Braised Lamb Shanks

Braised Lamb Shanks

from everylastbite.com
210 min
4 servings

These Braised Lamb Shanks are slow cooked until fall apart tender and smothered in a rich sauce. This is a restaurant quality dish that's easy to make at home.

Ingredients

  • 4 lamb shanks
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion (finely diced)
  • 4 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1 cup finely diced carrot
  • 1 cup finely diced celery
  • 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 3 tbsp tomato paste
  • 3 cups beef stock
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Directions

  1. 1

    Preheat the oven to 350º Fahrenheit (175º Celsius)

  2. 2

    Season the lamb shanks on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large pan on medium high heat and sear the shanks on all sides (approx 8 minutes). Once seared, set aside on a plate.

  3. 3

    Add the garlic, onion, celery and carrot to the pan and saute for 5 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften.

  4. 4

    Add the balsamic vinegar, tomato paste, beef stock, thyme, bay leaves, salt and pepper to the pan and give everything a stir. Bring to a gentle simmer. Once simmering return the lamb shanks to the pan and spoon some of the sauce overtop. Cover with a lid and cook in the oven for an 1 1/2 hours.

  5. 5

    After 1 1/2 hours of cooking, flip the shanks over and return to the oven to cook for 1 more hour, but with the lid off (this will brown the shanks and help the sauce to thicken).

  6. 6

    After a total of 2 1/2 hours in the oven, the lamb shanks should be fall apart tender. Serve them with veggies or mash and lots of the sauce poured overtop.

  7. 7

    Follow steps 2 and 3 above in a pot on the stove and then transfer the sauteed garlic and vegetable mixture to the slow cooker. Alternatively if your slow cooker has a saute function you can do steps 2 and 3 in the slow cooker.