These Easy Braised Lamb Shanks are some serious comfort food! Made with grass-fed local farm lamb and slow cooked in a red wine sauce flavored with tomatoes, onions, garlic, and fresh rosemary. Cook them up for a perfect weekend or holiday dinner.
Every year we buy an organic, grass-fed lamb from our favorite local farm and every year I make this same classic dish with the shanks. Easy braised lamb shanks are my favorite comfort food go-to dish, especially when the weather calls for a hearty dish.
Many people might think that buying grass-fed meats from local farms is too expensive. The truth is that it can be quite affordable. One way to save money while supporting your local farmer is to become part of a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program. Think of it as a subscription service for awesome food, like veggies, meat, fish, bread, dairy, etc. I like to search for farms on EatWild.
Another way to make eating organic, grass-fed meats more affordable is to buy less expensive cuts. This recipe utilizes lamb shanks, which are a super flavorful yet inexpensive cut of meat. It’s a super tough piece of meat, so it does take some time slow cooking/braising for the shanks to really shine, but in about 2-3 hours, you’ll have some of the most tender and flavorful lamb ever. Plus, the sauce is amazing and you’ll want to pour it all over everything!
The base of this recipe is the same one I use for my Braised Beef Short Ribs with a few changes and additions. I’m a firm believer in the “if it ain’t broke” theory. Also, if you’re not a lamb lover, then the beef short ribs might be for you!
Since the weather here is still crappy and I’m all about comfort food right now, I’ve been oven roasting, braising, Instant Potting, and Crockpotting everything…but no grilling. I cried the other night because it was -1F degrees outside, with snow all over the ground, and I couldn’t grill the chicken and pork I had marinating in homemade jerk paste for 2 days.
All out cried. Like a baby. For like 5 minutes. Because I couldn’t grill. Then I had the bright idea to grill inside, on the stove top, and later thought I was going to die from the spicy ass jerk flumes burning off the chicken and pork and searing my eyes, nose, and skin. I cried again. Yeah, it’s been that kind of winter for me.
So the next time it was cold and windy, I made these shanks and served them with creamy polenta (that had a ton of grass-fed butter and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese mixed in) and oven roasted kale. Added a glass of red wine and it was perfection on that chilly winter spring night.
Easy Braised Lamb Shanks would make a perfect Easter dinner and are sure to become a family favorite…holiday or not!
- 4 small lamb shanks (about ¾-1 pound each; preferably local farm raised & grass-fed), at room temperature
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup diced onion, about 1 medium
- 1 cup diced carrot, about 1 large
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup good quality red wine
- 2 cups good quality beef stock, homemade or store bought
- 1 cups good quality chicken stock, homemade or store bought
- 3 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped (can substitute 1 teaspoon dried rosemary)
- fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped (optional)
- Take the lamb shanks out of refrigerator and let come to room temperature before cooking (about ½-1 hour).
- Preheat oven to 325F degrees.
- Heat a large dutch oven over high heat. Add tablespoon of olive oil and sear the shanks on all sides until brown, adding additional olive oil as needed. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Add onion, carrot, and garlic to the pan and sauté until lightly browned, 2-3 minutes. Add wine and cook until reduced by half. Add beef and chicken stocks, tomato paste, and rosemary. Stir well and bring to a boil. Return lamb shanks to the pan, cover, and place in the preheated oven.
- Braise the shanks for 2-2½ hours, or until lamb is fork tender.
- Place the cooked shanks on a serving dish. Skim excess fat off top of cooking liquid and reduce over high heat to thicken into a sauce, if necessary. Place one lamb shank on a plate, spoon sauce over it, and sprinkle with chopped parsley.
- Leftovers are even better the next day so make a double batch!
OMG, Yes!! This looks so good! And your pics are GORGEOUS, girl! The biggest high five to ya!! I have never heard of EatWild, but I’m all about supporting local farms and will have to check out. I would pay extra to support local and to get a better, fresher product and wouldn’t think twice about it. I just want to jump right into this dish and polenta with this lamb is pure perfection. One of my favourite combos!
I can totally feel your pain with regard to the cold. Do you know how cold it is here today with the windchill? -27!!! Yes, minus 27!!! Annnnnnnd, there is a potential for a big storm this weekend! What??? Anyway, I guess I’ll be curling up inside with a big bowl of this and listening to ma record player 😉 The only way to roll! Pinned! XOXO
Very, very tempting. Absolutely love your pictures, I can tell how tender the lamb is without tasting it, even though I wish I could. This is definitely a dish to take your mind off below freezing temps. The creamy, cheesy polenta seems like the perfect side.
I love lamb shanks. How could I not? When made correctly they fall off the bone, and the meat is tender, flavorful and delicate at the same time. I’ve never tried to make lamb shanks at home. This recipe looks easy enough for me to pull off. Thanks for sharing!
xoxo
Mary | Evolve with Mary
It looks so deliciously simple but sophisticated at the same time! I love it, I didn’t eat lamb for ages! 🙂
Well you cry a lot, Carry, haha. Indeed I get it. It’s always upsetting when our tremendous kitchen plans/ideas face this kind of obstacles. It’s like when you’ve been cooking something complicated hoping you would take lots of beautiful pics and then, all of a sudden, some sinister clouds accumulate and bad rain/snow starts and you’re no longer able to shoot this food (Remember, you’ve just spent 3 hours!) cause the natural light sucks. But I’m glad you’ve made this delicious meal. The combo of lamb, wine, onions, and herbs….Yes, please!
And certainly, I’m sorry for the misspelled name, Karrie. You can never trust these phones when it comes to spelling someone’s names:)
This is a comfort bowl for me. I will have it for lunch and dinner. Looks so comforting and has a south indian look.
We love such bowls. I will have the leftover lamb with soft fluffy rice the next day.
I think the more you cook and reduce to a thick sauce, it s going to be even more rich meal
I share in your tears, my friend! But if this is the result of -1 degree, I’ll take the cold! I wish I could dive into that first photo…so mouthwatering! I’ve been craving creamy polenta lately, and you’ve just taken my craving over the top! Gorgeous girlfriend!
Girl, these pictures and this recipe has me feeling all the feels. It’s a middle finger to the last throws of winter. I hope April reunites you to your grill. Hang in there!
I am all about braising meat. How great is it that you can buy a cheap cut of meat and turn it into something so tender and flavorful? I love it. And especially lamb shanks, this sounds so good. I’m not a huge fan of rosemary, so I will likely either replace or leave it out. Greta recipe!
Can I just tell you that I am drooling over these?!? WOW!!! This whole recipe looks amazing. I am going to make this for my husband and surprise him. YUMMMMMMM!!!