Braised Lamb Shanks (Slow Cooker) beautifully seared and then cooked low and slow in a rich red wine sauce until falling-off-the-bone tender and flavorful. They make one of those easy dinner ideas for Easter or any other occasion and can be paired with mashed potatoes or cauliflower mash and peas.
Easter will be here soon. It is great to have a good range of choices on what to serve for family and friends.
Because my oven is always busy (or mostly reserved to make Easter desserts), I prefer to prepare the main dish either in the slow cooker or pressure cooker.
This time I will be serving these slow cooker lamb shanks that are sure to please the pickiest palates.
Lamb Shank Recipe
There is more than one way to cook lamb shanks. The most common methods are the following:
- You can braise lamb shanks in a large Dutch oven (brown them first and then cook them covered low and slow in the oven in a rich sauce)
- Use our slow cooker or crockpot method which involves browning lamb shanks in a pan on the stovetop and then transferring them to the slow cooker to cook low and slow. It is an easy way to braise them too.
- You can make Instant Pot lamb shanks (faster method)
- Or you can make roast lamb shanks in the oven (the most traditional method).
Most of the methods will render beautifully browned and tender lamb shanks in a rich wine sauce.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Olive oil – mostly to sear the lamb shanks. Because the meat itself already contains a good amount of fat, you will need a small amount of oil to brown them.
- Lamb shanks – Make sure to trim excess fat and remove them from the fridge about 1 hour before searing them and pat them dry well.
- Seasonings and fresh herbs: I used simple seasonings such as salt and black pepper, and also a few herbs to flavor the stew-like fresh rosemary (or fresh thyme), parsley, and bay leaves.
- Vegetables: white onion, garlic cloves, and carrots are more than enough but if you are on a keto diet you may replace the carrots with chopped celery.
- Gravy: To make the gravy, red wine (like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, or Pinot Noir), tomato sauce, tomato paste, beef stock (or beef broth), beef bouillon, and flour to thicken (or cornstarch for a gluten-free sauce) are all that you’ll need. If you’re on a low-carb diet, make sure to replace flour with xanthan gum. The ratio of cornstarch to xanthan gum is 1:1. You may replace beef stock with chicken stock or chicken broth. If you want, add Dijon mustard and balsamic vinegar (1 tablespoon each) to our lamb recipe to make the sauce richer.
How to make braised lamb shanks (Slow Cooker)
- Prepare the lamb shanks: Remove them from the fridge about 1 hour before cooking. Wash and pat them dry with a paper towel.
- Sear: Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a heavy-bottom pan over medium-high heat. Sear two shanks until browned on all sides. Repeat with remaining shanks and oil. Do not overcrowd the pan! SEE PIC.1
- Cook: Transfer them to a 6-quart slow cooker bowl. SEE PIC. 2 Add in the onions, carrots, and garlic. Season with ½ teaspoon coarse salt and ¼ teaspoon ground pepper, tossing well to combine. SEE PIC. 3 Reserve!
- Make the sauce: In the same pan that you seared the shanks, pour in the red wine and allow to simmer over medium-low heat for 4-5 minutes. Then add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch or xanthan gum (or 2 tablespoon flour) slowly, whisking constantly, until no lumps are found. SEE PIC. 4 Let it reduce and thicken slightly, then pour it into the slow cooker along with the beef stock, tomato sauce, tomato paste, bullion, rosemary, and bay leaves. SEE PIC. 5
- Mix well to combine the ingredients. Cook on HIGH for 6 hours or on LOW for 8-10 hours, or until the lamb is fall-apart tender. SEE PIC. 6
- Remove the lamb shanks and cover them well. Skim fat from braising liquid if needed, using a slotted spoon.
- Thicken the sauce: Transfer the cooking liquids to the frying pan that you seared the shanks and turn on the heat to medium-low. In a small bowl, whisk 2 tablespoons of cornstarch or xanthan gum (or 4 tablespoon of flour) with ¼ cup of the sauce from the pan until completely dissolved. SEE PIC. 7
- Pour the mixture into the pan, whisking quickly until completely smooth. The sauce must simmer for 4-5 minutes, or until thickened to desired consistency.
- Serve: Garnish with chopped parsley and serve over mashed potatoes/cauliflower and a side of steamed peas. SEE PIC. 8
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is lamb shank?
The shank is the cut of lamb taken from the lower part of the animal’s legs. The front legs are called foreshank (and may include part of the shoulder as well as part of the leg) while the back legs are referred to as hindshank including only the rear legs and are slightly meatier.
Because the legs do quite a bit of exercise, making them tough meat, they need to be braised or cooked low and slow in liquid in order to become tender.
Should I brown lamb shanks before slow cooking?
Although some think the browning step is unnecessary, I beg to disagree. It will not only give the meat a more attractive color but also help to develop flavor.
Why is my lamb shanks tough?
Lamb shanks are tough by nature! In order to get tender, they should be cooked low and slow in liquid. The braising method is ideal for that, including in the slow cooker where it can cook unattended.
How do I make the gravy?
The gravy or wine sauce is an easy recipe. But before making it, make sure to skim the fat from braising liquid that floats on top if needed, using a slotted spoon.
Then follow our braised lamb shank recipe to thicken the sauce.
When are lamb shanks done?
Lamb is safe to eat at 62ºC/145ºF (medium-rare at that internal temperature) unless it is a shank that requires to be cooked low and slow in order to break down its connective tissues until it gets tender. The temperature of lamb shanks is less important than their doneness (considered them cooked when the meat comes away from the bone easily).
Slow Cooker Lamb Shanks
Slow cooking is one of the best cooking methods to prepare lamb shanks because it tenderizes them well. Although some skip the browning process in a pan, make use of it because it will give a beautiful brown color to the shanks and will make them more flavorful. Then transfer them to the slow cooker with liquids and aromatics, and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or on high for about 6 hours.
What to Serve with Braised Lamb Shanks
There are many side dishes that pair well with our slow cooker recipe as follows:
- Creamy polenta or grits
- Mashed potatoes
- Mashed cauliflower
- Pasta or egg noodles
- Basmati rice
- Israeli couscous
- No yeast bread or a hard-crusted bread
- Broccoli gratin
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Reheat braised lamb shanks gently, covered, in the microwave on 50% power, turning midway through reheating.
More Slow Cooker Recipes to Try
- Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs
- Slow Cooker Ham Recipe with Orange Glaze
- Crock Pot Pork Loin
- Beer Beef Oxtail Recipe
More Lamb Recipes to Enjoy
PIN & ENJOY!
Braised Lamb Shanks (Slow Cooker)
Equipment
- 1 large pan
- 1 whisk
- 1 tongs
Ingredients
- 4 lamb shanks trimmed of excess fat (4 to 6 lamb shanks depending on their size)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 large white onion diced
- 2 large carrots peeled and sliced ½-inch thick (if on a keto diet, replace with celery)
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 ½ cups red wine like Carbenet aunignon, Merlot, or Pinot Noir
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch or xanthan gum or 6 tablespoon flour (Xanthan gum is the best thickener for a low carb diet and cornstarch makes a great gluten-free thickener).
- 2 cups beef stock or broth
- 14 oz tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 beef bouillon cubes crushed
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary finely chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley finely chopped
Instructions
- Prepare the lamb shanks: Remove them from the fridge about 1 hour before cooking. Wash and pat them dry with paper towel.
- Sear: Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a heavy-bottom pan over medium-high heat. Sear two shanks until browned on all sides. Repeat with remaining shanks and oil. Do not overcrowd the pan!
- Cook: Transfer them to a 6-quart slow cooker bowl.Add in the onions, carrots, and garlic. Season with ½ teaspoon coarse salt and ¼ teaspoon ground pepper, tossing well to combine. Reserve!
- Make the sauce: In the same pan that you seared the shanks, pour in the red wine and allow to simmer over medium-low heat for 4-5 minutes. Then add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch or xanthan gum (or 2 tablespoon flour) slowly, whisking constantly, until no lumps are found. Let it reduce and thicken slightly, then pour it into the slow cooker along with the beef stock, tomato sauce, tomato paste, bullion, rosemary, and bay leaves.
- Mix well to combine the ingredients. Cook on HIGH for 6 hours or on LOW for 8-10 hours, or until the lamb is fall apart tender.
- Remove the lamb shanks and cover them well. Skim fat from braising liquid if needed, using a slotted spoon.
- Thicken the sauce: Transfer the sauce to the pan that you seared the shanks and turn on the heat to medium-low. In a small bowl, whisk 2 tablespoons of cornstarch or xanthan gum (or 4 tablespoon of flour) with ¼ cup of the sauce from the pan until completely dissolved.
- Pour the mixture into the pan, whisking quickly until completely smooth. The sauce must simmer for 4-5 minutes, or until thickened to desired consistency.
- Serve: Garnish with chopped parley and serve over mashed potatoes/cauliflower and a side of steamed peas.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
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Wolf Keller says
I tried this recipe and it turned out excellent! I used a slow cooker for 8 hrs and the meat just fell apart. Great recipe!
SilentWitness says
Fantastic Recipe! Make it exactly as described and did not add the dijon or balsamic to the sauce. The sauce/gravy was AMAZING and plentiful! TI left the slow cooker closed the entire cooking time, and the he lamb separated from the bones at about 9 hours. Served this with slow cooker mashed potatoes and sauteed garlic spinach and a side fresh apricot/blueberrt salad and Naan bread.
Denise Browning says
I am so happy to hear you enjoyed our slow cooker lamb shanks.