How to Cook Lamb Shanks

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: November 5, 2020 Approved

The secret to cooking lamb shanks is to cook them low and slow, until the meat is fall-apart tender. Lamb shanks have quite a bit of connective tissue that requires cooking in a liquid or moist environment for several hours before the meat will become soft. Lamb shanks may be braised, baked or prepared in a slow cooker, and are usually served with the buttery drippings and roasted vegetables.

Ingredients

Braised Lamb Shanks

4 lamb shanks (1 per serving)
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 garlic cloves, peeled
4 carrots, diced
4 celery stalks, diced
1 onion, chopped
1 bottle of dry red or white wine (like cabernet or chardonnay)
1 cup water
Salt and pepper
10 peppercorns

Baked Lamb Shanks

4 lamb shanks (1 per serving)
7 tablespoons of cold butter
4 sprigs of rosemary
12 fresh sage leaves
4 lamb shanks
12 cloves garlic, unpeeled
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 onion, peeled and sliced
Olive oil
6 ounces dry red or white wine (like cabernet or chardonnay)
Salt and pepper

Slow Cooker Lamb Shanks

4 lamb shanks (1 per serving)
1 onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
3 garlic cloves, peeled and diced
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup dry red or white wine (like cabernet or chardonnay)
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Braised Lamb Shanks

1
Preheat the oven to 325 °F (163 °C).
2
Wash and trim the shanks. Wash the shanks and use a sharp knife to remove some of the larger deposits of fat, but don't trim the shanks of all visible fat. The fat will render and contribute to the flavor of the final dish.^{[1]
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3
Heat the oil. Pour the oil into a large dutch oven or another oven-safe dish and place it over medium high heat. Allow it to heat completely, until it begins to smoke just slightly.
4
Brown the lamb shanks. Season the shanks with salt and pepper on all sides. Place them in the hot oil and brown them on all three sides. Brown each side for about 4 minutes, enough to get a good sear on each side.
- Don't cook the lamb shanks all the way through. Browning them will bring out the deep flavor of the shanks, but longer cooking will bring about the soft, fall-apart texture you want.
- Make sure the oil is nice and hot before you put the shanks in the pot.
5
Add the vegetables, peppercorns and wine. Arrange the vegetables and garlic cloves around the lamb shanks, and drop in the peppercorns. Pour the wine over the entire contents of the pot. Let the red wine come to a boil, and boil it for three minutes. Add the water and reduce the heat to bring everything to a quick simmer.
- Boiling the wine for three minutes will lower the alcohol content a bit, leaving the deep flavor of the wine behind.
- With the addition of the water, the shanks and vegetables should be fully submerged in liquid. If they aren't, add a little more water.
6
Cover the dish and transfer it to the oven for braising. If you don't have a tight-fitting lid for the dutch oven, cover it tightly with aluminum foil. Place it in the oven and braise it for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Every half hour, remove it from the oven and turn the shanks so they cook evenly.^{[2]
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- After 1 hour and 30 minutes, the shanks should be quite tender. If they aren't, return them to the oven and continue braising, checking every 15 minutes until they've reached the correct texture.
7
Strain and reduce the braising liquid. Transfer the cooked lamb shanks to a serving platter. Pour the braising liquid through a fine-mesh sieve to strain out the vegetables and keep the liquid. Pour the liquid into a saucepan and cook it over medium heat, stirring often, until it has reduced and become a thick sauce.
- Season it with salt and pepper to taste.
- To make the sauce thicker, add a teaspoon of cornstarch.
8
Serve the lamb shanks. Pour the braising liquid over the lamb shanks and serve the dish with roasted vegetables or mashed potatoes. Each shank is enough for one serving.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Baked Lamb Shanks

1
Preheat the oven to 350 °F (177 °C).
2
Wash and trim the shanks. Wash the shanks and use a sharp knife to remove some of the larger fatty areas, but don't remove too much of the fat. It will render and contribute to the flavor of the final dish.
3
Blend the butter and herbs. Remove the leaves from the rosemary sprigs. Place the rosemary leaves, sage and butter in a blender or food processor, and process until fully blended. Season the mixture to taste with plenty of salt and pepper.
- If you like thyme, add the leaves from two sprigs of thyme as well.
- Add extra rosemary or sage according to taste.
4
Make pockets in the lamb shanks. Use a sharp knife to slightly separate the meat from the bone at the base of each lamb shank. Put your finger into the holes you've created to make a small pocket in each shank.
- Don't completely remove the meat from the bone. Just separate it enough to create a little pocket.
5
Stuff the pockets with the butter mixture. Divide the mixture between the four shanks, using a spoon to stuff it deep into the pockets. As the shanks bake, the butter will melt and flavor them from the inside out.
6
Season the shanks. Rub the outside of each lamb shank with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
7
Place each lamb shank on a folded piece of aluminum foil. Tear off four large pieces of aluminum foil and fold each one in half. Place one lamb shank in the middle of each piece of foil. They should each be in an upright position, with the bones pointing up. Gather the edges of the aluminum foil around the shank and toward the bone, so that each shank is sitting in a sort of bowl shaped from aluminum foil.
- Make sure you use enough foil so that it won't rip. You need enough to gather the ends over the bone before putting the packets in the oven.
8
Add vegetables and wine to each packet. Divide the vegetables evenly among the packets. Divide the garlic cloves evenly among the packets, too. Finally, divide the wine evenly among the packets, pouring a few glugs into each.
9
Close the packets. Twist the aluminum foil around the bones so that each packet is tightly sealed. Arrange them on a baking sheet so they won't drip as they bake.
10
Bake the packets. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake the packets for 2 1/2 hours. Check the meat to make sure the lamb shanks are soft and fall-apart tender; if not, return to the oven for a few more minutes.^{[3]
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11
Serve the lamb shanks. Place each packet on a plate so each person can open his or her own packet of goodness. Serve with vegetables, potatoes and salad.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Slow Cooker Lamb Shanks

1
Combine the vegetables, herbs and stock in the slow cooker. Put the vegetables, garlic, bay leaf, thyme and chicken stock in the slower cooker. Stir the mixture so everything is combined.
2
Heat the oil. Pour the olive oil into a frying pan and place it over medium high heat. Heat the oil until it just begins to smoke. Don't overheat the oil or it will burn.
3
Brown the lamb shanks. Season them with salt and pepper, then place them in the hot oil. Cook each lamb shank on all three sides, for four minutes on each side. Don't cook the shanks all the way through; just cook them long enough to brown them and bring out their deep flavor.
4
Add the lamb shanks to the slow cooker. Place them bone-side up in the slow cooker among the vegetables, herbs and stock. Keep the pan in place, since you don't want to waste the drippings.
5
Add the wine to the drippings. Pour the cup of wine into the hot pan and let it come to a simmer. Scrape off the brown bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon or spatula. Add the wine to the slow cooker after 1 minute of simmering.^{[4]
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6
Cover the slow cooker and cook the shanks. Cook them on high for 6 hours according to the manufacturer's instructions. When the shanks are ready, they should easily fall apart when poked with a fork.
7
Serve the shanks. Place each one on a plate and ladle some of the vegetable and wine sauce over each one. Serve with potatoes, vegetables or rice.

Community Q&A

Question

Can I cook it in the slow cooker without browning it first?

Community Answer

Browning will deepen the flavor significantly and enhance the appearance. An alternative would be to roast it in the oven at very high heat - 450 degrees or more - for 10 to 15 minutes. Use convection if you have it. This could be done before or after slow cooking.
Question

Can I cook it in the slow cooker without the wine?

Community Answer

Yes, but use a substitute liquid. The wine is to make the meat moist and give flavor, so a stock should be a good substitute.
Question

How do I thicken the juice after I cook my lamb shanks in the slow cooker?

Community Answer

Mix 1 Tbsp cornflour in cold water. Transfer the juice to a sauce pot and boil on the stove, then add half the cornflour mix, stirring thoroughly. Add more of the mixture until the juice is the desired thickness.