Tender Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks (Printable version)
Slow braised lamb shanks in a rich tomato and herb sauce for tender, flavorful meat.
# What You'll Need:
→ Meats
01 - 4 lamb shanks, trimmed, approximately 12.3–14.1 oz each
→ Vegetables
02 - 2 medium onions, finely chopped
03 - 3 carrots, peeled and diced
04 - 3 celery stalks, diced
05 - 4 garlic cloves, minced
→ Liquids
06 - 1 2/3 cups (13.5 fl oz) canned crushed tomatoes
07 - 1 cup (8 fl oz) beef or lamb stock
08 - 1/2 cup (4 fl oz) dry red wine
09 - 2 tbsp tomato paste
→ Herbs & Spices
10 - 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
11 - 3 sprigs fresh thyme
12 - 2 bay leaves
13 - 1 tsp dried oregano
14 - 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
15 - 1 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
→ Oils & Others
16 - 2 tbsp olive oil
# How to Prepare:
01 - Preheat the oven to 320°F or set the slow cooker to low.
02 - Generously season the lamb shanks with salt and black pepper on all sides.
03 - Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-based ovenproof pot over medium-high heat and brown lamb shanks on all sides for about 8 minutes. Remove and set aside.
04 - Add onions, carrots, and celery to the same pot and cook for 5 to 7 minutes until softened, then stir in minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute more.
05 - Stir tomato paste into the vegetables and cook for 1 minute. Pour in red wine and scrape the bottom of the pot to deglaze. Simmer for 2 minutes.
06 - Combine crushed tomatoes, stock, rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, and oregano into the pot; stir thoroughly.
07 - Nestle the lamb shanks back into the sauce and bring to a gentle simmer.
08 - Cover tightly and transfer to the oven to cook for 2.5 to 3 hours, or cook on low in a slow cooker for 7 to 8 hours, until the meat is tender and falling from the bone.
09 - Remove lamb shanks and keep warm covered with foil. Skim excess fat from the sauce and simmer uncovered on the stovetop for 10 to 15 minutes to thicken, as desired.
10 - Plate the lamb shanks with sauce spooned over, garnishing with fresh herbs if preferred.
# Expert advice:
01 -
- The meat becomes impossibly tender, falling off the bone without any effort, which feels like a small miracle on a weeknight.
- One pot does almost all the work once it's in the oven, freeing you up to pour a glass of wine and actually relax.
- The sauce is deep and savory, the kind that makes people close their eyes when they taste it and ask for the recipe immediately.
02 -
- Don't skip the searing step, even though you'll braise it later—that golden crust is where half the flavor comes from, and it's what makes people recognize this as something special.
- Watch the sauce temperature: you want a gentle simmer, not a rolling boil, or the meat will toughen up instead of tenderize.
- Taste the sauce near the end; sometimes it needs a pinch more salt, sometimes it's perfect as is, but always check before serving.
03 -
- Brown the shanks well before braising—this crust is where the deepest flavor lives, and rushing it means missing out on richness.
- If you have a slow cooker, this is one of those dishes where it genuinely outperforms the oven, giving you more even heat and less risk of the sauce reducing too much.