Slow cooker lamb shanks
Meltingly tender lamb shanks braised in red wine, tomatoes and herbs — set and forget in the slow cooker for an impressive midweek or Sunday supper.
This is the lazy cook’s way to restaurant-worthy lamb — a hands-off braise that turns tough shanks into meltingly soft meat. The long, slow simmer builds a deep, glossy sauce flavoured with wine, tomato and herbs.
Perfect for a chilly weekend or an easy dinner party when you want something impressive without standing at the hob. Serve with creamy mash, buttery polenta or a bowl of buttery lentils to soak up the sauce.
Ingredients
- 4 lamb shanks — about 1.6–1.8 kg total
- 60 g plain flour — for dusting
- 10 ml sea salt — plus extra to finish
- 5 ml black pepper — freshly ground
- 30 ml olive oil
- 25 g unsalted butter — for frying and finishing
- 2 brown onion — large, peeled and halved
- 3 carrots — medium, thickly sliced
- 2 sticks celery — trimmed and sliced
- 4 garlic cloves — crushed
- 30 ml tomato purée
- 400 g tinned chopped tomatoes
- 250 ml red wine — optional; use extra stock for alcohol-free
- 500 ml lamb stock — or beef stock
- 15 ml Worcestershire sauce
- 15 ml brown sugar
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 bay leaves
- 5 ml cornflour — optional, mixed with cold water to thicken
- 15 g flatleaf parsley — roughly chopped, to garnish
Equipment
- slow cooker
Instructions
Pat the lamb shanks dry with kitchen paper and season all over with sea salt and black pepper. Lightly dust each shank with plain flour, shaking off any excess.
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan on a medium–high hob. Working in batches, brown the shanks for 4–5 minutes per side until a deep mahogany colour forms — do not overcrowd the pan. Transfer each browned shank to the slow cooker.
Reduce the heat to medium. Add the unsalted butter and a little more olive oil to the pan, then add the brown onion, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 8–10 minutes until softened and beginning to caramelise. Add the garlic and tomato purée and cook for 1 minute.
Turn the heat up and pour in the red wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits from the base. Let the wine reduce by about half (2–3 minutes), then add the tinned chopped tomatoes, lamb stock, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, fresh thyme, fresh rosemary and bay leaves. Bring to a gentle simmer for 2–3 minutes to blend the flavours.
Pour the sauce into the slow cooker so it comes halfway up the shanks. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours (or on high for 4 hours) until the meat is falling from the bone.
Carefully lift the shanks out of the cooker onto a tray and cover loosely with foil. Leave to rest for 10 minutes.
Skim off any excess fat from the surface of the sauce in the slow cooker. Tip the remaining sauce into the frying pan and simmer over a medium hob for 6–8 minutes until glossy and slightly reduced — alternatively make a slurry with the cornflour and 15 ml cold water and stir into the simmering sauce for 1–2 minutes until thickened.
Return the shanks to the sauce for 1–2 minutes to heat through, then serve each shank spooned with plenty of sauce and scattered with chopped flatleaf parsley.
Tips
- Brown the shanks well in a hot pan — the caramelised crust is essential for rich flavour.
- If you don’t want alcohol, skip the red wine and use an extra 250 ml lamb stock; reduce a little longer to concentrate flavour.
- Make ahead: cook a day ahead, chill, skim the solidified fat from the surface and reheat — flavours improve overnight.
- To reheat leftovers, warm gently on a low hob or in the oven at 150°C fan/170°C conventional until piping hot.
- If the sauce is too thin at the end, mix 1 tsp cornflour with 15 ml cold water and stir into the simmering sauce a little at a time.
Substitutions
red wine → extra lamb stock, 250 ml
Stays closelamb stock → beef stock, same quantity
Stays closeplain flour → gluten-free plain flour, same quantity
Noticeably differentlamb shanks → beef shin, 4 pieces
Stays close
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 612
- Calories
- 36 g
- Protein
- 18 g
- Carbs
- 44 g
- Fat
- 4 g
- Fibre
- 10 g
- Sugar
- 780 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I cook the shanks in the oven instead of a slow cooker?
Yes — place in a lidded ovenproof dish and braise at 160°C fan/180°C conventional for 3–3½ hours until tender.
How do I know when the shanks are done?
They’re ready when the meat easily pulls away from the bone with a fork and feels very tender; the slow-cooker low setting usually needs about 8 hours.
Can I freeze the cooked shanks and sauce?
Yes — cool completely, then freeze in airtight containers for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating gently.
My sauce is too greasy — what should I do?
Chill the sauce, skim the solidified fat from the surface, then reheat and reduce or thicken with a cornflour slurry.
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