Braised Lamb Shank

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Lamb Shanks are an easy delicious meal for any night of the week. They are slow braised in the oven in a delicious red wine braising liquid.

Shanks are one of the most succulent cuts of meat on an animal, when slow cooked. You have to be patient and wait for it though.

The shanks contain a lot of connective tissue and sinew, it is hard to even cut up before cooking. But, when braised, low and slow all of that connective tissue breaks up, leaving in it’s wake, one of the most flavorful and tender pieces of meat on the animal.

What you need

• lamb shanks
• onion
• celery
• carrot
• salt
• pepper

For the braising liquid

• red wine, don’t buy a really expensive bottle.
• beef or veal stock
• fresh parsley
• fresh rosemary

Pro tips for tender lamb shanks

Make sure that you brown the meat thoroughly. The browning process is what will impart most of flavor to this dish.

A note on the wine. You do not need an expensive wine when slow cooking meats, like this Venison Shank or Venison Stew. A cheap 10 bottle will give you just as much flavor as a 50 dollar. Any drinkable wine will work. I would not use cooking wine because they are usually loaded with salt and preservatives. The NY Times agrees!

How to make it

1. Brown lamb on all sides in oven proof skillet, that has a lid.
2. Remove lamb and saute vegetables until soft.
3. De-glaze the pan with red wine.
4. Add stock and herbs.
5. Place lamb back in the skillet and cover.
6. Braise lamb at 250°F for about 2-3 hours until very tender.

Remove lamb from braising liquid and set aside. Thicken sauce with cornstarch slurry, cook and stir over medium heat, until thickened. Add lamb back into the gravy to reheat. Serve.

Other delicious lamb recipes

• Lamb loin
• Lamb burgers
• Grilled lamb chops
• Lamb meatballs with coconut curry

Tools I use to make lamb shank

Contains affiliate links, for full disclosure, see FTC Disclosure, here.

• Dutch oven
• Chef’s knife
• Cutting board

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That’s how easy it is to make these easy lamb shanks. Thanks for stopping by today!

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📖 Recipe

Braised Lamb Shanks

Lamb Shanks are an easy delicious meal for any night of the week. They are slow braised in the oven in a delicious red wine braising liquid.

See Step by Step Photos Above!Most of our recipes have step by step photos and videos! Also helpful tips so that you can make it perfectly the first time and every time! Scroll up to see them!

5 from 10 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: entree, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 380kcal

Author: Beth Neels

Cost: $5

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp Butter
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 4 lamb shanks
• 3/4 cup Onion chopped
• 3/4 cup carrot chopped
• 3/4 cup Celery chopped
• 1 cup red wine Cabernet sauvignon, merlot, burgundy, etc.
• 3 cups beef stock can use veal, beef or vegetable stock, use low sodium
• 1 Tbsp dried thyme preferably, fresh
• 3 bay leaf

Instructions

• Remove shanks from refrigerator 1 hour before continuing with recipe to allow meat to come up to room temperature.
• Start oven at 250°F.
• Melt butter and olive oil together in Dutch oven.
• Brown shanks on all sides. Remove to plate.
• Add onions, carrot and celery to pan, if needed add more oil or butter. Saute vegetables, scrapping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
• Once golden brown, add red wine and continue to scrape bottom of pan.
• Add stock, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to boil.
• Add lamb back to Dutch oven. Cover. Braise for 2½-3 hours until shanks are very tender. Twist meat with fork. If it separates easily, the meat is done. Internal temperature should be at least 190°F.
• Remove from oven and remove shanks to a plate.
• Add 2-3 tablespoons cornstarch to a small bowl. Mix in enough water to incorporate all of cornstarch. (Quantities are not crucial.) Cook over low heat until sauce is thickened, dark and glossy. Add shanks back to sauce.
• Serve with mashed potatoes and your choice of vegetable.

Dutch oven

cutting board, bamboo

knife, chef's knife

Notes

**NOTES**

Brown well on all sides.

Reheat leftovers in microwave.

Leftovers can be frozen up to 1 month.

Serve with;

• Brown Sugar Roasted Carrots
• Grilled Asparagus
• Colcannon
• Foil Packed Grilled Potatoes
• Roasted Butternut Squash
• Parsnips

Nutrition

Calories: 380kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 43g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 135mg | Sodium: 563mg | Potassium: 1016mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 4220IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 5mg

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