Lamb Shanks are awesome! They are easy to portion and when slow cooked, taste amazing! I generally cook them in the colder months but they are great at any time of year!
Hints & Tips
- I generally cook my lamb shanks in a slow cooker on Auto for 8 hours or so – this is great when you want to set and forget. It is also great as there is no risk of over cooking – if you are not ready to serve after 8 hrs, they will be fine in the slow cooker for another hour!
- In this recipe, I have suggested cooking in the oven at a low temperature for 3.5 hrs. Choose whatever method suits you – it really does not make any difference!
- This recipe is quite a basic recipe you will see used with some slight variations on many slow cooked meat dishes. as an example, I have followed the exact same recipe but replaced lamb shanks with the same quantity of beef shin or beef osso bucco.
- GF, DF, SF.
- Category: Baking & Roasting, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Lamb, Main Course, Sugar Free
Ingredients
- Olive Oil
- 600 milliliters Dry White Wine
- 6 Star Anise
- 4 Sprigs Fresh Rosemary
- 5 Bay Leafs
- 8 Sprigs of Fresh Thyme
- 1 1/2 Heads of Garlic, Cloves All Peeled
- 2 Celery Sticks, Roughly Chopped
- 2 Leeks, Roughly Chopped
- 2 Onions, Roughly Chopped
- 2 Carrots, Roughly Chopped
- 8 Lamb Shanks
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Sea salt
- 2 Litres Chicken Stock
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 150 degrees Celsius.
- Season the lamb shanks with salt and pepper.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Brown the lamb shanks all over in batches and set aside.
- Add a little more oil. Cook the onions until golden brown.
- Add the whole garlic cloves and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the carrot, leek and celery, herbs and star anise and cook gently until browned.
- Pour in the wine and continue cooking until it has reduced down into a syrup.
- In a large cast iron dish that can hold all the lamb shanks, pour in half the vegetable mixture. Place the lamb shanks in a layer on top of the vegetables (they are likely to overlap).
- Pour over the rest of the vegetable mixture.
- Pour over the stock. Cover the dish with a layer of baking paper and a layer of foil before sealing with the lid.
- Cook for 3-3.5 hours in the oven until the meat is tender and falls off the bone.
- Lamb shanks can be made in advance and reheated gently in the oven or on the stove top.
- If you want to thicken the sauce, you can carefully strain the liquid into a pan and boil it down until it has reduced and thickened and then add it back.
- Alternatively, mix 3 teaspoons of cornflour with half a cup of water until dissolved. Pour into the pan 30 minutes before the end of cooking OR when you are reheating if cooked in advance.
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