Slow-cooked lamb shanks
Shanks braised for three hours in a cumin and cinnamon tomato sauce until the meat falls off the bone.
- Serves4
- Prep15 min
- Cook3 hr
- HeatMild
Shanks are tough when raw and spoon-soft after three hours in a low oven. The connective tissue melts into the sauce and makes it rich and glossy. Almost all the time is hands-off.
Ingredients
Ask at the counter for4 lamb shanks
Cut: Shank (lamb)
Method
Heat the oven to 160°C (140°C fan, gas 3). Season the shanks with the salt and pepper.
Heat the oil in a large ovenproof casserole and brown the shanks on all sides, about 8 to 10 minutes. Lift them out onto a plate.
Add the onions and carrots and cook gently for 8 minutes until soft. Stir in the garlic and spices for 1 minute, then the tomato purée for 1 minute more.
Add the chopped tomatoes and stock, stir, and put the shanks back in, standing them up if you can. The liquid should come most of the way up the meat.
Cover and cook in the oven for 2½ to 3 hours, turning the shanks once, until the meat is falling off the bone.
Lift out the shanks. If the sauce is thin, boil it on the hob for 5 to 10 minutes. Serve the shanks on mash, rice or couscous with the sauce spooned over.
Tips
- Make it the day before. The flavour improves overnight and you can lift the fat off once it's cold.
Good to know
- Make ahead and freezing
- Shanks freeze well in their sauce. Cool quickly, freeze, and defrost in the fridge overnight.
- Heat
- Mild. Add green chillies at the table if you like it hotter.