Chef Johns Braised Lamb Shanks Recipes

BEER-BRAISED LAMB SHANKS

Steps:

• Season lamb shanks with salt and pepper.
• Heat olive oil in a deep-sided pan or pot over medium-high heat. Add lamb and cook, turning as needed, until browned, about 5 minutes. Remove from pan and reduce heat to medium.
• Place chopped onion, carrot, celery, and garlic in the pan. Season with a large pinch of salt. Cook and stir until vegetable juices start to come out, about 2 minutes. Add tomato paste and stir to coat, about 1 minute. Pour in beer and stir in rosemary. Raise heat to high and bring sauce mixture to a simmer.
• Toss lamb shanks in with the sauce mixture. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer until lamb is nearly fork-tender, flipping lamb after 1 hour, about 2 hours. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature, at least 30 minutes. Refrigerate, 8 hours to overnight.
• Skim the fat off the top of the sauce, if desired. Cover and bring lamb to a simmer over low heat. Flip and continue simmering until meat is fork-tender and nearly falling off the bone, about 45 minutes. Place lamb shanks in a bowl to keep warm.
• Bring sauce to a boil over high heat. Boil until reduced by half but not too thick, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and cayenne pepper. Plate the lamb shanks and spoon sauce on top.

BRAISED LAMB SHANKS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Place the onions in a layer in the bottom of a Dutch oven or medium roasting pan with a lid. Arrange the lamb shanks on top of the onions. Pour the wine, balsamic vinegar and olive oil over the lamb. Place a clove of pressed garlic next to each shank, and a quarter of a lemon on each side. Pour the tomatoes over everything, then season with salt, pepper and basil.
• Cover and place in the preheated oven. Cook for 3 hours. Use juices from the pan to make a nice flavorful gravy.

JINX-PROOF BRAISED LAMB SHANKS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Place lamb shanks into a roasting pan and drizzle with olive oil; season with salt, black pepper, dried rosemary, and thyme. Toss lamb shanks to coat with oil and seasonings.
• Roast in the preheated oven until lamb is browned, about 30 minutes.
• Reduce oven heat to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat; cook and stir onion, celery, and carrot in the hot butter until onion is browned, about 10 minutes. Stir flour into vegetables until combined; mix in garlic. Cook and stir for 1 more minute.
• Pour red wine into vegetable mixture, stir to combine, and mix in chicken stock, water, balsamic vinegar, and cinnamon. Pour sauce over lamb shanks in the roasting pan. Cover roasting pan with aluminum foil, sealing foil loosely so that the sauce can reduce slightly as it cooks.
• Bake lamb shanks for 1 hour; flip lamb shanks and place foil back on dish. Continue baking until a fork inserts easily into the meat, about 1 more hour. Transfer lamb shanks to a large bowl, cover with foil, and let rest for 10 minutes.
• Pour braising liquid into a saucepan, place over high heat, and boil for 10 minutes, skimming fat as it reduces and thickens slightly. Stir chopped rosemary into sauce, check levels of salt and pepper, and serve lamb shanks with pan sauce.

SABA-BRAISED LAMB SHANKS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Place lamb shanks into a large bowl; drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, cinnamon, and rosemary. Toss the lamb shanks to spread oil and seasonings over the meat.
• Spread onion slices and garlic cloves into the bottom of a heavy 9x12-inch baking dish. Lay lamb shanks over onions and garlic.
• Bake lamb in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C).
• Combine chicken broth and saba in a bowl. Pour mixture over the lamb shanks. Cover baking dish tightly with foil and place baking dish on a baking sheet.
• Bake lamb in the oven until a knife pierces the meat easily, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. The meat will be tender but not falling off the bone. Use tongs to turn the shanks over in the pan sauce. Increase temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Return shanks to oven and bake, uncovered, until meat is fork-tender and the sauce has thickened slightly, 10 to 15 minutes. Turn shanks over in the sauce after 10 minutes and check for tenderness; if still not tender enough, return to oven for 10 to 15 more minutes and test again.
• Transfer lamb shanks to a bowl and keep warm. Strain pan juices into a saucepan and place over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring often, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Skim any excess grease from top of sauce. Taste and season with salt; stir in fresh rosemary. Serve sauce drizzled over lamb shanks.

CHEF JOHN'S BRAISED LAMB SHANKS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Generously season lamb shanks with salt and black pepper.
• Heat vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Place lamb shanks in the Dutch oven, cook, turning, until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer shanks to a plate. Drain off remaining oil and fat so only 1 tablespoon remains in the Dutch oven.
• Stir onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt into the Dutch oven; decrease heat to medium-low and cook, stirring, until onions are softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste, chipotle chile powder, ancho chile powder, and ground cinnamon; stir to combine.
• Pour 1 cup chicken broth over onion mixture. Increase heat to high; when liquid boils, place lamb shanks in Dutch oven. Cover and cook in the preheated oven for 90 minutes.
• Remove Dutch oven and stir in jalapeno pepper, red bell pepper and 1/2 cup chicken stock; bring to a boil on the stovetop. Return pan to the oven and cook, uncovered, until lamb shanks are fork tender, about 20 minutes. Transfer lamb to plate.
• Place Dutch oven on the stovetop over high heat; bring liquid to a boil and cook, skimming off any foam, until liquid is reduced and thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in cilantro; season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon sauce over lamb shanks and serve.

BRAISED LAMB SHANKS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat the olive oil in a large, deep Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. Season the lamb shanks with salt and pepper and cook, in batches if necessary, turning with tongs, until well browned, about 10 minutes each batch. Remove the lamb shanks with tongs to a plate and set aside.
• Stir the onions, carrots, rosemary, bay leaves, and garlic into the dutch oven and cook, stirring, until the onions are very soft, about 5 minutes. Add 2 1/2 cups of the wine and deglaze the pan. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes. Taste for seasoning.
• Return the lamb shanks to the pot and braise the mixture, tightly covered, in the oven for 1 hour. Uncover and braise for 2 more hours, turning the shanks every 30 minutes. Stir in the turnips and the remaining 1/2 cup of the wine, and continue to braise, in the oven for 30 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• While the lamb shanks are braising, make the gremolata: chop together the rosemary, orange zest, and garlic. Place each lamb shank on a serving plate, top with the vegetables, sprinkle with gremolata and serve immediately.