Slow-Cooked Lamb Shanks in Red Wine

Method

Tap a step to highlight it, or turn on Cook Mode for large type and step-by-step focus.

1. Heat the oven to 160°C / 320°F. Pat the shanks dry and season them with the salt and pepper.

   Mark done

2. Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole over medium-high heat. Brown the shanks in two batches, 8 minutes for each, turning them, until deep brown all over. Lift them onto a plate.

   Mark done

3. Lower the heat to medium and add the onion, carrots and celery to the pot. Cook for 8 minutes, stirring, until soft and lightly coloured. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.

   Mark done Start 8 min timer

4. Pour in the wine and scrape up the browned bits from the base of the pot. Boil for 5 minutes, until reduced by about a third.

   Mark done Start 5 min timer

5. Add the stock, redcurrant jelly, rosemary, thyme and bay leaves. Return the shanks and any juices to the pot, so that the liquid comes about two-thirds of the way up them. Bring to a simmer, cover with the lid and put the pot in the oven.

   Mark done

6. Cook for 2 hours, turning the shanks once halfway through. Take off the lid and cook for 30 minutes more, until the meat is very tender and coming away from the bone and the sauce has thickened.

   Mark done Start 2 hr timer

7. Lift the shanks onto a warm plate. Skim the fat from the sauce, remove the herb stalks and bay leaves, and boil the sauce on the hob for 5 minutes if it is thin. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

   Mark done Start 5 min timer

8. Serve each shank on mash with plenty of the sauce spooned over and a sprinkle of parsley.

   Mark done

Chef’s Tips

• Brown the shanks properly. The dark crust is where most of the sauce's flavour comes from, so do not crowd the pot.
• Keep the oven at 160°C. A harder boil shrinks the meat and toughens it before the connective tissue has had time to melt.
• Cook it the day before if you can. The shanks are better reheated in their sauce, and the fat sets on the cold sauce so it is easy to lift off.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the usual stand-in when you are out of fresh garlic — it will not caramelise the same way, but it carries the flavour.

Pairing Suggestions

• Mashed potato or kūmara mash
• Steamed green beans
• A glass of red wine

Storage & Reheating

Keep in the fridge in the sauce up to 3 days and reheat gently, covered, until hot all the way through. Freeze for 3 months.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.