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Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks in Red Wine Sauce

By:Nagi 472 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

Aussies love slow cooked lamb shanks, and this might be the king of them all! With a rich, deeply flavoured red wine sauce, this is the sort of food you’ll find on the menu of fine dining restaurants.

Just like the Pork Braised Lamb Shanks recipe, this is straightforward to make, but calls for patience to let the lamb shanks cook slowly until they become meltingly tender. Oven, slow cooker, pressure cooker or stove top. Mop your bowl clean with Irish Soda Bread, a quick and easy rustic no-yeast bread!

Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks in Red Wine Sauce in a cast iron pot, fresh off the stove ready to be served

Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks

I have a real soft spot for slow cooked lamb shanks. I just love the look of a hunk of meltingly tender meat wrapped around the bone. Hits my carnivore sweet-spot, every time.

Honestly, if you put this and a towering frosted cake in front of me, this would win every day of the week and twice on Sunday:

Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks in Red Wine Sauce served on creamy mashed potato, ready to be eaten

Cooking lamb shanks is easy!

Being a tough cut of meat that needs slow cooking to make it fall-off-the-bone tender, lamb shanks are actually very forgiving so it’s a real easy cut to cook with.

Leave it in for an hour too long, and the worst that will happen is that the meat falls off the bone when you go to serve it. If it’s not yet fork tender, just add more liquid and keep cooking.

The only key tip I have is to brown that shank as well as you can. It is a hard shape to brown evenly, but do what you can. Browning is the key flavour base for any protein that’s slow cooked in a braising liquid, like Beef Stew, Pot Roast, Chicken Stew. If you ever see a slow cooked stew recipe that doesn’t call for browning the meat before slow cooking, proceed with caution!

I love slow cooking meat on the bone. Lamb Shanks, Beef Short Ribs and Osso Buco – better flavour more succulent!

Preparation steps for Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks in Red Wine Sauce

About this Slow Cooked Lamb Shank Recipe

Lamb shanks are ideal slow roasted or braised. This is a braised version, and I’ve chosen a classic red wine sauce as the braising liquid.

The red wine sauce is super simple to make but after hours of slow cooking, it transforms into an incredible rich, deeply flavoured sauce that’s silky and glossy, and looks totally posh-restauranty.

Just a quick note on the wine – I do not use expensive wines for slow cooking. I truly believe from the bottom of my heart that even the snobbiest of all food snobs would not be able to tell the difference if you made this with a discount end-of-bin $5 bottle or a $50 bottle. (And the New York Times agrees….)

Maybe you could tell the difference using a $100 bottle. But that’s not within my budget….

Non alcoholic sub for wine?

The wine is a key flavour for the broth in this recipe. However, if you cannot consume alcohol, substitute the wine with the following: 1.5 cups beef broth LOW SODIUM + 1 cup water. + 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce. Beef has a stronger deeper flavour than chicken so will be more suited to being the sub for wine.

Close up of Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks in Red Wine Sauce, showing how tender the meat is

This is one of those recipes that truly is terrific to make in the oven, stove, slow cooker or pressure cooker, as long as its started on the stove to brown the shanks and saute the onion etc. Right now, being winter here in Sydney, I choose the oven so it keeps my house nice and warm! – Nagi x

 

Overhead photo of Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks in Red Wine Sauce served over creamy mashed potato with a side of peas, ready to be eaten

Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks
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Overhead photo of Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks in Red Wine Sauce served over creamy mashed potato with a side of peas, ready to be eaten

Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks with Red Wine Sauce

Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 2 hrs 50 mins
Total: 3 hrs
Lamb, Main, Slow Cooked
4.99 from 103 votes
Servings4
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Recipe video above. A classic way to prepare shanks, these are slow cooked in a deeply flavoured red wine sauce until they are meltingly tender. You can't taste the red wine at the end, it completely transforms into a rich sauce. Make this in the oven, on your stove or even in a slow cooker - instructions provided for all!

Ingredients

  • 4 lamb shanks , around 13 oz / 400g each (Note 1)
  • 1 tsp each salt and pepper
  • 2 - 3 tbsp olive oil , separated
  • 1 cup onion , finely diced (brown, yellow or white)
  • 3 garlic cloves , minced
  • 1 cup carrot , finely diced (Note 2)
  • 1 cup celery , finely diced (Note 2)
  • 2 1/2 cups / 625 ml red wine , full bodied (good value wine, not expensive! Note 3)
  • 28 oz / 800g can crushed tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 cups / 500 ml chicken stock, low sodium (or water)
  • 5 sprigs of thyme (preferably tied together), or 2 tsp dried thyme
  • 2 dried bay leaves (or 4 fresh)

To Serve:

  • Mashed potato, polenta or pureed cauliflower
  • Fresh thyme leaves, optional garnish

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350F/180C.
  • Pat the lamb shanks dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  • Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a heavy based pot over high heat. Sear the lamb shanks in 2 batches until brown all over, about 5 minutes.
  • Remove lamb onto a plate and drain excess fat (if any) from the pot.
  • Turn the heat down to medium low. Heat remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil in the same pot, if needed. Add the onion and garlic, cook for 2 minutes.
  • Add carrot and celery. Cook for 5 minutes until onion is translucent and sweet.
  • Add the red wine, chicken stock, crushed tomato, tomato paste, thyme and bay leaves. Stir to combine.
  • Place the lamb shanks into the pot, squeezing them in to fit so they are mostly submerged. (Note 1)
  • Turn stove up, bring to a simmer. Cover, then transfer to the oven for 2 hours (see notes for other cook methods).
  • Remove from oven, remove lid, then return to the oven for another 30 minutes (so 2 1/2 hours in total). Check to ensure lamb is tender - if not, cover and keep cooking. Ideal is tender meat but still holding onto bone.
  • Remove lamb onto plate and keep warm. Pick out and discard bay leaves and thyme.
  • Strain the sauce into a bowl, pressing to extract all sauce out of the veggies (Note 5 for repurposing the veggies). Pour strained sauce back into pot. Bring to simmer over medium heat and reduce slightly to a syrupy consistency (see video) - I rarely need to. Taste then add salt and pepper to taste.
  • Serve the lamb shanks on mashed potato or cauliflower puree with plenty of sauce! Garnish with thyme leaves if desired.

Recipe Notes:

1. Lamb Shanks - sizes vary considerably so make sure you get ones that will fit in your cooking vessel! 4 x 400g/13oz lamb shanks fits snugly in a 26cm/11" diameter Chasseur dutch oven which is what I use. They don't need to be completely submerged, just as long as most of the meaty end is mostly submerged, that's fine. 
If you don't have a pot large enough, you can switch to a baking dish for the slow cooking part, and cover with a double layer of foil if you don't have a lid for it.
You can also ask your butcher to cut the shaft so it bends if you are concerned, or to trim it slightly. 
2. Onion, carrot and celery is the "holy trinity" of slow cooking, creating a beautiful flavour base for the sauce. It's not a deal breaker to exclude the carrot and celery, but it does give the sauce an extra edge.
3. Wine - Use a good value full bodied red wine, like cabaret sauvignon or merlot. Shiraz is ok too. No need to use expensive wine for slow cooked recipes like this (and the New York Times agrees). Use discount end of bin specials (I get mine from Dan Murphey's). Pinots not suitable, too light.
99% of the alcohol in the red wine evaporates during cooking. The sauce does not taste winey at all, it completely transforms.
Non alcoholic sub: 1.5 cups beef broth LOW SODIUM, 1 cup water. + 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce. Beef has a stronger deeper flavour than chicken so will be more suited to being the sub for wine.
4. Most of the alcohol in the red wine will evaporate during this step but not completely - it will finish evaporating during the slow cooking. The sauce does not taste winey at all, it completely transforms.
5. Sauce options: The other option is to blitz the sauce using a sick blender. The sauce will be thicker, and you'll have more of it (leftovers great tossed through pasta). This is what I used to do, but nowadays I prefer to strain the sauce because I like how glossy and rich it is - this is how restaurants serve it. You could also skip straining or blitzing, it just means you get little veg lumps in the sauce. All are tasty options, it mainly comes down to visual.
TIP: If you strain the sauce, keep the veggies etc in the strainer to make a terrific sauce, they are loaded with flavour even though all juice is squeezed out of them. What I do is make a basic tomato sauce with garlic, onion, canned tomato and water. Then I blitz that with the veggies. Use it to make a killer pasta or lasagna!!
6. OTHER COOK OPTIONS:
Slow cooker - Follow recipe to step 7. Bring sauce to simmer, scrape bottom of pot to get all brown bits into the liquid. Place shanks in slow cooker, add the sauce. Cook on low for 8 hours. Remove shanks, strain and reduce sauce to desired thickness on stove (if you blitz per Note 5, you won't need to reduce).
Pressure Cooker - Follow Slow Cooker steps, cook for 40 minutes on high. Release pressure according to manufacturer directions. 
Stove  - to cook this on the stove, cook for about 2 hours on low, ensuring that you check it at 1 hour then every 30 minutes thereafter to ensure there is enough braising liquid (because liquid evaporates faster on the stove). Turn the lamb shanks twice. You won't get the brown crust, but the flavour is the same!
7. Cauliflower puree - boil cauliflower florets until soft, drain and let steam dry for few minutes. Then puree with butter, milk or cream, salt and pepper. Use milk to adjust the consistency to your taste.

8. Nutrition per serving. This is conservative - it doesn't take into account fat trimmed from shanks or discarded fat. Also assumes all sauce is consumed which it probably won't be.
Originally published August 2015, updated with new photos, video and a slightly refined recipe. Previously the base recipe said to blitz the sauce at the end. It looks much posher and actually does taste nicer just to strain it. 🙂

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 822gCalories: 753kcal (38%)Carbohydrates: 27.4g (9%)Protein: 75.1g (150%)Fat: 26.3g (40%)Saturated Fat: 7.7g (48%)Cholesterol: 225mg (75%)Sodium: 1027mg (45%)Potassium: 1863mg (53%)Fiber: 5.9g (25%)Sugar: 5.4g (6%)Vitamin A: 5580IU (112%)Vitamin C: 8.1mg (10%)Calcium: 63mg (6%)Iron: 3.9mg (22%)
Keywords: Lamb Shanks
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Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative!

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472 Comments

  2. Rebecca says

    Growing up in Great Britain I have been eating lamb all my life, from British roasted, stews, Greek roasted. This is by far my favourite and go to lamb recipe. Trying your stuffing recipe for Christmas. But have to substitute bread for gluten free. As everyone in my family is Celiac. I will keep you posted on the family reviews..

    Reply

  3. Marie says

    Hi Nagi, i love all your recipes😊
    Can this recipe be doubled because i have guests coming over and we will be 6 total.
    Thank you😊

    Reply

  4. Pan says

    Hi Nagi,
    I plan to make this tomorrow for my husband 🙂 If I use just 2 lamb shanks, do I have to halve all the other ingedients? I’m reading the comments on how good the sauce is but dont want to compromise the flavor if I’m using half the lamb. Using crock pot method btw.
    Thank you! Will report back with the results!

    Reply

      • Pan says

        5 stars
        Thank you, Nagi! The meal was delicious (served it with your dorothy’s carrot cake as well) and I’m normally not a huge fan of lamb. I ended up doubling the sauce and it was so yummy. We lazily poured the leftover sauce today over some pasta and it was great, so thank you for that tip!

        Reply

  5. Kristy says

    This has become our standard go to across all generations of our family when cooking Shanks. When we say were cooking lamb shanks, we mean Nagi’s 🙂

    Reply

  6. Katie says

    Hi, Love your website, recipes are so detailed they always come out so well. Want to make this tomorrow but lamb shanks are expensive in the UK, can I use a different cut of lamb?

    Reply

  8. Kirsten says

    5 stars
    Wonderful recipe! Did it in my slowcooker for 5 1/2hrs on low. In my opinion the sauce doesn’t need anything more done to it, it’s fantastic as is.

    Reply

  9. Andy Carter says

    5 stars
    I made this last week for the family, it was a big hit , making it again this evening! The sauce is really nice , thanks for a great recipe

    Reply

  10. David says

    Hi Nagi,
    I plan on cooking this recipe tonight but I could only find lamb chops at the local grocery store, would they still work fine for this recipe?

    Reply

    • Nagi says

      Hi David, lamb chops are completely different to shanks unfortunately. You can cook in the same sauce and method, they won’t take as long as shanks and the meat wont be the same texture but will still taste delicious!

      Reply

  11. Tim says

    Hi Nagi,

    Recipe looks terrific. I am cooking this recipe tonight for the first time, however I have a question. Why are you using chicken stock and not lamb or beef stock?

    Thank you.

    Reply
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