Braised Lamb Shank

This recipe was perfected by a fellow chef that was kind enough to pass it down. Chef Paul is one of the most generous and giving people. He is the chef that fed the line cooks when they needed it the most, he’s the chef that invites everyone into his home to prepare them an unforgettable meal, and he’s the chef that does these things just because he loves to do them for others. This recipe is his and only after getting his permission was this recipe able to be gifted to whoever stumbles across it here. So thank you Chef Paul, with love and gratitude. 

Start by preheating your oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Using butcher twine, find the thickest part of the shank and tie it tight. After being cooked, the twine will help the meat from falling off of the bone. 

Season each lamb shank heavily with salt and pepper and then roll each shank into all purpose flour to coat. 

Place a braising pan on the stovetop over high heat. Once the pan is very hot you will then add oil to the pan. Olive oil will work here if you are trying to stay away from canola oil. Canola oil has a high smoking point so it works well with searing at such high temperatures. Carefully, place your shanks into the oil and brown all surfaces of the lamb. The darker you can sear the lamb the better your finished texture will be. Once the lamb is seared on all sides you can remove them from the pan and set aside.

Add all of your vegetables and your bay leaves back into the hot pan then you can lower to medium heat. Scrape whatever you can from the bottom of the pan without doing damage to your pan. If you are using stainless steel use a wooden spoon to scrape. Once the vegetables start to soften you can add the tomato paste. Once the paste turns from red to brown (about one minute) you can add your sherry cooking wine. Cooking wine works great but if you have a preferred or favorite Sherry then you can use that as well. Reduce the sherry for 5 minutes. Again, scrape what you can from the bottom of the pan. The wine will have helped to deglaze the pan so the bottom of the pan shouldn’t have much stuck to it anymore. 

Place your lamb shanks back into the pan and then add the beef stock, diced tomatoes, thyme, and rosemary. If your shanks are not at least 3/4 covered with liquid you should add more beef stock, the size of your braising pan will determine the amount of beef stock. An 8qt pan should be plenty big enough, 6qt might be a little tight depending on the size of your lamb shanks.

Cover your pot tightly with foil and place into your oven on the center rack. 

Cook the lamb shanks for at least two hours or until the lamb shanks are very tender and the meat wants to fall off the bone. 

Remove the lamb shanks from the braising liquid then skim the fat off the top of the braising liquid. You can use a spoon to remove the fat. If you put an ice cube in a ladle, the bottom side of the ladle will collect fat, worth trying if you aren’t patient enough to just use a spoon. If you are able to save the fat, it is exceptional to cook with. 

Remove the twine and then plate your shanks over and topped with braising liquid and braising vegetables.

Roasted or mashed potatoes, rice, naan, and/or anything resembling a toasted baguette is a great way to accompany this dish.

Mary had a little lamb but everyone else will be licking their plate.