Lamb Shank

[kayswv]

We love lamb shanks cooked pretty much anyway. However, our preferred way is when they are roasted in a brown paper bag with lemon slices and rosemary sprigs.

It is similiar to the Greek recipe for "Stolen Chickens" which is what I adapted for the lamb shanks. We buy lamb shanks tht are as large as possible, trim them of the thin membrane covering and some of the fat if really fatty. Salt and pepper the shanks.

Take a large brown bag and coat the inside with cooking oil. Roll the oil around to coat all of the interior. Place shanks in the bag, place rosemary sprigs on top along with thin slices of lemon. Tie the bag tightly with twine.

Place in a greased roasting pan. Put into preheated 325 degree oven and roast for approximately 2 1/2 - 3 hours, based on size of shanks. Let sit out of oven for about 10 minutes. Open bag and serve shanks with polenta etc.

Absolutely melt in the mouth. Our daughter that lives outside London loves this so much that we bring over large brown grocery bags so it can be made in her home.

Kay

[Fugu]

Love lamb osso bucco, it was fashionable a few years ago and still is a great way to prepare lamb shanks. It never disappoints. Don't forget the gremolata.

Before all those lamb shanks became available around here, they were sold attached to lamb legs. I debone part of the leg and leave the shank bone on, for ease of carving. The lamb is then marinated in orange juice and lemon juice overnight. The next day the cavity, where the bones were, is seasoned with salt and pepper, spread with mustard, rosemary, garlic and lemon rind and roasted until medium.

Lamb cooked rare is best with the racks, lamb legs benefit from a longer slow roast. The shank attached to the leg comes out just as good as the rest of the leg.

[Qwerty]

Well, if you can roast a pork butt and other tough cuts of meat like brisket until tender, why not a lamb shank?

Its the slow gentle heat that breaks down the connective tissue, not the liquid for a braise. The liquid simply provides taste and aroma, and limits the heat in the braise--not to mention gives the flavor the meat gives off a place to go (in the sauce).

I can't see if you do it properly it will result in a dry shank. Properly slow-roasted tough cuts of meat are divine.

[Clover]

If you decide to braise, I had great success with a bit of a spanish variation -- sliced chorizo, orange peel, bay leaf, smoked paprika. I can't remember now if I altered the gremolata to pick up the orange as well.

[johnjohn]

Leslie Revsin's new (due Sept) book - Come for Dinner - has an excellent recipe for lamb shanks. That dish may well be the subject of her eGCI course on October 2nd - watch the eGCI Course Announcements.

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Did this eGCI course ever happen? I can't seem to locate it with the search function. I've had good success with a number of recipes from her books.

[Ted Fairhead]

I always roast lamb shanks.  Then again I try to buy those with a fair amount of meat on them.  The really skinny ones probably would be better braised

Ted

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Could you share some of the details?  My shanks average 500 g (just over 1 lb.), so they have some meat on them.

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Low and slow! Rubbed with olive oil and seasoned. When the meat has shrunk back up the bone, they're done.

I don't use a rack just a pan so that I can finish my potatoes in the fat for the last 20-30 minutes of cooking

[Pam R]

4 of the 6 shanks I cooked today:

Those four were browned, then the mirepoix sweated in olive oil, added black pepper, garlic, tomato paste and a little cake meal (like flour, but not). Then added red wine and chicken stock. Added the browned shanks, covered and into the oven for 1 3/4 hours. Strained the sauce and reduced it by half:

For the other two, I did something similar to Nigella's recipe. Marinated overnight in salt (too salty), fresh orange juice, olive oil, rosemary, garlic, sweet wine and olive oil. Then I roasted it at 300 for 3 hours, turning over every half hour. Glazed with amazing cherry jam and cooked another 10 minutes.

Not dry, but I think I'd start it off with a little more liquid in the pan, covered for an hour or so to start.

[Episure]

I make these in a covered wok over a period of 2 hours on low heat. As suggested above it is the low heat that breaks the connective tissue and these are impossible to overcook.

Nalli Korma

[frenchpeasant]

Does anybody roast lamb shanks?  I've always braised them, but wonder if a long, slow roast would be good.  I'm cooking a few this weekend, and will braise 3 of them . . but I'd like some thoughts on roasting the 4th.

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You will never be disappointed roasting a shank. The trick is a slow oven. The drippings will make a wonderful natural jus. Dont forget a mirepoix in the pan.

[Dejah]

I've found frozen lamb shanks for the first time in our supermarket. It's the weekend and I'll have time to try cooking them.

One package of 3 is marinating in yogurt and garam masala in the fridge for Lamb Shanks and Potato Curry. The other package I'm going to try Jamie Oliver's Baked Lamb Shanks with chopped veg in foil.. Wish I had another package as I'd like to try Nigella Lawson's Lamb shank stew.

There'll be lots left over as there are only two of us eating. Hope they'll freeze well.

[Dejah]

Made the lamb shanks today, and luckily our son, d-i-l and grandson came over to help us eat up all the food! I posted pictures of the finished product in the Dinner! thread.

Here are acouple of prep. pictures:

Lamb shanks with herb butter tucked into slits between the meat and the bone. I had lots left over (recipe was for 4 shanks. I did 3), so I smeared the left over butter on the surface and the vegetables. Instead of chopping the leek, I cut it lengthways and laid them under the other vegetables. I also added celery.

For the curry, I added many small potatoes I picked up at the farmer's market this morning. The recipe called for one potato, diced. What's curry without lots of potato!?

[Chris Hennes]

I just picked up a couple lamb shanks at my butcher on a whim, and wanted to try something a little different with them. I boned them out and am roasting the bones right now. My plan is to then sear and braise the meat in a lamb and vegetable stock based on those bones. Has anyone else tried doing the shanks like that?

[Chris Amirault]

I tried something along those lines once and learned the hard way that you want to tie those boned shanks so that they are uniform and stay more or less coherent when you braise them. Didn't use the bones for stock, though, which seems smart.

[nickrey]

I'm surprised that no-one else has reported cooking their lamb shanks in a pressure cooker. It mimics the effects of low and slow but in a much compressed time frame.

[IrishAdventurer]

I've both roasted and braised lamb shanks many times, to great effect. They're possibly my favourite cut of meat, but I am a fanatical lamb eater. The main difference in how I would prepare them depending on whether I roast or braise them would be trimming the outside: when roasting, I'll leave the extra layer of fibrous fat on the outside, at the thick end. They release lots of tasty fat then. (I've bought shanks that lacked this layer though; shanks I've bought in Ireland and ones I've bought in Germany look very different, but I'm not sure why) For braising, I trim then back to the meat, then seal and braise them. When I first started braising them without trimming, I found the stew/sauce a bit too greasy. They make a great Moroccan style stew with tomatoes, dried apricots, and harissa paste, with a bit of saffron if you choose.

[jbehmoaras]

thats actually the only way i prepare my lamb shanks.

2 seared shanks

a ton of mirepoix with leeks - sweated

a head of garlic smashed

black peppercorns and other spices

half a bunch each of rosemary and thyme

half a bottle of red that matches well

can of tomatoes and half a tube of dbl concentrated tomato paste.

1 hour in the pressure cooker

separate the meat, chinois the broth ... reduce with the meat as far as you want.

add additional vegetables that have been cooked separetely to the meat with its sauce.

generally i have been serving this over polenta ... which i have found works better on the dry side here to sop up the jus.

[Mr Pie]

This is my first post and what better way to start than with lamb shanks. They are an all time favorite in our house!

We only cook them one way and that is in a pan with onions and cardomon. Most importantly they are cooked for a looong time. Typically we will cook them for 2hr stints for two or three nights in a row. The result is a meaty, sticky stew that you could literally eat with a spoon.

[jbehmoaras]

interesting,

can you provide more details with regard to the addition of liquid or technique.

[Mr Pie]

interesting,

can you provide more details with regard to the addition of liquid or technique.

It's super quick to prepare. Brown the lamb and onions in oil in a large pan for a few minutes. Then turn the heat right down, throw in a handful of cardomon pods and a splash of water to ensure the meat doesn't scorch and you are done. Cook for a couple of hours on the first night, a an hour or two on the second and then heat and serve on the third night. Sorry I can't offer any more specifics, I am not one for writing recipes down (or following them either if I am honest)

By the time you get to eating it, it has a really intense meaty flavour. Just the thing as Autumn closes in.

[heidih]

The house is filled with the most wonderful herbal lamby scent. We are moving into crisp nights and shorter days so my mind went immediately to lamb shanks. They are sitting on a bed of onion, garlic, fresh rosemary & sage, and surrounded by big chunks of carrot and small potatoes. They were rubbed with salt, pepper and Dijon mustard and drizzled with home-made saba. I am so looking forward to the first sweet gelatinous bite. There is some raw beet salad in the fridge that will set it off nicely.

Any other recent lamb shank delights?

[LindaK]

That sounds fabulous. Earlier I was admiring the lamb shanks with curry that &roid was showing off over in Cooking with Modernist Cusine. Must be the season.

[FrogPrincesse]

The recipe from Sunday Suppers at Lucques is very good. The shanks are marinated overnight in olive oil, herbs, and garlic, browned, and then braised with white wine and stock, onion, fennel, carrots, and herbs.

I love lamb shanks. They are one of the most succulent cuts of meat.

Edited October 10, 2011 by FrogPrincesse (log)

[JAZ]

I haven't tried it, but this article from Food & Wine suggests that salting lamb shanks a day before braising results in a much better dish. Next time I find some lamb shanks, I'm going to give it a try.

[threestars]

Those are some good looking Shanks Dejah! Saw you're post on the Dinner section. They really look great!

Edited October 10, 2011 by threestars (log)

[Hassouni]

OK, so I'm embarrassed to admit this, given all the Middle Eastern food I cook, but I've never known how to trim shanks. Do any of you do this? There's so much fat and collective tissue and other junk on there that always ends up in the final product. The times I've had shank in restaurants, it was mostly just delicious meat falling off the bone.