Name: Slow cooker lamb shanks with red wine sauce
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 510 min
Total time: 520 min
Yield: 4-6
Ingredients: 6 lamb shanks; 410g canned tomatoes with tomato paste; 250ml red wine; 250ml chicken stock; ½ cup caramelised onion relish, plus extra to serve; 2 bunches Dutch carrots, trimmed

Lamb shanks are made for slow cooking. No other recipe heralds the start of winter like melt-in-your-mouth slow cooker lamb shanks braised in a red wine sauce served upon a cloud of mashed potato.

It might look like a sophisticated meal, but slow cooking lamb shanks is actually very easy – all it takes is to let the slow cooker do the work for you.

Ingredients

6 lamb shanks

410g canned tomatoes with tomato paste

250ml red wine

250ml chicken stock

½ cup caramelised onion relish, plus extra to serve

2 bunches Dutch carrots, trimmed

Method

Put all ingredients except carrots in the bowl of a 5.7L slow cooker.

Stir to roughly mix together then place bowl in appliance.

Cover with lid and cook on low setting for 8 hours.

Remove lid and add carrots. Cover with lid and cook on high for a further 30 minutes.

Remove bowl from appliance, remove lid and season to taste. Serve with extra tomato chutney and your side dish of choice, whether it be mashed potato, potato bake, steamed beans or the best ever green vegetable bake.

Slow cooker lamb shanks in red wine sauce plated up next to steamed beans and carrots

Do you need to brown lamb shanks before slow cooking them?

BHG‘s senior food editor Sarah Murphy says “If you want depth of flavour, then yes, browning lamb shanks before you put them into the slow cooker is essential.” Browning the lamb also results in a more visually appealing end result, as meat tends to turn grey when cooked. That being said, if you’re in a rush and don’t have time to brown the meat, the recipe will still work.

Is it better to slow cook lamb shanks in a slow cooker or in the oven?

This really depends! If you want to cook lamb shanks in a ‘set and forget’ style manner, then using a slow cooker is a great option. Because slow cookers use such a low heat, you can pop all of the ingredients into the appliance early in the morning, set the timer for anywhere from 6-12 hours and come home to a steaming hot meal. Using a slow cooker means less moisture will evaporate during the cooking process and you’ll end up with plenty of sauce (slow cooker recipes often call for smaller amounts of liquid than traditional oven-based slow cooking recipes).

Cooking lamb shanks in the oven is quicker, with many recipes calling for about 3 hours cooking time in the oven (as opposed to 6-12 hours in a slow cooker). Slow cooking lamb shanks in the oven will also create more caramelisation and more flavour.

Better Homes and Gardens

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