Lamb Shanks
Tender, fall off the bone Lamb Shanks braised in a deliciously rich sauce is your new family dinner recipe! Includes 4 cooking methods: oven, stove, slow cooker or Instant pot. The meat just slides off the bone!
- Prep time
- 20 min
- Cook time
- 3 hr
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (divided)
- 4 - 6 lamb shanks (trimmed of excess fat)
- 1 white onion (large, diced)
- 6 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 large carrots (sliced 1/2-inch thick)
- 1 pinch coarse salt
- 1 pinch cracked pepper
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 cups beef stock
- 1 1/2 cups red wine (like Merlot, Pinot Noir, or a Chianti - optional. Substitute with extra stock)
- 14 oz passata ((tomato puree or American tomato sauce))
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 beef bouillon cubes (crushed)
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary (finely chopped)
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley (finely chopped (divided))
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 pinch salt (to season)
- 1 pinch pepper (to season)
Instructions
- 1
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- 2
Wash and pat dry lamb shanks with paper towel.
- 3
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a heavy based pot over medium-high heat. Sear two shanks in the hot oil until browned on all sides. Repeat with remaining shanks and oil. Transfer to a plate, tent with foil to keep warm, set aside.
- 4
To the pan juices, sauté the carrots and diced onions until softened, (about 3 minutes), then add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- 5
Return the shanks back into the pot; season with 1 teaspoon coarse salt and 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper. Sprinkle with flour, toss well and cook for 4-5 minutes to brown the flour.
- 6
Add stock, wine, puree, tomato paste, bouillon and herbs. Bring to a simmer on the stove.
- 7
Cover, transfer to lower part of the oven and cook for 2 1/2 hours, or until the meat is fall apart tender (adjust the heat so that the liquid simmers very slowly).
- 8
Gently transfer the shanks onto a plate; tent to keep warm.
- 9
Discard the bay leaves from the sauce and place pot onto stove. Simmer sauce over medium heat until thickened to your desired consistency. OPTIONAL: skim off any additional fat which rises to the surface.
- 10
You should be left with about 3 cups of sauce thick enough to lightly coat the back of a spoon. *If the sauce is too thick, add a few tablespoons of stock. If the sauce is too thin, boil it over medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until reduced to the right consistency. (See notes about thickening.)
- 11
Taste for seasoning and adjust salt and pepper, if desired. Add the shanks back into the pot of sauce.
- 12
Garnish with parsley and serve with mashed potatoes, rice or pasta.
- 13
To serve the following day, allow the casserole to cool completely, cover and refrigerate. The day of serving, remove from refrigerator for at least an hour before reheating. Place over medium-low heat and let simmer gently for about 10 - 15 minutes, basting the shanks and vegetables with the sauce.