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….
This looks fantastic. I want to make this tonight but I don’t have a dutch oven? Any suggestions? I am think maybe my crockpot base will work in the oven it ceramic.
Hi Maryann! Any ovenproof pot will work fine, otherwise after you do all the searing etc, pour everything into a baking dish 🙂
Fantastic! I added rosemary and thyme and extra garlic, just because I knew it would be awesome that way.
Perfection, even after leaving it in a 200 F oven after it was done, for two hours, when company was very late. Somehow, the meat still clung to the bone for a wonderful presentation!
WOO HOO! So glad that you loved it Ray! Thank you for coming back to let me know!!
Hello,
I am looking forward to making this receipe this weekend,and your morrocan in the near future.
I need to make 5, do you think I will need to make any adjustments to the recepie?
Thanks
Hi Ann! Nope, there is PLENTY of sauce, so no adjustment required 🙂
I made this for my mom on Mother’s Day. I’m not a massive fan of lamb normally, but this dish is amazing! So tasty and tender. I’ve just heated up the remaining sauce with some pasta and I’ve got to say I haven’t enjoyed pasta so much in a long while!
Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback Alistair! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 N x
Hi, How do I make sure the sauce evaporates? I covered the lamb shanks throughout the whole time, but it looks like a soup (the water didn’t evaporate because the pot was covered. Could you please let me know what to change next time to make it delicious?
Thanks!
Hi Gabriela! If the sauce didn’t evaporate at all it sounds like you either have a seriously heavy duty dutch oven so the lid is clamped on super tight and no moisture escapes at all, or your shanks were super super juicy! 🙂 When you check the lamb at 2 hours per the recipe, if the sauce hasn’t evaporated at all then leave the lid off for the last 30 minutes on the oven. That will do the trick! If it’s still too watery for your taste then simmer it on the stove. 🙂
Amazing stuff! This would have to be the best Lamb Shank recipe I have ever used, the sauce is just amazing (we’ve frozen our leftover sauce for another time). I used my pressure cooker and it took about 1 hour at high pressure. I’m going to try the same recipe with Ox tail. Thanks and will definitely check out your other recipes!
Woo hoo! Thanks Samantha! 🙂 Leftovers make a fab pie!! Shred the meat, throw in diced veggies then top with puff pastry. SO GOOD!
OMG this looks delicious, and I can tell by the ingredients it would be in reality. Why is the sodium and potassium content so high though? Are you using tomato products with added salt?
Hmm, I’m thinking the nutrition calculator may have had a glitch?? This isn’t unusually high in salt at all. Definitely not using tomato products with salt! The only salt is the chicken broth and salt itself. You can most definitely use the amount of salt you want!
Making these right now! They’re currently in my slow cooker cooking away, and making my apartment smell absolutely wonderful.
Just wondering though. More like a concern: I don’t think my sauce is reducing. I don’t know if I’m jumping the gun on this, but what would I do if it doesn’t end up reducing like it should?
Hi Layan! Hope it worked out ok 🙂 I know, I get worried too! The sauce thins out during cooking because of the meat juices but it thickens up at the end. And if it doesn’t, no drama, just take the shanks out and simmer away until it thickens!
Omg Nagi this dish was delicious!!!! MY boyfriend LOVED them. Thank you so much! It didn’t end up thickening enough, so I transferred it to a small pot and boiled it through for a few minutes — did the trick! Thanks again!
YESSSSSS!!! So glad Layan!!! N xx
Hi! My husband and I made your recipe using leg of lamb and we also slow cooked it in a slow cooker. It was excellent! Thanks for the cauliflower puree idea too! I had a big cauliflower in my refrigerator and we pureed it and served the lamb on the side. I posted an instagram photo of my dinner. Thank you! I think I’ll check out your lamb roasted shoulder while I’m on your site too.
Oooh!!! I love that you made this using a LEG of lamb!!! I’d love to see the photo! Did you tag me on Instagram?? @recipe_tin!
Surprised my bf with this and he cannot stop raving about it!! First time making lamb and I feel more confident than ever because of this recipe ! Good stuff..thank you so much.. Will definitely be re making
Awww, what a legend you are and how LUCKY your boyfriend is to have you!! I’m so glad you feel more confident with lamb, it’s one of my favourite proteins!!
I was just wondering if I split the recipe in half must I cook it for less time? It sounds delicious!
Hi Jacqueline! This is tough to cut in half because you need all the sauce otherwise there isn’t enough liquid. It freezes very well though! Maybe make the whole batch and freeze half? GREAT shredded and used as pie filling too!
Your recipes are awesome! Just cooked the lamb shanks dish – delicious stuff! Thank you! x
YAY!! So glad you loved it!! I adore lamb shanks…. 🙂
Hi Nagi! The lamb shanks look sooo divine! I was wondering if I could substitute the red wine with grape juice instead? Would it be red grape juice or purple grape juice? I don’t consume alcohol due to religious issues, and it’s difficult to find non-alcoholic red wine where I live. Hope to hear from you. Thanks in advance.
P.S. I really want to try this recipe!
Hi Marni! I think if you sub the red wine with half red grape juice and half chicken stock, you’ll get a close result 🙂 Only because red wine has more layers of flavor in it than plain grape juice so if you combine it with chicken stock, it will be more similar!
I made a trial run of these for my husband and I and they were perfection! Thank you so much. I’m hosting a Valentine’s dinner and would like to serve these, but need to double the recipe. I can get a bigger pot to fit eight or I can fit two same sized pots in my oven, but do you think cooking so many will lengthen the cooking time? I would hate to mess up a perfect dinner for company!
(Also looking forward to trying the Moroccan one!)
Thanks for your help and for the recipe!
Hi Vida! I’m so glad you enjoyed this!! 🙂 Yes, it will take maybe 20 to 30 minutes longer to cook a double batch in the same pot. To make this for a dinner party, I suggest making it the day before, the flavour improves!! 🙂 Then pop it in the oven to reheat, the sauce might need a splash of water to thin it out a bit. 🙂
Thank you for getting back to me! I’m glad I asked! How long do you think it will take to reheat? That’s an even better suggestion! Less work the day of! ?
Hi Vida! Hmm, maybe 30 minutes? Straight from the fridge at 180C/350F. 🙂 Cover for most of the time, then uncover for last 10 minutes to make it a bit brown!
Hello Nagi, I am sitting in my kitchen in North Wales U.K. Looking out at the snow and ready to make your lovely looking lamb shanks for friends. Please can you confirm the cooking time; as in the step by step recipe it shows 2.5 hours, however it shows 3.5 hours as cooking time at the top of the recipe. I don’t want to mess up on my first attempt…would appreciate your confirmation please. Many thanks, Brenda
Hi Brenda! The cook time at the top is an indication of the total cook time for the whole recipe 🙂 So follow the recipe steps! 2.5 hours!
Made this for dinner tonight and it was fantastic, like something I’d order in a restaurant!! Recipe saved, thank you so much 😀
I’m SO GLAD you like this Shannon!! This recipe is a very personal one that I’m quite proud of! 🙂 Thank you for coming back to let me know you enjoyed it! N x
I made this for my son. Had no celery or onion but forged on. Used tomato purée instead of crushed tomato and the paste….had to adapt to what was in the pantry! Sauce didn’t reduce down quite enough but was absolutely delicious, still thick and rich and the meat fell off the bone. A definite winner. Will be making again 🙂
I’m so glad you enjoyed this Milly!! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and let me know. 🙂 And HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Got it in the oven cast iron Dutch Oven right now! But I hope I didn’t blow it by adding a Rosemary sprig to the pot, along with the bay and thyme! For some reason, I mistakenly thought this had it in your recipe. Rosemary grows everywhere here in Santa Cruz, on the central coast of California, so it gets used a lot.
Sure smells good, though!
Nagi,
I just wanted to be sure because I am cooking for my family for the first time and I wanted to get it right so I was wondering that, if I’m going to cook it in the slow cooker then I have to start at number 6 on the instructions and then continue on? Thank you for your time.
Hi Bridget! Start at step 2 and sear the shanks in a skillet, go right up to step 7 using the skillet then transfer everything into the slow cooker and continue with the recipe 🙂
All the ingredients and the method sounds exactly like my chuck pot roast which I made for my office pot luck and it was consumed in no time. It cooked for 4 hours in the oven in a dutch oven by Chantelle. I don’t have a Chasseur and my Le Creuset is not large enough. The meat was beef and it was also off-the-bone tender.
I am eyeing this recipe because I am about to make it. I have not done this before using lamb. However, I just saw your lamb shoulder recipe and the photo and I am now torn which I should make, shanks or shoulder.
Oooh, I can’t help you there!! I love BOTH just as much! 🙂