Grill for 4 to 6 minutes, just until the quadrillage takes a deep bronze color, then turn and brown the bone side for another 3 to 4 minutes. Lamb fat can flare suddenly. If flames lick the joint, slide it immediately to the cooler side and close the lid until they subside; if the surface has darkened too quickly, keep it over indirect heat for the rest of the cooking. Ça se rattrape. Do not douse the coals, which throws soot onto the meat.
- 5
Finish over gentle heat
Set the shoulder on the cooler side, fat-side up, and close the lid. Cook for 45 to 65 minutes, turning the joint every 12 to 15 minutes so its irregular shape meets the heat evenly. Begin checking early with an instant-read thermometer in several thick places, avoiding the bone. Remove the shoulder when the coolest reading reaches 145°F (63°C). Time alone cannot judge a joint this uneven, and a very young shoulder remains juicy at this temperature.
- 6
Rest and carve
Transfer the shoulder to a warm platter and rest it loosely covered for 15 minutes. This pause lets the juices settle and loosens the meat around the blade bone. Follow the natural seams to lift the main muscles from the bone, then slice them across the grain rather than forcing tidy leg-like slices from a shoulder. Spoon the collected juices over the meat and serve at once. À table!
Chef Tips
- •Ask for a small shoulder from genuinely young lamb. The source dish depends on tender house lamb; a large, mature shoulder has more connective tissue and wants a slow braise. If that is all the butcher has, choose a half leg for the oven treatment instead of forcing the shoulder onto the grill.
- •Moderate means moderate. Fierce coals blacken the scored fat while the thick meat beside the blade remains raw; a two-zone fire lets you establish the bronze crust and then finish the joint gently.
- •The listed times describe the grilled-shoulder path. The complete oven treatment keeps the preparation and schedule specified in its own referenced entry.
- •Chill leftovers within 2 hours and keep them for up to 3 days. Slice the meat cold for sandwiches, or warm it gently with its saved juices; another hard grilling only dries it.
- •A firm, medium-bodied red suits both treatments. A straightforward Bordeaux has enough structure for lamb and enough restraint to leave the browned meat in charge.
Advance Preparation
- •The shoulder may be scored and salted 8 to 24 hours ahead, then held uncovered in the refrigerator. The dry surface browns particularly well; take the joint out 30 minutes before grilling.
- •If choosing Gigot à la Boulangère (No. 1307), assemble and cook that complete preparation according to its own make-ahead guidance. Do not partly grill the lamb in advance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 210g)
Calories
570 calories
Total Fat
41 g
Saturated Fat
18 g
Trans Fat
1 g
Unsaturated Fat
21 g
Cholesterol
185 mg
Sodium
1340 mg
Total Carbohydrates
0 g
Dietary Fiber
0 g
Sugars
0 g
Protein
50 g
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