Slow Cooker Lamb Shanks

one lamb shank covered with glistening red wine sauce.

4.80 from 29 votes

These tender slow cooker lamb shanks are simmered in a rich, flavorful red wine sauce until the meat falls off the bone.

Prep Time20

Cook Time8

Course: Beef, Pork and Lamb

Cuisine: British

Servings: servings

Calories: 455kcal

Author: Adina

Equipment

Slow cooker or crockpot

Ingredients

4 lamb shanks
1 ½ tablespoon all-purpose flour divided
3 tablespoons vegetable oil divided
1 onion large
3 carrots medium
3 celery sticks
5 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup dry red wine 250 ml, Note 1
2 cups lamb stock 500 ml, Note 2
¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon rosemary
1 teaspoon thyme
4 bay leaves
2 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar optional, Note 3
more fine sea salt and black pepper

Instructions

Season meat: Place the lamb shanks in a large container, sprinkle them with about ½ to 1 tablespoon flour, salt, and pepper, and rub them to coat. Pat gently to remove the excess flour.
4 lamb shanks + 1 ½ tablespoon all-purpose flour + salt + pepper
Brown lamb shanks: Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large pan. Brown the meat on all sides; it will take about 10 minutes. Turn them often to make sure that all the sides are nicely colored. Transfer the meat to the slow cooker.
Chop the vegetables while the meat browns. Finely chop the onion and the garlic. Peel and cut the carrots at an angle into relatively larger pieces, and cut the celery sticks into small pieces.
1 onion + 3 carrots + 3 celery sticks + 5 garlic cloves
Brown vegetables: Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan. Brown the vegetables for about 3 minutes, stirring often. Add tomato paste and about ½ tablespoon flour (you can use the leftover flour from flouring the shanks). Stir well.
1 tablespoon of the oil + 2 tablespoons tomato paste + ½ tablespoon flour
Add liquids: Pour in the red wine and stir well for about one minute. Add the stock, fine sea salt, black pepper, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves. Pour the liquid into the slow cooker over the meat.
1 cup dry red wine/ 250 ml + 2 cups lamb stock / 500 ml + ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt + ½ teaspoon ground black pepper + 1 teaspoon rosemary + 1 teaspoon thyme + 4 bay leaves
Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours.
Check: Make sure that the meat is tender. Check with a fork; you should be able to pull the meat off the bone easily. If they are not quite there yet, give them another 30 minutes, then check again until they are as tender as possible. Remove the meat pieces from the crockpot with a slotted spoon. Keep warm until you make the sauce.
Cornstarch slurry: Pour the contents of the slow cooker into a large pan. Whisk the cornstarch with a bit of cold water in a small bowl until you have a thick yet pourable paste.
2 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
Thicken gravy: Once the sauce starts to boil gently, start whisking in the cornstarch mixture. Stir well and let bubble gently until the sauce thickens to the desired consistency; it should take 2-4 minutes.
Adjust the taste with salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar, and sugar (if necessary, see Note 3).
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar + 1 teaspoon sugar + more fine sea salt and black pepper

Notes

Choice of wine: Medium range price, full-bodied red wine. It should be a good quality brand, but it doesn’t have to be super expensive. I tend to buy something that costs between 5 and 10 euros (6-10 dollars).
Stock: You can replace the lamb stock with beef or chicken stock.
Sugar is not always necessary; it depends on the wine's acidity. Only add it if you think the sauce needs it.

Nutrition