Name: Simple, Succulent, Roasted & Braised Lamb Shanks
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 3 h
Total time: 7 h 15 min
Yield: 3
Cuisine: Mediterranean-inspired
Ingredients: 3-4 lamb shanks, well-trimmed; 2 garlic cloves, crushed and peeled; 2 TB fresh rosemary leaves (about 3 branches); 3/4 tsp coarse sea salt; 1/2 tsp ground black pepper; 2 TB extra virgin olive oil, divided; 1 TB red wine vinegar; 1 medium onion, peeled, cut into 6 pieces; 2 Roma tomatoes, quartered; 1.5 c water; 1 tsp bouillon* (Optional; see Notes)

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Restaurant quality lamb shanks have never been easier to cook for dinner!

All you need is a good old-fashioned dutch oven, a few simple ingredients, and a few hours (while you are doing other things) to create incredibly fragrant and succulent roasted and braised lamb shanks.

These shanks are deeply flavored with rosemary, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, a couple of veggies, and seasonings. It couldn’t be simpler!

Simple Succulent Roasted Braised Lamb Shanks_main_800px

And, remember that just because something isn’t quick to make, doesn’t mean it isn’t easy to make. Although this recipe doesn’t use a pressure cooker, instant pot, crockpot, or any other kind of time-reducing conventional device, the sacrifice of cooking time is more than worth it in the end!

What you will need to make roasted and braised lamb shanks: Ingredients & Tools

I think what I love most about this recipe is that the ingredients are as simple as the method of cooking these delicious shanks. Inspired by Mediterranean flavors, let’s take a look at the lineup:

Simple Succulent Roasted Braised Lamb Shanks_uncooked shanks in pot topview_1200px — Well-trimmed lamb, onion, herbs, tomatoes and seasoning create the perfect foundation to a delicious main dish.

Ingredients

Lamb shanks [trim them yourself, or ask the butcher to do it for you to S.Y.L.! (simplify your life)]
Garlic cloves
Coarse sea salt
Ground black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
Red wine vinegar
Fresh rosemary
An onion
Roma tomatoes or any super red and juicy kind
Bouillon paste (I love using the Better Than Bouillon brand!)
Water

Tools

Cutting board
Sharp knife
Large bowl to marinate the shanks
Dutch oven (I love using this one because it’s cast iron, enameled for easy cleanup, and lid seals very efficiently)

How to cook lamb shanks to be fall-of-the-bone tender: Step-by-step

1. Prep and marinate the lamb shanks

Well-trimmed lamb shanks will ensure that make the lamb is easy to eat, plus it will allow for an amazing jus minus the three (3) inches of melted fat on top of it (ew!).

Marinating the lamb for a few hours will deeply infuse it with flavors that counterbalance the barnyard-y taste that lamb is often famous for. Therefore, these are two important steps that you DO NOT want to skip.

Simple Succulent Roasted Braised Lamb Shanks_trimmed lamb shanks_1200px — Put your local butcher to work by trimming the lamb shanks for you!

Trim the shanks

Okay, so there are two ways to trim your lamb shanks:

1) Ask your local butcher to trim off the fat and fell to save you some extra time and effort, OR

2) Do it yourself! All you need to do use a sharp knife to cut off the excess fat. Then, use the tip of the knife to separate the fell (the papery white membrane around the meat) from the flesh. Pull the fell off of the shanks to remove it thoroughly (watch how to remove the fell.)

Once trimmed, gently make small incisions around each shank to allow the marinade to penetrate.

Marinate the shanks

Good job! Now, place the shanks into a large bowl and layer on the seasonings: Crushed garlic, fresh rosemary (pulled right off the stem), coarse sea salt, ground black pepper, half of the olive oil, and red wine vinegar.

Simple Succulent Roasted Braised Lamb Shanks_marinate lamb shanks_1200px — A great marinade for lamb is made with olive oil, vinegar, garlic, rosemary and seasoning.

Give those shanks a good rub down to work in the marinade. Then, cover the bowl with a lid, plate, or plastic wrap and allow the lamb to marinate in the fridge for at least 3-4 hours.

2. Place the marinated lamb shanks into a dutch oven with onion & tomato

The humble onion and tomato create a lovely backdrop to fatty lamb. As they cook, they release sweet, acidic, and savory flavors to the dish. And a little branch of rosemary creates an earthy perfume that balances out the grassy-funk that lamb can sometimes have.

Simple Succulent Roasted Braised Lamb Shanks_uncooked shanks in pot sideview_1200px — Sweet and savory onions pair well with sweet and acidic tomatoes to cut through the fattiness of lamb meat.

Dump the shanks and marinade into the dutch oven. Arrange the onion and tomatoes around and between them so they will have room to brown a bit. Drizzle the remaining oil over the vegetables. You can add an extra branch of rosemary on top if you wish (makes it pretty).

3. Roast the lamb shanks to brown evenly, then braise until super succulent

What’s the difference between roasting and braising lamb shanks?

Great question, my friend! Roasting the shanks first allows for the lamb to caramelize and brown evenly on all sides. It is a dry cooking method that uses high heat (oven, grill, or open fire) to give food beautiful color and thorough cooking.

However, when cooking lamb shanks, a tougher cut that contains more fat and collagen, braising takes the baton to finish the race to succulence! Braising is the process of searing meat before adding liquid and cooking it in a covered pot at low heat for an extended amount of time.

Instead of sauteing or searing, I chose to roast the lamb for a more hands-off experience (because I had laundry to wash). And the braising method really breaks down the muscle fibers so the meat is able to relax and literally fall off the bone. It’s amazing how this works!

Simple Succulent Roasted Braised Lamb Shanks_roasted braised lamb shanks topview_1200px — Roast the shanks to caramelize and then braise to make them uber tender.

How to roast and braise lamb shanks

First, cover and roast the lamb shanks at 400 F for 1 hour while you find yourself something else to do…or NOT do (smiling). Just be sure to set your timer so you don’t end up with lamb jerky (that would be tragic).

When the hour is up, reduce the oven temperature to 350 F. Carefully uncover the dutch oven (watching the hot steam!) and pour in the water (or broth) around the shanks.

Next, add the bouillon (which can be skipped if watching your sodium intake or if using broth) by stirring it into the water with a spoon. Don’t worry if it does not completely dissolve. Just hold the dutch oven at both ends (using oven mitts, of course) and swirl the seasoned water around a bit to blend everything together.

Cover and return to the oven to braise for an additional 1.5-2 hours.

And, voila! You have just made Simple Succulent Roasted & Braised Lamb Shanks like a pro! I’m scared of you!

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What to eat with lamb shanks?

Mary had a little lamb and she also had some sides to go with it’s shanks (chuckling)! Here are some of my tried and true side dishes to make your lamb dinner complete.

Watch how to make roasted & braised lamb shanks

Simple, Succulent, Roasted & Braised Lamb Shanks

Yield: 3 Servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours

Additional Time: 4 hours

Total Time: 7 hours 15 minutes

If you are looking for a simple and elegant main dish for dinner, reserve a little time to prepare these fall-of-the-bone tender lamb shanks. This lamb is marinated for deep flavor, roasted until caramelized and, braised in a good old-fashioned dutch oven with rosemary, tomatoes, and onions, until succulent. You will see why this dish is totally worth the wait!