• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Sign Up for Emails
  • Recipes
    • Main Dishes
    • Sides
    • Cocktails
  • Instagram
  • Contact
    • About
    • Work With Me
  • Privacy Policy

Basil And Bubbly logo

menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Sign Up for Emails
  • Recipes
  • Find Recipe from Instagram
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Red Wine Braised Lamb Shanks

    April 1, 2021 Christmas

    Red Wine Braised Lamb Shanks

    1883 shares
    • Share108
    • Tweet
    • Email
    • Print

    If you've never braised lamb shanks before, here's your sign: Red Wine Braised Lamb Shanks are straight-forward to make, and you are rewarded with tender, fall-of-the-bone meat, and a rich, decadent sauce. This is my BEST lamb shank recipe!

    Jump to Recipe
    red wine braised lamb shank over mashed potatoes

    what is lamb shank?

    Lamb is such an underrepresented meat in the United States. Other countries like England and Australian have long been making this delicious meat, but for whatever reason it's never really caught on in the US.

    So if you're in the US, you might not have encountered a lamb shank before! It's all good - I'll tell you exactly what you've been missing. ( Scroll past the photo to learn more)

    best lamb shank recipe

    A shank on any four legged animal is the upper leg shin portion between the knee and the shoulder, and lamb is no different in this regard. The connective tissue in the shank can make it tough, but when it breaks down, that same tissue makes it a particularly flavorful cut of meat.

    lamb shanks browning in dutch oven
    Browned Lamb Shanks in my dutch oven

    where to buy lamb shanks

    For me, it's a usually a struggle to find lamb shanks year round, and I live in a major metropolis. The one place I can almost always find them is at Whole Foods, but when you can find them, the Costco lamb shanks are Australian lamb and are absolutely divine. Check for them around Easter in particular!

    lamb shanks in dutch oven ready to braise
    Everything ready to slow cook the lamb shanks in the dutch oven

    how to cook lamb shanks

    Any sort of meat shank, but in particular lamb shanks, will benefit from some sort of slow cooking to break down the tough meat and connective tissue to create a tender, flavorful end product.

    Braised lamb shanks are particularly good because a wet and slow method not only breaks down the meat, but creates a wonderful sauce and keeps the tender meat moist. In my opinion, it's really the best way to cook lamb shanks.

    tender lamb shanks after braising
    Slow cooking lamb shanks

    If you aren't a wine person, you can substitute the wine for beef broth plus two tablespoons of cider vinegar, ultimately meaning you'll use a mix of beef and chicken broth for the sauce in this braised lamb shank recipe.

    I really do recommend the wine though - it gives a wonderfully rich flavor that just can't be quite replicated by substitutions.

    lamb shank for romantic dinner

    If you like these braised lamb shanks in red wine, you might also like:

    • Boeuf Bourguignon
    • 40 Clove Garlic Chicken
    • Roasted Beef Tenderloin
    red wine braised lamb shank over mashed potatoes

    Red Wine Braised Lamb Shanks

    An easy lamb shank recipe that slow cooks lamb shanks in a red wine and tomato sauce.
    4.41 from 22 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dinner, Main Course
    Cuisine: French
    Keyword: Lamb Shanks
    Servings: 3 people

    Ingredients

    • 3 lamb shanks 2.5 lbs
    • 2 tsp salt
    • 1 ½ tsp pepper
    • 3 Tablespoons olive oil
    • 1 cup chopped onion 1 medium onion
    • 1 cup carrot 2 medium-large carrots
    • 1 cup celery 2 stalks celery
    • 5 cloves minced garlic
    • 3 cups red wine
    • 3 cups chicken broth
    • 4 bay leaves
    • 7 stems fresh thyme
    • 2 stems fresh rosemary
    • 28 oz crushed tomatoes
    • 2 Tablespoons tomato paste

    Equipment

    • Dutch Oven

    Instructions

    • Season the lamb shanks with the salt and pepper. In a large dutch oven, or other heavy bottomed pot, over medium high heat, add 3 Tablespoons olive oil. Brown the shanks by cooking them on one side for 7 min, flipping and cook for them another 7 min on the other side.
    • Remove the lamb shanks from pot and set them aside.
    • Add the carrots, onions, celery to the pot you just browned the lamb in. Cook for 6 minutes, stirring frequently to break up any pieces remaining of lamb from the browning and so that the vegetables do not stick. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
    • Add the red wine and broth, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, tomatoes, tomato paste, stir to combine into the pot. Carefully lower shanks back into pot. The liquid should either cover the shanks entirely or cover them almost entirely. If you need more liquid, add equal parts chicken broth and red wine until they are covered.
    • Bring everything to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and simmer for 2.5 hours. To cook in the oven, cover the pot and bake at 350 F for 2.5 hours.
    • After cooking, remove shanks from pot. Strain the vegetables out of the sauce, discard the vegetabls, and return the sauce to pan. Crank the heat back up to medium high and cook uncovered to reduce the red wine sauce until it thickens to your liking, stirring occasionally. For me this was about 30 minutes but I'd start checking around 15 minutes.
    • Serve over mashed potatoes, rice, or pasta, with a generous helping of sauce poured over.

    Notes

    Serves 3 generously - one shank per person.  
    This recipe definitely makes enough sauce for a fourth shank, and you can add one without changing the recipe in any other way. My pan simply can't fit a fourth! 
    Tried this recipe?Mention @basilandbubbly or tag #basilandbubbly!
    « Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso - Starbucks Copycat
    Roasted Radishes »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Victor says

      October 01, 2022 at 6:47 pm

      1 star
      Wow, 28 ons of crushed tomatoes! What you get after 3 hours of cooking is a tomato sauce, mostly. Forget the lamb - it gets lost in tomatoes. Way too thick and way too acidic. Stick to adding just tomato paste and forget crushed tomatoes!

      If you do make this recipe, separate the sauce, blend it and then use it to make a pretty decent tomato sauce. Use only very little of the sauce for the lamb - it does not need it, really. Save it and then use the rest of it with ground beef or pork for another pasta dish.

      Reply
    2. Gina says

      February 03, 2022 at 1:51 pm

      5 stars
      Hi can I cook this in a crock pot instead of the oven ?

      Reply
      • Marco says

        September 12, 2022 at 2:25 am

        Slow cooked dishes like this benefit from from browning all ingredients (meat + vegetables) first, then using a liquid to deglaze the pan and 'unlock' the flavour. But you can do that in a separate pan and then put into a crock pot and cook it that way, it will work just the same. If you don't want to brown the ingredients, I'd reccomending adding a little extra tomato paste, some more stock powder or a splash of soy sauce to up the savoury component of the dish.

        Reply

    Please share your thoughts on this recipe! Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Heyyyyyyy!

    My name is Marianne, and I'm two parts food, one part booze, and a dash of snark. I live in Atlanta, GA with my two cats. My personal motto: Champagne and stretchy pants. Sign up for my mailing list to keep up with the new and seasonal recipes!

    as seen in

    Recent Posts

    • Pineapple Infused Vodka (Stoli Doli)
    • Roasted Peruvian Chicken with Aji Verde
    • Air Fryer Onions
    • Espresso Martini
    • Buffalo Shrimp Tacos

    Most Popular

    Southern Baked Macaroni and Cheese

    Perfect Southern Baked Macaroni and Cheese

    air fryer sweet potato fries

    Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries

    Sweet Potato Casserole Bites

    Sweet Potato Casserole Bites

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

    Copyright© 2023 · Cookd Pro by Shay Bocks