The secret to a delicious lamb shank is slow cooking, at a low temperature and prolonged until the meat is tender enough to detach from the bone. This part of the animal is quite rich in connective tissue, so it is necessary to cook it in a liquid or in any case in the presence of humidity for several hours before it becomes tender. Lamb shank can be cooked as braised, baked in the oven or in a slow cooker and is usually served with a butter and roasted vegetable sauce.
Ingrediants
Braised Lamb Shank
- 4 lamb shanks (one per person)
- 30 ml of olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled
- 4 diced carrots
- 4 diced celery legs
- 1 chopped onion
- 1 bottle of dry red or white wine (such as cabernet or chardonnay)
- 240 ml of water
- Salt and Pepper To Taste.
- 10 peppercorns
Lamb shank in the oven
- 4 lamb shanks (one per person)
- 100 g of cold butter
- 4 sprigs of rosemary
- 12 fresh sage leaves
- 12 unpeeled garlic cloves
- 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
- 1 onion, peeled and sliced
- Olive oil
- 180 ml of white or red dry wine (such as cabernet or chardonnay)
- Salt and Pepper To Taste.
With the Slow Cooker
- 4 lamb shanks (one per person)
- 1 diced onion
- 2 diced celery stalks
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
- 480 ml of chicken or vegetable broth
- 240 ml of white or red dry wine (such as cabernet or chardonnay)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon of chopped fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- Salt and Pepper To Taste.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Braised Lamb Shank
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 160 ° C
Step 2. Wash and cut your shins
After rinsing them, remove the large fat deposits with the help of a sharp knife, but do not completely eliminate the adipose tissue. In fact it is useful for making meat tender and tasty.
Step 3. Heat the oil
Pour it into a large Dutch oven or other similar saucepan and heat it over medium heat. Wait for the oil to reach the ideal temperature when it emits a wisp of smoke.
Step 4. Brown the shins
After seasoning them with salt and pepper on all sides, put them in hot oil and brown them thoroughly. Let each side turn brown for about 4 minutes, time to seal the meat.
- Don't cook them completely. This phase allows you to extract all the flavor from the meat, but too long cooking will prevent the shanks from becoming tender and juicy.
- Make sure the oil is hot before adding the lamb.
Step 5. Pour the wine, add the peppercorns and the vegetables
Arrange the vegetables and garlic around the meat and then sprinkle it with the peppercorns. Finally pour the wine over the entire contents of the pan. Wait for the liquid to boil and cook for three minutes. Add water and reduce the heat to let the ingredients simmer.
- Boil the wine for three minutes to lower the alcohol content of the dish without losing the aroma and intense flavor of the wine itself.
- With the addition of water, the shins should be completely submerged in liquid. If not, add more water.
Step 6. Cover the pan and transfer it to the oven to braise the contents
If you don't have a lid that fits snugly on the Dutch oven, use a well-sealed aluminum foil. Place the shanks in the oven and cook for 90 minutes. Every half hour remove the lid and turn the meat to make sure it cooks evenly.
After an hour and a half, the shins should be very tender. If not, return the pan to the oven and continue to cook them, checking the progress every 15 minutes until the meat reaches the desired consistency
Step 7. Filter and reduce the liquid
Transfer the cooked lamb to a serving tray, pour the liquid through a fine mesh strainer to hold the vegetables. Save the liquid and transfer it to a saucepan, cooking it over medium heat to reduce it to a thick sauce. Stir often.
- Season with salt and pepper to your taste.
- If you love a thicker sauce, add a teaspoon of cornstarch.
Step 8. Bring the lamb to the table
Pour the reduced sauce over the meat and accompany it with roasted vegetables or mashed potatoes. Each shank is a serving.
Method 2 of 3: Baked Lamb Shank
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 160 ° C
Step 2. Wash and cut your shins
After rinsing them, remove the large fat deposits with the help of a sharp knife, but do not completely eliminate the adipose tissue. In fact it is useful for making meat tender and tasty.
Step 3. Work the butter with the herbs
Remove the leaves from the rosemary sprigs and transfer them along with the sage and butter to a food processor or blender. Work all the ingredients until they are well blended. Season the mixture with plenty of salt and pepper.
- If you love thyme, you can add two sprigs.
- Adjust the amount of sage and rosemary to your taste.
Step 4. Make "pockets" in the lamb meat
Use a sharp knife to partially separate the meat from the bone at the base of each shank. Stick a finger into the holes you made to make small pockets.
Do not completely detach the meat from the bone, separate it just enough to create a small pouch
Step 5. Stuff these pockets with the butter mixture
Divide it evenly between the various shins and help with a spoon to make it penetrate deep into the meat. As the meat cooks in the oven, the butter will melt, flavoring it from the inside.
Step 6. Season the shanks by rubbing the outside with olive oil, salt and pepper
Step 7. Place each shank on top of folded aluminum foil
Tear off four large pieces of aluminum foil and fold them in half. Place each shin in the center of each sheet, in a vertical position, with the bone facing up. Curl the edges of the tinfoil towards the bone so that each shin rests inside a sort of aluminum bowl.
Make sure you use enough aluminum foil to keep it from breaking. You need to have enough to crumple the ends over the bone before putting everything back in the oven
Step 8. Add the vegetables and wine to each foil
Divide the ingredients equally for each shank. Don't forget the garlic cloves and finally pour the wine, a few sips in each foil.
Step 9. Close the foil sheets
Twist the ends around the bone in order to seal each packet. Place them on the baking sheet so that the juices do not come out during cooking.
Step 10. Fire your shins
Arrange them on a baking sheet and cook for two and a half hours. Check the meat to make sure it is tender and flaking; if not, put the packets back in the oven and wait a few more minutes.
Step 11. Serve the lamb shanks
Put each packet on a serving dish so that each diner can open it for themselves and enjoy its goodness. Accompany the meat with vegetables, potatoes and salad.
Method 3 of 3: With the Slow Cooker
Step 1. Pour the vegetables, stock and herbs into the slow cooker
After adding the vegetables, garlic, bay leaf, thyme and chicken broth, mix the ingredients thoroughly.
Step 2. Heat the oil
Pour the olive oil into a pan and put the latter on the stove over high heat. Heat it until the oil starts to smoke, don't get to the point of letting it burn.
Step 3. Brown the shins
Season them with salt and pepper and then transfer them to hot oil. Cook them on each side for 4 minutes. You don't have to cook them completely, just long enough to brown them and release their flavor.
Step 4. Transfer the shins to the slow cooker
Put them with the bone side up together with the other vegetables, herbs and broth. Keep the pot close at hand so as not to waste the cooking juices.
Step 5. Add the wine to the pan you used to brown the lamb
Pour in 240 ml and let it simmer. With a spatula or wooden spoon, scrape the bottom of the pan to remove the small pieces of meat. After simmering the wine for one minute, pour it into the slow cooker.
Step 6. Cover the appliance, set it to maximum temperature and cook the lamb for six hours, following the manufacturer's instructions
When the meat is cooked, it should flake easily with a fork.
Step 7. Bring the meat to the table
Put it on serving plates along with a portion of vegetables and the wine sauce. Serve it with potatoes, vegetables or rice.
