Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks
Lamb shanks need time, and this recipe gives them exactly that. Seared first for depth, then braised low and slow in red wine and stock for three and a half hours until the meat falls right off the bone.
Once the shanks come out, the braising liquid gets reduced separately on the stovetop into a glossy, concentrated sauce, rather than being served thin straight from the pot.
Served over buttery green beans with the braised vegetables and that rich sauce spooned over the top, it’s proper Sunday dinner territory.
Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks
LAMB · DINNER · MEDIUM
Fall-off-the-bone tender, with a rich, glossy sauce
Searing the shanks properly before they go into the braise builds a huge amount of the sauce's depth. It's worth taking the time to get real colour on them.
Keeping the lid on for the full braise traps the moisture and steam that slowly breaks down the connective tissue, which is exactly what gets you that fall-off-the-bone texture.
Reducing the sauce separately afterwards concentrates all that flavour into something glossy and spoonable, rather than a thin braising liquid.
Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks
Ingredients
- 15 ml Olive Oil
- 4 Lamb Shanks
- 1 Brown (Yellow) Onion Chopped
- 4 Garlic Cloves Crushed
- 2 Carrots Chopped
- 3 Small Potatoes Chopped
- 1 rib Celery Chopped
- 60 g Tomato Paste
- 500 ml Dry Red Wine
- 1 litre Chicken Stock
- 7 g Fresh Thyme Picked & Chopped
- 14 g Fennel Seeds
- 19 g Cumin Seeds
- 5 g Dried Oregano
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 2 Rosemary Sprigs
- Salt & Pepper To Taste
- 200 g Snake or Green beans Trimmed
- 30 ml Hot Water
- 14 g Unsalted Butter
Method
- Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the lamb shanks and sear until golden all over, turning frequently. Transfer to a plate.
- In the same pan, add the onion, garlic, carrots, potato and celery, and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the tomato paste, red wine, chicken stock, thyme, whole fennel seeds, whole cumin seeds, oregano, bay leaves and rosemary sprigs, then place the lamb shanks back in, including any juices that have accumulated on the plate. Mix well.
- Bring to a boil, place on a lid, and transfer the pot to the oven. Braise for 3½ hours. Carefully remove from the oven.
- Transfer the lamb shanks to a plate. Gently strain and scoop out the vegetables. Pour the sauce into a saucepan and leave the vegetables in the original pot to keep hot.
- Place the saucepan on the stovetop over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 25 minutes or until well reduced and thick.
- In the meantime, place a pan on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Add the snake or green beans. Pour in the hot water and simmer until the beans start to soften and the water is nearly evaporated. Add the unsalted butter and seasoning to taste. Sauté for 1-2 minutes or until cooked through and buttery.
- Serve the lamb shanks on top of the beans, serve with the lamb vegetables, and top with the lamb sauce reduction.
I’m trying this recipe for the fist time in a few days, but will be using 2 shanks. The recipe calls for 4. Should I use the same amount of ingredients or cut them in half. I don’t want the spices and liquid to overpower the lamb too much. Does this matter?
Thanks.
Marilyn K.
Hi Marilyn. It’s up to you if you’d like more sauce or not. The sauce in this recipe is amazing so id recommend keeping the sauce amount the same. If you don’t want any extra sauce, you can easily half the recipe.
Hi Chef Jack
I’m cooking this delicious recipe for my family in 2 days but I’m cooking 7 lamb shanks and also I have to cook on the stove top as not got a big enough pot for the oven.
Should I increase quantity of ingredients for 7 shanks and also any tips on cooking on the stove top?
Thanks so much! Really looking forward to this!
I hope you managed to sort the recipe out to cater for 7 people. Sorry i never got back
Made this recipe last night, two shanks but with the same measurements for everything else.
That sauce is the best thing I’ve tasted in a while, it is utterly, utterly delicious!
Thank you chef for sharing this beautiful recipe!
So glad you enjoyed it! The sauce is amazing in this one