Slow cooked lamb shanks
These melt-in-your-mouth slow cooked lamb shanks are so easy to make – all of the ingredients can be kept in your pantry so you can whip this up on the day! The meat is so tender it will fall off the bone and the red wine sauce will have you mopping your plate.
Ingredients
Method
Ingredients
- 6 New Zealand Lamb Shanks
- 1 packet Maggi Oxtail Soup
- 1 packet Maggi Onion Soup
- 350ml red wine
- 3 whole heads garlic – about 10-12 garlic cloves
Cookware: Roasting dish, frying pan (optional – see Recipe notes).
Method
- Put lamb shanks in roasting dish.
- Mix both packets of soup with the red wine and pour over the lamb shanks.
- Cut unpeeled garlic heads in half and place in roasting pan around the lamb shanks.
- Cover roasting dish tightly with foil and cook on 150-160°C for 3½ hours. Check halfway through cooking time and add more wine if sauce is getting too thick. At this time also turn the shanks over. The meat will be literally falling off the bone.
Recipe notes:
Red wine sauce – Red wine sauce is a classic pairing with lamb shanks, and the wine Is the key to the flavour in this recipe. However, that doesn’t mean you need to buy an expensive bottle! Any bottle of pinot noir, cabernet sav or merlot will work brilliantly to pull your sauce together.
Lamb shanks – To get some extra flavour infused into your lamb shanks, try browning them in a frying pan before roasting. The best thing about lamb shanks is that they’re very hard to overcook. Shanks are from the lower leg of the lamb and are an inexpensive, tough cut of meat. Slow cooking them breaks down the tough meat and softens it into the melt-in-your-mouth lamb you’re looking to enjoy!
Herbs and spices – Thyme, rosemary and bay leaves all make excellent additions to this recipe. Use liberally with salt and pepper for extra flavour.
FAQ
What should I serve with lamb shanks?
Slow cooked lamb shanks are perfect with creamy mashed potatoes with a side of greens, or with fresh crusty bread or flatbread to mop up all the juices!
Can I make this without alcohol?
The wine is the key to the flavour in this recipe, so it’s difficult to emulate the taste without the wine itself. However, if you can’t consume alcohol, you can substitute the wine for some low sodium beef stock (1 cup), water (1 cup) and Worcestershire sauce (about 1 tbsp). You could also add some tomato paste and crushed tomatoes to deepen the flavour.
Can I cook this in the slow cooker instead?
Yes – cook the lamb shanks on low for about 8 hours in the slow cooker.
What wine should I use in this recipe?
See Recipe notes – Red wine sauce.