Lamb shanks are the king of all lamb cuts!! Slow cooked until meltingly tender in a rich, deeply flavoured red wine sauce, this recipe is worthy of fine dining restaurants yet is completely straightforward to make. Serve it over creamy mashed potato with a side of peas or sautéed spinach, with crusty bread to mop your bowl clean!
* Here for the cookbook version? Find it here -> the elegant Restaurant Lamb Shanks in Red Wine Sauce.
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:
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.
You literally cannot overcook lamb shanks.Leave it in for an hour too long, and the meat is still succulent and juicy. The worst that will happen is that the meat falls off the bone when you go to serve it.
And if you pull it out too early and the meat isn’t 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!
What are lamb shanks?
If you’re new to lamb shanks, here’s a rundown: lamb shanks are from the lower leg of lambs, and they are an inexpensive, tough cut of meat.
Because of this, lamb shanks need to be slow cooked – either braised or roasted – to break down the tough meat to soften into succulent tenderness.
The meat itself is full of flavour which adds to the flavour of the sauce.
BONUS: The marrow in the bone melts into the sauce, deepening the flavour and richness. We love freebies around here!!
Classic Red Wine Sauce for Lamb Shanks
Red wine sauce is a classic braising liquid for lamb shanks, with the rich deep flavours a natural pairing with the strong flavour of lamb.
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. So if you cannot consume alcohol, it is best to substitute with non-alcoholic red wine.
Please do not use more beef or chicken stock/broth, even if it’s low sodium. This sauce has amazing flavour in it because it is massively concentrated down (essentially into a jus). So if you use more stock then it will end up too salty.
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
Slow cooked lamb shanks
Watch how to make it
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Lamb Shanks in Red Wine Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 lamb shanks , around 13 oz / 400g each (Note 1)
- 1 tsp EACH cooking/kosher salt and pepper
- 2 – 3 tbsp olive oil , separated
- 1 onion , finely diced (brown, yellow or white)
- 3 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 cup carrot , peeled, finely diced (Note 2)
- 1 cup celery , finely diced (Note 2)
- 2 1/2 cups red wine (full bodied (good value wine, not expensive! Note 3)
- 800 g / 28oz can crushed tomatoes
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 cups 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 180°C/350°F (all oven types – fan and standard).
- Season shanks – Pat the lamb shanks dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Brown – Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large 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.
- Sauté aromatics – Turn the heat down to medium low. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the same pot. Add the onion and garlic, cook for 2 minutes. Add carrot and celery. Cook for 5 minutes until onion is translucent and sweet.
- Braising liquid – Add the red wine, chicken stock, crushed tomato, tomato paste, thyme and bay leaves. Stir to combine.
- Add shanks – Place the lamb shanks into the pot, squeezing them in to fit so they are mostly submerged. (Note 1)
- Oven 2 hours covered – Turn stove up, bring liquid to a simmer. Cover, then transfer to the oven for 2 hours (see notes for other cook methods).
- Uncovered 30 minutes – Remove lid, then return to the oven for another 30 minutes (so 2 1/2 hours in total). Check to ensure lamb meat is ultra tender – if not, cover and keep cooking. Ideal is tender meat but still just holding onto bone.
- Remove lamb onto plate and keep warm. Pick out and discard bay leaves and thyme.
- Sauce – 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. If needed, bring to a 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 (Note 5 on sauce taste).
- Serve the lamb shanks on mashed potato or cauliflower puree with plenty of sauce! Garnish with thyme leaves if desired.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Originally published August 2015, updated with new photos, video and a slightly refined recipe in 2018. Previously the base recipe said to blitz the sauce at the end. It looks much posher (ie fine dining style) and actually does taste nicer just to strain it because the sauce stays glossy – if you blitz, sauce becomes more matte and is not as smooth. 🙂 Recipe then further improved when it was decided to include this lamb shanks in my debut cookbook Dinner – that “restaurant” version is exclusive to my cookbook!
Life of Dozer
And I stuck my tongue right back at him….
Diane says
Made this today for lunch and wow wow this is far the best lamb shanks I’ve ever eaten and cooked, followed your recipe and how to do from start to finish, guests where impressed, no more so then me !! Everything turned out just perfect..best of all still have a lamb shank left for tomorrow..thanks Nagi your the best ..love to Dozer too x
Elizabeth says
Hi nagi, do you have the old recipe you had before. I don’t have time got the 24 hr marinate and I fell in love with the recipe. Please my husband wants it for hos anniversary
Nagi says
I put the original back and removed the cookbook version! 🙂 N x
Kym says
Amazing, have had requests to cook again already
Thank you
Tara says
Hi 👋 I don’t have any fresh celery on hand, can I use celery seed instead?
J says
Why did you change the recipe? How can I get the old one? I feel like if you wanted a new recipe make a whole new web page. Now I’m confused and bought the wrong things and now I’m going to have to guess.
Nagi says
I put the original back and removed the cookbook version! 🙂 N x
Luke Ebsworth says
Love this recipe ! Does anyone have the original recipe that was done with chicken stock and wasn’t reduced to a red wine sauce ?
Nagi says
I put the original back and removed the cookbook version! 🙂 N x
Rat says
Great recipe. Plenty of leftover liquids to make into a rich soup the following day. I made it on the stovetop in a large pot, and the preparation was so quick and easy! I don’t often eat meat but it was a delight to treat myself with such a warming and hearty dish.
Angela says
Best lamb shanks ever Nagi!
thank you for a terrific recipe.
Joan Bennett says
Could someone please share the original recipe before it was updated in October 2022. It seems it was easier and just as good from the reviews I’ve read.
Nagi says
I put the original back and removed the cookbook version! 🙂 N x
Tatiana says
I made this yesterday for Father’s Day.. it was so so good! Everyone loved it. It will be a regular in our house now. Thanks Nagi! Everything you do is gold!
Maggie says
OMG!!! We loved this recipe! Loved it! Why don’t lambs have more legs? With this recipe we really need that…lol
Andreea P says
Delicious!!!
Hollis Ramsey says
Our 45th wedding anniversary is on 5 September (Labor Day here in the US), and I always make something special — last year it was your Coq au Vin. This year it’ll be these Braised Lamb Shanks.
Do you think they’d go well with rice? If so, what kind: long or short grain, wild (I know it’s really grass, but I love grass lol), or whatever?
On the side I always use the Five-Minute One-Bowl Arugula Salad from Alex Guarnaschelli’s Cook With Me — it’ll cut the richness of the shanks and sauce but at the same time it’ll complement the dish IMO.
Maria says
We have this dish often with rice and it’s great – long grain basmati rice usually (I prefer the brand Tilda)
Nicolasmithston says
This is a great recipe that’s now on regular rotation in our house. We follow the instructions for the slow cooker and using all ingredients as stated, but only use two lamb shanks. The leftover sauce you’re left with is just perfect with some good fettuccine pasta the next day (plus extra for freezing). Winning!
Thanks once again Nagi!
Toni says
Made this again last night. Just love it. Also saved the strained vegies for a pasta night. I would be more than pleased to have this served up at a restaurant. It’s amazing!
Amy says
I was thinking of making pies out of this. After taking it off the bone obviously. Do you think that would work?
Terry says
Pies, not sure but I added my leftovers to a Shepherds Pie and it was superb..!
Carol says
The first time l made this l didn’t strain the veggies. I made it again during the week but this time strained the veggies, omg the sauce was so good. I took your advice and used the strained veggies for pasta sauce. I added the leftover sauce from the shanks, kalamata olives and bacon. The pasta sauce was a hit. Thank you Nagi
Renee says
Hey Nagi, looks delish. Could I substitute celery for a leek?
Julie says
Unfortunately not the rich flavour that I was after. It was okay but I wouldn’t be bothered making it again. We had the most gorgeous lamb shanks in red wine at The Froize in Suffolk and I can’t find that magic ingredient to make them as heavenly. I’ll keep searching.
Helen says
I should add that lamb shanks are very expensive atm here in Perth.
So I used a leg of lamb as it was much cheaper.
It just took longer to cook in the oven – 4 and a half hours.
The meat was falling off the bone – it was perfect.
I’ve actually made it twice with the leg.
A big hit with guests. Loads of compliments.
Helen says
This is the best recipe! Super easy. Restaurant quality for sure!
Thank you!