Braised Lamb Shanks In Red Wine

Braised Lamb Shanks, tender, fall of the bone lamb shanks in an all over lamb dry rub seared and slow cooked to perfection in a fully flavored red wine sauce. Do yourself a favor and get some lamb shanks, this recipe is sure to hit all the right spots!

This is the kind of recipe that you really cook with your heart and end up proud of and it's so much easier than you think.  It requires the first 15 to 20 minutes just to prepare your veggies and once you have the pot in the oven it cooks away.  You don't even need to check on it once you in the oven but if you do be careful, wear a good pair of cloves because it's piping hot. Besides that, get ready to impress you family and guests.

I love making delicious tasting meat dishes but what I love even more is that whole low and slow in the oven type meal on a weekend and you can get all the 'feel good aroma' all over the house, just seeping through all of it's flavors.

How To Cook Braised Lamb Shanks

A simple coating of your favorite dry rub spice or just salt and pepper is where it all begins.

Rinse and Pat Dry: Give your lamb shanks a rinse and pat them dry, lay them on a board and generously coat the shanks in your favorite meat dry rub.

Braise the Shanks: Heat the oil and brown the lamb shanks all around, turning them intermittently until you have an all brown sear. Keep the heat on medium to prevent the oil burning and allow a good 10 minutes for an all round browning.

Set Aside: Once the shanks are browned, remove them from the pot and set aside covered in foil or left in an unlit oven while you get on with the sauce.

Sauce For Braised Lamb Shanks

In a Dutch oven or oven friendly pot with a lid: Fry the onions, carrots and celery. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes and add the garlic and tomato paste, cook for 2 to 3 minutes and add the canned tomatoes.

Liquid: Add the red wine and let it simmer for 10 minutes until the wine is about ¾ cooked out and reduced. Add the stock, season with salt and pepper.

At this point the sauce is done and the shanks can be brought back into the pot, submerge into the liquid. Add 2 bay leaves and some fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme or parsley or dry herbs like vegetable seasoning. Cover with a lid, bring to a decent simmer then into the oven to slow cook.

Or you can can add the optional ingredients below.

Optional Ingredients: Add the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, currants and marmalade jam.

Why add the optional ingredients: The ketchup and Worcestershire sauce add a umami flavor to slow cooked lamb while the currants and marmalade not only help to caramelize the meat they also add a sweet and savory taste for something different.

Now that you know why these optional ingredients are added you can choose to add them or not or which ones you want to add or leave out.

Slow Cook The Braised Lamb Shanks

With the shanks seasoned and browned, rich red wine sauce in the pot, you can bring the shanks back. Place them into the pot submerging them into the liquid. Cover and leave in the oven to slow cook for 2 and half hours on 170°C / 338°F and wait to be blown away to most tender and fragrant braised lamb shanks.

What Wine To Use?

Any full bodied wine. As long as you can drink it, you can cook with it.  And if you don't drink wine at all just use stock in the place of wine.

What Are Lamb Shanks

This cut of meat comes from the back of the lower leg of the animal which tells us that it's the most worked area. As in the case of humans, our lower legs are the most worked part right? Reason why lamb shanks do extremely well under low and slow cooking is because they contain a lot of collagen and the collagen gives the meat a lovely soft melting texture. 

What is Collagen In Animals

Collagen is the main protein in the body's connective tissue and is the most abundant protein in mammals. This connective tissue protein contributes to meat tenderness and texture. I hope I've referenced that correctly from Google and Healthline. 

It's the meat from the leg part of the lamb. If you look at it, it just might look like the hoof? That's because it's between the hoof and the knee.

How To Serve Lamb Shanks

Lamb shanks are perfect with mashed potato, every single time. You can also serve them with a side of greens or your preferred side dish.

More Delicious Recipes

• Crispy Crackling Slow Roasted Pork Belly With Vegetables
• Pressure Cooker Spare Ribs
• Prime Rib Roast (Medium Rare)
• Slow Roast Lamb Shoulder With Potatoes
• Crispy Crackling Slow Roasted Pork Belly With Vegetables
• Slow Roast Leg of Lamb (bone-in)

Try this heartfelt, soulful and just downright delicious braised lamb shanks recipe! 

Tried My Instant Pot Lamb Shanks Recipe?  

Please feel free to leave me a comment and a star rating! And if you take a photo of your dish and share it on Instagram tag me @anosmickitchen and use the hashtag #anosmickitchen 

Happy cooking????

Braised Lamb Shanks

Miranda | My Anosmic Kitchen

Braised Lamb Shanks, tender, fall of the bone shanks in an all over dry rub seared and slow cooked to perfection in a rich red wine fully flavored sauce.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 50 minutes mins

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Lamb Shanks

• ▢ 4 kg lamb shanks
• ▢ 2 Tbsps Smell & Taste Paprika Dry Rub
• ▢ Smell and Taste Salt & Pepper Seasoning
• ▢ 2 tablespoon olive oil

Sauce

• ▢ 2 onions diced
• ▢ 2 carrots chopped/sliced
• ▢ 2 celery stalks chopped
• ▢ 6 garlic cloves chopped
• ▢ 2 tbsps tomato paste
• ▢ 400 grams canned chopped tomatoes 1 can
• ▢ 1 cups red wine
• ▢ 2 cups beef stock
• ▢ 2 tsps vegetable spice
• ▢ salt and pepper to taste
• ▢ 2 bay leaves

Optional Ingredients (see notes below)

• ▢ 2 Tbsps ketchup
• ▢ 2 Tbsps Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ 1 Tbps orange Marmalade jam
• ▢ dried currants small handful

Slurry for the gravy

• ▢ 1 tbsps Maizena / cornflour
• ▢ 3  tbsps water

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Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 170°C / 338°F
• Wash and pat dry the lamb shanks.
• Rub the shanks with Paprika Dry Ruba generous seasoning of salt and pepper.
• Using a large deep oven proof pot/pan heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Enough oil to cover the surface of your pot/pan.
• Add the seasoned lamb shanks into the oil and braise them all round until you get a brown finish, set them aside covered in foil to keep warm.
• In the same pan add the onions, carrots, celery and garlic, sauté until fragrant. Add the tomato paste, cook for a minute while stirring it into the veggies.
• If using these optional ingredients add them now, ketchup, jam and currants. Stir into the veggies and tomato paste, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add the the red wine to deglaze the pan, cook until it has reduced about ¾. Add the canned tomatoes, salt and pepper, bay leaves and herbs, cook for 5 minutes.

Return the shanks

• Add the stock and allow to come to a simmer then return the lamb shanks submerging them into the sauce. Your last optional ingredient is Worcesteshire sauce, if using add it now then cover the pot/pan with a lid and place them in the oven.
• Allow to braise for 2 to 3 hours by which time your lamb shanks will be tender, fall off the bone delicious.

Gravy

• Remove the lamb shanks and set aside. Return the pot to medium heat simmer. Make the slurry by mixing the Maizena and water into a paste. Pour it into the gravy while stirring to avoid any lumps. Pour the gravy through a sieve discarding any bits. Serve poured over the lamb shanks with mashed potato, polenta, rice or a side of greens or other veggies.

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