Braised Lamb Shanks
A cheap cut that needs three hours and rewards them. Brown hard, braise low, reduce the sauce at the end.
- Prep
- 25m
- Cook
- 3h 15m
- Waiting
- 15m
- Total
- 3h 55m
- Serves
- 4
- Effort
- Moderate
Scale
Units
Method
Tap a step number to mark it done. Tap an ingredient once for got it, twice for need it.
| 4 | Brown on all sides, one or two at a time 20m | Return the shanks, add the liquids, bring to a bare simmer 8m | Braise at 150°C / 300°F until the meat retreats from the bone 3h | Lift the shanks out, reduce the sauce, and spoon it back over 15m | |
| 2 tsp | |||||
| 2 tbsp | |||||
| 2 | Soften in the lamb fat 12m | ||||
| 3 | |||||
| 6 cloves | |||||
| 1 tsp | |||||
| 1 | |||||
| 1 tin | |||||
| 500 ml | |||||
| 2 sprigs | |||||
| from 1 lemon | |||||
| a handful | |||||
-
Brown on all sides, one or two at a time
20m- lamb shanks 4
- coarse salt 2 tsp
- olive oil 2 tbsp
-
Soften in the lamb fat
12m- onions 2
- carrots 3
- garlic 6 cloves
- ground cumin 1 tsp
- cinnamon stick (optional) 1
-
Return the shanks, add the liquids, bring to a bare simmer
8m- from 1 Brown on all sides, one or two at a time
- from 2 Soften in the lamb fat
- tinned tomatoes 1 tin
- lamb or chicken stock 500 ml
- rosemary 2 sprigs
-
Braise at 150°C / 300°F until the meat retreats from the bone
3h- from 3 Return the shanks, add the liquids, bring to a bare simmer
-
Lift the shanks out, reduce the sauce, and spoon it back over
15m- from 4 Braise at 150°C / 300°F until the meat retreats from the bone
- lemon zest from 1 lemon
- parsley a handful
Liquid level matters
A braise is not a boil. The liquid should come roughly two-thirds of the way up the shanks, not cover them — the exposed tops brown further in the oven’s dry heat while the submerged part cooks in liquid. Fully covered meat cooks evenly and tastes flatter.
Notes
- Turn the shanks once halfway so both sides get their turn above the liquid.
- Lemon zest at the end. Three hours of braising flattens everything, and the zest puts a top note back.
- Serve on something that will take the sauce: mashed potato, polenta, or plain couscous.