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Braised lamb shanks!! If you are a lamb lover like our family, I am betting you will love this recipe for Braised Herb Lamb Shanks! The meat is fall-off-the-bone tender and full of flavor from the herb blend, wine and beef broth. And wait till you taste that sauce, it is perfect with mashed potatoes.
Braising is one of my favorite cooking techniques. A long, slow braise will magically transform an inexpensive, tough cut of meat into an impressive meal creation that you will be proud to serve to your most discriminating guests.
What is a lamb shank?
Lamb shanks are a perfect cut for this braising method. They are a large bone, muscular cut of meat. Also, they need a lot of liquid and a long, slow cook time to tenderize those tough muscles to release their flavor.
It is incredibly hard to over-cook a lamb shank so this is a very forgiving recipe. It makes a great Sunday dinner but honestly, it is so easy to make you could cook it any day. Don’t save this just for special occasions.
How to braise:
Braising always begins with a good seasoning of the meat. Next, give it a nice brown sear in a hot brasier or Dutch oven.
Flavor aromatics of onions, celery, carrots, garlic are the usual components and we added fennel and fresh herbs as well. Plus, a lot of liquid is required to soften up those tough fibers.
We used a combination of red wine and beef broth. Braising can be done on the stovetop or in the oven. We chose the oven for our braised herb lamb shanks.
This is not a difficult recipe. Most of the work is done at the beginning of the process with the browning of the shanks. All the chopping and sautéing of the aromatics can be done in advance.
I actually browned the shanks and lightly sautéed the vegetables the day before and refrigerated them. The next day all I needed to do was add the broth and wine. Once you add the liquid, the oven takes over for the next three hours.
Finishing the braised herb lamb shanks:
After the shanks get tender transfer them to a plate and cover them with foil to rest. Make a sauce with the remaining braising liquid and vegetables. You will need to strain them through a fine-mesh strainer and press the vegetables down to extract as much of their good flavor as possible.
Add that rich braising liquid to a saucepan along with a dash of Worcestershire sauce for a little Unami taste.
Next, boil the braising liquid until it becomes reduced to two cups. Add a paste made from butter and flour (Beurre Manie) into the liquid to slightly thicken the sauce.
What is a Beurre Manié?
The butter/flour paste is a French method known as Beurre Manié and it is a great last-minute thickener. I personally prefer the Beurre Manié of thickening over making a roux which usually gives me lumpy sauces.
Using a Beurre Manié paste will consistently give me a lump-free, smooth sauce.
The finished product is a tender, meaty, flavor-bursting lamb shank served on a mound of mashed potatoes and a rich, silky sauce poured over the top. Yum! Try this recipe soon! Braised lamb shanks are so easy to make.
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Braised Herb Lamb Shanks
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 lamb shanks about, 1 to 1-1/4 pounds each
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
- 3 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
- 2 large carrots, coarsely chopped
- 1 medium fennel bulb, coarsely chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, crushed or grated
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
- 4 bay leaves
- 3 cups beef broth
- 3 cups dry red wine, divided
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F
- Season the lamb shanks generously with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven, or a brasier pot over medium-high heat. Add 2 of the lamb shanks and brown well on all sides, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside and repeat with the remaining 2 lamb shanks.
- In the same pot add the onion, celery, carrot, fennel, garlic, thyme, rosemary and the bay leaves and cook just until the onions are soft. Return the browned lamb shanks to the pot and add the beef broth and 2 cups of wine. The liquid should nearly cover the shanks, add more broth or water if necessary, and bring the pot to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and and transfer to the oven until the meat is very tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
- When the lamb shanks have become tender, carefully transfer them to a platter and cover with foil to keep warm. Strain the cooking liquids through a fine mesh strainer into a saucepan, pressing down on the vegetables with the back of a spoon. Discard the solids left in the strainer, spoon off and discard as much of the fat as possible from the surface of the strained cooking liquids. Return the strained braising liquids to the cook-top set over medium-high and add the remaining 1 cup of wine and the Worcestershire sauce. Bring the braising liquids to a boil and cook until reduced to about 2 cups. About 5-10 minutes.
For the Sauce:
- Meanwhile, in a small dish combine the soft butter and the flour together mashing with a fork or back of a tablespoon to make a paste. When the braising liquids have reduced to 2 cups, remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk the butter/flour paste into the liquid. Return the pot to the heat and cook for another 2-3 minutes until the flour is fully cooked and the sauce has slightly thickened.
- Serve the lamb shanks in individual shallow bowls on top of mounds of mashed potatoes and garnished with chopped parsley.
- Transfer the sauce to a serving pitcher or dish to be served over the lamb shanks.
Notes
- The butter/flour paste is a French technique known as Beurre Manié and it is a great last-minute thickener.
- In making a Beurre Manié, for each cup of liquid blend 1 tablespoon flour with 1 tablespoon soft butter.
- Serve with either mashed potatoes, pasta or polenta.
- Nutrition is based on 8 servings (half a lamb shank per person)
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!Have you made these braised lamb shanks? We would love to see a picture. Tag us on Instagram.
Do you have to use shanks for this recipe or can you use a different part of the lamb? Thank you! ?
Thanks for this great question, Andrea! I have not made this with anything but the shank. It is a tougher, more muscular cut of the lamb and need a long, slow cook but I am sure that with all the supporting flavors you would not go wrong if you used any part of the lamb. The cook time would need to be adjusted for the more tender cuts like the leg for instance.
I was able to find shanks ? And tried the recipe this weekend for Easter with my husband. The meat was very tender and goes well with mashed potatoes and salad. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Hi, Andrea…I am so happy you enjoyed this recipe! It is one of my favorite lamb dishes 🙂
Hello, I have recently been learning how to cook. My boyfriend knows everything that you need to know about food and cooking. I want to impress him with a home cooked meal next week. He has been out of of country for a week, and I want something that will be awesome to come home to. As a new cook, I need all of the tips and critiques I can get. Do you have any tips in preparing this meal? (Especially since I have never cooked lamb). I would greatly appreciate it! Thank you!
Hi, Ashlee….We are honored that you selected our recipe of Braised Herb Lamb Shanks for this special dinner! 🙂 One tip I can think of is to buy the whole un-cut shank. Usually the packaged shanks are cut at the joint so you may need to ask the butcher for the un-cut shanks, they make a much better presentation. Also, as per the post narrative, you can brown the shanks and sauté the aromatics either the day before or earlier in the day which will save time and stress. Also, use a good red wine, one that you would enjoy to drink. Make it easy on yourself, just some mashed potatoes for the sauce and a nice salad, simple dessert and of course the rest of the wine. Enjoy! Thanks for your response, let me know how it all transpires. 🙂
P.S. Be sure to add a garnish of chopped parsley or some microgreens as a finishing touch to the plated entree.
Wow Pat, these shanks look absolutely mouth-watering!
Thank you, Sabrina, the shanks are so tender and there is probably enough juicy meat on one shank for two servings.;)
Oh myyyy. Would you just look at that money shot of a featured image? It totally drew me right in. These lamb shanks look to die for tender – I have to try them really soon!
Thank you, Jo…these lamb shanks were so tender and tasty. My husband was so happy 🙂
I don’t cook lamb shanks a lot but every time I do I know it’s going to be a feast. Your braised lamb shanks look so juicy and flavorful. Love all the ingredients you put in the sauce. I’ll have to try out the recipe soon. Thanks a lot for sharing!
Hi, Yi! Thanks for your comments. You are right, lamb shanks are always a feast, hope you try the recipe soon 🙂
Love lamb shanks! And agree braising is a great way to prepare them. I’ve made something similar before, but it’s been ages! Now, of course, you have me craving lamb shanks. 🙂 Really good — thanks so much.
Thanks, John…oven-braising is my personal favorite as it also frees up stove-top for other uses. You should have smelled the wonderful fragrance in my kitchen as these lamb shanks cooked! 🙂
Beautiful fall dish. Gorgeous photos. I can almost smell the lamb’s aroma!
Thanks, Dan….Wish you could have gotten a whiff of my kitchen as this was in the oven! So good!! 🙂
Such a good comfort food for the winter months.
Thanks, Julie, they are so delicious!
Your photos are gorgeous, I want to dive right in!
Hi, Allison….thanks for the comments. These lamb shanks are so flavorful, great for a special occasion. 🙂
Love all those veggies in that sauce!
Hi, Anjali, it always surprises me how much flavor the veggies add to the sauce. Thanks for the comments 🙂