Braised Lamb Shanks in Red Wine are just so darned good.

Read more: Braised Lamb Shanks in Red Wine

My mother must have told me over a million times not to exaggerate; so I’ll just say there are probably 10,000 reasons to prepare braised lamb shanks, with the number one reason being….. they’re just so darn good!

Anything lamb takes my enthusiasm to another level – rack of lamb, a hearty lamb stew, fun & tasty lamb lollipops, leg of lamb and of course braised lamb shanks are all family favourites for lamb’s unique and earthy flavour…..I will not say gamey!

I just don’t think there’s anything that lends itself to braising like a lamb shank. When braised (seared and stewed) this tough cut of meat becomes “fall off the bone” tender and incredibly flavourful with an infusion of juices. When served smothered with the reduced sauce over creamy mashed potatoes, or a risotto as we often do, you have created a wonderful comfort food that can be enjoyed in any setting.

An added bonus, you will not spend all day in the kitchen and your guests will shower you with compliments – which always makes me happy and sometimes blush!

Have fun with this recipe and Enjoy

Braised Lamb Shanks in Red Wine – Ingredients (4 Shanks)

• 4 lamb shanks – We generally use 1 lamb shank per person (unless certain young men our in the house and we plan for extras). This time around we cooked 6, and adjusted the recipe to suit. For 4 shanks we would use our 5 quart Dutch Oven. For 6 – we used a larger stainless steel pot.
• 3 slices of bacon – chopped
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper – liberally coat the shanks
• 7 cloves of crushed garlic – lots
• 1 large onion chopped – any onion will do but use what you have… this time around we only had shallots and they worked fine – 8
• 2 stalks celery chopped
• 2 medium sized carrots chopped (Carrots/Celery – the same size)
• 1 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 sprigs of rosemary
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 bottle dry red wine (Merlot/Cabernet/Pinot Noir) – something you would drink as they say. We used a nice cabernet and it was hard to abstain, but I managed!
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar – Sometimes I substitute with my homemade blueberry jam
• 4~ cups of Beef stock – enough to bring liquid level to top of shanks
• 2 – 3 Tbsp flour
• 2 Tbsp butter

Braised Lamb Shanks in Red Wine Method:

Step 1: Searing the shanks

• Saute chopped bacon in tall sided pot until partially cooked. Leave in pot.
• Generously season the shanks with salt and pepper on all sides.
• Use the same tall sided pot, (like a dutch oven) to sear and braise the shanks.
• Sear the shanks 2 – 3 at a time until browned, all sides and bottom at medium high heat in olive oil with the bacon.
• Place the shanks on a tray.

Step 2: Saute the vegetables and add the spices

• Keep the pot at medium high heat and add a small amount of olive oil if necessary.
• Add carrots, celery and onions to the pot and saute until lightly brown (caramelized), stirring occasionally.
• Add the tomato paste, stirring occasionally for about 3 minutes.
• Add the garlic, cumin and rosemary – stir into the mixture.

Step 3: Deglaze with wine and reduce

• Add the wine and mix well – bring to a simmer.
• Add the brown sugar and mix well (sometimes we use homemade blueberry jam).
• Allow the sauce to come to a light boil and reduce by about 1/3 – this will take 10 to 15 minutes.

Step 4: Adding the lamb shanks

• Place the shanks sideways into the sauce (try not to overlap).
• Pour in the beef stock until the shanks are just covered.
• Bring the sauce back to a simmer.
• Add the bay leaves.
• Into the preheated oven at 350F degrees with lid on for 90 minutes.

Step 5: Lid off and stand the shanks around the pot

• Remove the pot from the oven and stand the shanks around the side (a quarter to half the shank should be above the sauce).
• Lid off and back into the oven for 35 minutes at 325F degrees.

Step 6: Remove the Shanks & Make the gravy

• Remove the shanks and place on a tray and cover with foil
• Strain the sauce into a sauce pot removing the vegetables
• Bring to a boil at medium high heat to reduce by 1/3 (about 15 minutes)
• Spoon out frothy residue that may appear when reducing the sauce
• Make a paste of flour and the sauce in a small bowl – mix well removing any lumps
• Add the paste, about 2 tablespoons to further thicken the sauce
• Add two tbsp of butter to enrich and sample the sauce for flavour
• Note: I use a low sodium beef stock and therefore need to add salt. Sample the sauce and season accordingly

You’ve Done It – Your lamb shanks are ready to serve.

If you prepared the shanks in advance, to reheat place the shanks in 3 inch deep pan. Spoon some of the gravy over the shanks with several TBSP of water. Cover with foil and reheat at 350F degrees for 10 minutes. Turn the shanks over and repeat for 10 more minutes or until the shanks are thoroughly warmed through.

We served Braised Lamb Shanks for Easter dinner, and enjoyed sharing it with 2 of our boys.

Below is a printable recipe card from RecipesGenerator. Please give it a try!

A couple of notes about braising techniques

I think braising is an almost infallible cooking method – throw an old boot in the mix and it would come out tender, moist and tasty – okay I’m exaggerating again, but you get my drift.

For me, there are only a couple of Do’s:

1. Searing the meat means really giving it a good outside crust – don’t be afraid to blacken some edges. This adds all kinds of additional flavour to be deglazed into the sauce and creates a nice tasty texture to the outside.
2. Make sure to saute the vegetable to the point of caramelization. This brings the flavour out of the vegetables and adds a sweet richness to the sauce.
3. Be willing to add or substitute ingredients – remember you are creating a stewing sauce to eventually be gravy – if you like a particular flavour, it will probably work. Peppers for heat, root vegetables like parsnips, a port or prunes for sweetness and depth of flavour. I like to add a teaspoon or two of my homemade blueberry jam.

Sometimes there’s no right or wrong:

My mother often cooked braised beef shanks and she would tightly seal the edge of her small roasting pan with silver foil – if you ever lifted the foil before it was dubbed to be done, there would be heck to pay.

There are a lot of methods used by renowned chefs who all have varying opinions – lid on, lid off, top the shanks with liquid or only partially cover…etc………they all work and that’s what I love about braising. Test away and find your personal preference.

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