Slow-Braised Lamb Shanks Recipe (2024)

I also brown the shanks in a hot oven. They color nicely, and leave much of their fat behind in the pan. I tip from a long ago issue of Sunset Magazine.

I used a mix of red wine and vegetable broth for the liquid, rather than white wine/stock and water. I also cooked the lamb for a little over 2 hours, including about 1/2 hour browning time and turning every 20-30 minutes. I served it with roasted spaghetti squash and braised cabbage with the pan juices for sauce. Delicious!

Did this in a pressure cooker and liked the results. I upped the liquid to make sure there was enough to create sufficient steam. I used 1 cup stock and 1/2 cup white wine. Cooked for 45 minutes at high pressure with a natural pressure release. Meat was fall-off-the-bone tender and broth was quite flavorful.

Seasoned 6 shanks with salt, pepper, garlic powder, browned in unsalted butter and olive oil. Removed from the Dutch oven, drained fat and sautéed finely chopped celery, onion, carrots, garlicand 2 T tomato paste. Returned the shanks to the pan with 1 quart of lamb stock, 1 pint of chicken stock, teaspoon of thyme and tablespoon of rosemary. Put covered Dutch oven in a preheated 300 oven for 3 hours, then simmered uncovered for 30 minutes to thicken sauce. Served with polenta and green salad.

Brilliantly simple way to achieve outcome of tender lamb to reuse in other braises (like Bittman's Chinese flavored lamb dish) and ragus. Don't try to short cut / skimp on the browning step. Makes all the difference. I used about half water and verjus for the braise liquid and braise time of 2 hours. Worked swell.

As another reader suggested I used red wine and broth (beef) instead. I also saved the fat for later to sauté my greens in the Chinese recipe.

This is a fantastic basic recipe that we may all modify as we wish as long as we follow the basic rules of braising. Wide varieties of herbs, spices, and braising liquids can be very successful. The one thing I always do is make this a day ahead, remove the shanks, and allow the liquid to chill overnight so that as much fat as possible can be removed. Makes a huge difference.

I braised my lamb in the crock pot after browning, on a bed of sliced onions and slathered in black bean paste (since I had planned to go the Chinese route for a final preparation.) It turned out amazing.

Followed the tips from others, but in Instant Pot. Browned in a skillet, added some onions to deglaze pan, added 1/2 cup red wine and 1/2 cup broth, 50 mins high pressure in Instant Pot. It came out perfect and I am currently cooling the liquid to skim the fat!

I used red wine and vegetable stock. I added carrots, celery, cabbage, and potatoes for the last 30 min or so. I also added some lemon and harissa to serve. Wonderful!

So simple and delicious. This would be great for a dinner party since it’s set and forget while I can make other things. A show stopper once it’s on the plate in a bed of grains and greens.

Listen to Susan, she knows how to slow braise. Adding small amounts of liquid that evaporate into a "sizzle" is EXACTLY how to slow braise. This method builds a fond that will later produce a sauce or gravy like no other. You will never get a fond or the depth of flavor from an Instapot or pressure cooker.

I doubled the honey after tasting it. Really good. Used 2 tsp dried ginger instead of fresh. A simple slaw or cucumber salad on the side helps cut the oomph of this dish and freshen the mouth feel. Will make again.

The lamb came out excellent, made as directed. I put it in the curry linked above but it was really subpar and masked the flavor of the meat. Disappointed I wasted the delicious lamb braise in that dish. Would have enjoyed it much more on its own.

I followed Bittman’s recipe exactly including adding 1/4 Cs water when got too ‘sizzly’. It took just 1 1/2 hours to gloriously fall off the bones. Great. Basic. Simple.

Glorious!

Love this recipe and it’s been very reliable for me, but it does really benefit from refrigerating overnight and defattening. I’m all for fat but this amount does not taste good

I have been making this for years in a dutch oven, using red wine only. First I brown the shanks in olive oil with garlic, and throw in a couple of sprigs of rosemary. The lamb cooks on very low heat for about three hours. I'll later cook soaked white beans in the juice and add any leftover meat--makes a great meal in itself.

Random: a couple weeks ago I adjusted the ATK adobada recipe to braise lamb shanks in an adobo with New Mexico chiles. I think this recipe would similarly be well served with the addition of a healthy dose of steeped, mild chiles, garlic, etc.

Great basic start. I braised on top of a mix of carrots, celery and onion with rosemary in a tagine. I served directly with cauliflower as gratin. Rich but tasty.

This is a fantastic basic recipe that we may all modify as we wish as long as we follow the basic rules of braising. Wide varieties of herbs, spices, and braising liquids can be very successful. The one thing I always do is make this a day ahead, remove the shanks, and allow the liquid to chill overnight so that as much fat as possible can be removed. Makes a huge difference.

Timing was all off for me. Needed 5 hours and a lot more liquid. Used a cast iron Dutch oven.

The timing and proportions were way off for me, maybe they used a very small lamb shank? I needed 5-6 hours fully submerged to properly cook through. Used a cast iron Dutch oven and a mix of stovetop braise and oven braise.

I tried making this recipe first using a Dutch oven and following the recipe. It was glorious. Then I tried this recipe using the instant pot as a shortcut. I have to say it was less flavorful in my opinion.

I used red wine and vegetable stock. I added carrots, celery, cabbage, and potatoes for the last 30 min or so. I also added some lemon and harissa to serve. Wonderful!