Slow cooker lamb shanks

How to make easy slow cooker lamb shanks

Lamb shanks: Get 1 lamb shank per person. The lamb is the real star of the show here. Lamb shanks lend themselves so well to slow cooking because they have a good amount of connective tissue, which break down during the cooking process, resulting in incredibly tender meat that just falls off the bone.

Vegetables

• Carrots: The go-to vegetable for casseroles and stews, adding a touch of sweetness and a pop of colour to the sauce.
• Celery. Celery-haters, take note: carrot and celery are a classic flavour-boosting combo when it comes to slow cooking and the base for so many meat-based sauces. Trust me, you won’t get any of that raw celery flavour once it’s been reduced in the slow cooker for several hours.
• Onion: Rounding out the flavour trifecta, onions are one of the unsung heroes of this recipe, adding a subtle sweetness. I used a regular brown onion for those classic lamb stew flavours.
• Potatoes. Potatoes bulk up the stew and add heartiness. They also help thicken the sauce slightly as they cook, so if you do choose to omit them, you may need to reduce the sauce in the slow cooker slightly after removing the lamb shanks.
• Garlic. This recipe calls for 2 cloves, but if you don’t have any fresh garlic to hand you can substitute the 2 cloves with ¼ tsp garlic powder, if you wish.

Sauce ingredients and seasoning

• Crushed tomatoes: Crushed tomatoes provide the base for the sauce and add a little acidity to balance the richness of the lamb. I like to use canned crushed tomatoes instead of canned whole tomatoes to give the best sauce consistency.
• Red wine: Red wine and lamb shanks are a classic pairing. Don’t worry, it won’t taste of wine: the alcohol cooks off during slow cooking, leaving behind a richer flavour profile.
• Thyme: I tested with four fresh sprigs, but if you can’t get hold of fresh thyme, you could substitute with 1 tsp dry thyme instead.
• Bay leaves: Bay leaves add a subtle background warmth and complexity to the overall flavour of this lamb shank stew. You can skip if you don’t have them to hand, but bay really does help balance the flavours.
• Flour: Use a little plain flour to lightly coat the lamb shanks before browning. This helps thicken the sauce as the meat cooks in the slow cooker.
• Beef stock cubes: A great little hack for amping up the ‘meatiness’ in this slow-cooked lamb shank dish.

Cooking

• Place flour, salt and pepper and lamb shanks in a plastic bag and shake.
• Step 2
  Heat olive oil in a large frying pan on a medium heat. Transfer lamb shanks to frying pan and cook for approx. 5 minutes or until brown all over. This will seal the lamb shanks before you transfer them to the slow cooker.
• Step 3
  While the lamb shanks are browning, place the carrots, celery, potatoes, onion and tomatoes into your slow cooker.
• Step 4
  In a separate bowl, add crushed garlic, red wine, water and crushed stock cubes. Stir until all ingredients are combined.
• Step 5
  Now place cooked lamb shanks on top of vegetables then pour sauce over the top. Season with salt and pepper and stir in thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Turn slow cooker onto high and cook for 6 hours or low for 8-10 hours.
• Step 6
  Once cooked, serve with warm crusty bread.