Recipe video above. A classic way to prepare shanks, these are slow cooked in a deeply flavoured red wine sauce until they are meltingly tender. You can't taste the red wine at the end, it completely transforms into a rich sauce. Make this in the oven, on your stove or even in a slow cooker - instructions provided for all!Note: This is my original lamb shanks recipe. There is also a more involved Restaurant-style red wine lamb shanks version in my cookbook which is more "fine-dining" style and involves an overnight marinade. See Note 7 for more information!
Prep time: PT20M
Cook time: PT210M
Rating
4.95 stars (389 reviews)
Keywords
Lamb Shanks, red wine sauce for lamb shanks
Ingredients
4 lamb shanks (, around 13 oz / 400g each (Note 1))
1 tsp EACH cooking/kosher salt and pepper
2 - 3 tbsp olive oil (, separated)
1 onion (, finely diced (brown, yellow or white))
3 garlic cloves (, minced)
1 cup carrot (, peeled, finely diced (Note 2))
1 cup celery (, finely diced (Note 2))
2 1/2 cups red wine ((full bodied (good value wine, not expensive! Note 3))
800 g / 28oz can crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 cups chicken stock (, low sodium (or water))
5 sprigs of thyme ((preferably tied together), or 2 tsp dried thyme)
2 dried bay leaves ((or 4 fresh))
Mashed potato (, polenta or pureed cauliflower)
Fresh thyme leaves (, optional garnish)
Categories
Main
Cuisine
Western
Steps
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F (all oven types - fan and standard).
Season shanks - Pat the lamb shanks dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Brown - Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large heavy based pot over high heat. Sear the lamb shanks in 2 batches until brown all over, about 5 minutes. Remove lamb onto a plate and drain excess fat (if any) from the pot.
Sauté aromatics - Turn the heat down to medium low. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the same pot. Add the onion and garlic, cook for 2 minutes. Add carrot and celery. Cook for 5 minutes until onion is translucent and sweet.
Braising liquid - Add the red wine, chicken stock, crushed tomato, tomato paste, thyme and bay leaves. Stir to combine.
Add shanks - Place the lamb shanks into the pot, squeezing them in to fit so they are mostly submerged. (Note 1)
Oven 2 hours covered - Turn stove up, bring liquid to a simmer. Cover, then transfer to the oven for 2 hours (see notes for other cook methods).
Uncovered 30 minutes - Remove lid, then return to the oven for another 30 minutes (so 2 1/2 hours in total). Check to ensure lamb meat is ultra tender - if not, cover and keep cooking. Ideal is tender meat but still just holding onto bone.
Remove lamb onto plate and keep warm. Pick out and discard bay leaves and thyme.
Sauce - Strain the sauce into a bowl, pressing to extract all sauce out of the veggies (Note 5 for repurposing the veggies). Pour strained sauce back into pot. If needed, bring to a simmer over medium heat and reduce slightly to a syrupy consistency (see video) - I rarely need to. Taste then add salt and pepper to taste (Note 5 on sauce taste).
Serve the lamb shanks on mashed potato or cauliflower puree with plenty of sauce! Garnish with thyme leaves if desired.
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 624 kcal
Carbohydrates: 31 g
Protein: 42 g
Fat: 25 g
Saturated Fat: 5 g
Cholesterol: 117 mg
Sodium: 1260 mg
Sugar: 16 g
Unsaturated Fat: 19 g
Reviews
Judith on 2026-09-10 (5 stars): I have tried many of your recipes.
Easy to follow and always delicious.
Love your chatty website.
Thanks Nagi 🙌
Michelle Richardson on 2026-09-03 (5 stars): This recipe was honestly outstanding! The lamb shanks were incredibly tender and practically fell apart with the fork. The flavour was rich, deep and absolutely delicious, with the sauce being the perfect combination of hearty and comforting.
Allan on 2026-08-19 (5 stars): I’m an ex executive chef I have worked in 5 star hotels and resorts in Australia and parts of Asia and London in my younger years.
I have not bought a cookbook for many years but I saw one of your cookbooks at a friends house and was very impressed I have one of your books and I love it as a former professional chef you have nailed it ! a great combination of dishes you have a classic approach and the way you utilise store produce and advice is great for cooking in a home kitchen so well done . I often look up recipes from you to get ideas ! The lamb shank recipe is now my go to in the winter months!
Thanks for reigniting the fire again in this (semi )old chef ! Cheers!
Pam Heays on 2026-08-14 (5 stars): Hi Nagi, I made this two nights ago and yes! Everything was perfect. The lamb fell off the bone (I had to be careful positioning it atop the mashed potatoes) and all the diners, including me, were impressed visually and loved the flavour. The left over sauce and strained veges were creatively added to some rice for my student's school lunches! All gone.
I first saw you on Masterchef Nagi, and have made quite a few of your recipes ( crisp corn fritters for instance yum) and now, if I want a recipe using something in my fridge or pantry, I search under Tin Eats first. There is always a great recipe from you there and I trust the recipe without question! I'm so glad I found you. You are such a cheerful bubbly personality, I wish I could meet you! (Not likely of course. I'm in NZ). All the best. Pam
Kathy on 2026-08-10 (5 stars): I used my slow cooker from Step 7 on. 2 hours on Medium and 1.5 hours on low. They were almost ready to fall off the bone. After straining the sauce I had to heat it om medium to medium-high for almost 20 minutes to get the right consistency to go over mashed potatoes. I then let it sit for a few minutes and skimmed off most of the fat. This was the best of several lamb shank recipes I’ve made over the years.5 stars for sure!
Sam Hill on 2026-04-19 (5 stars): I cooked this in the slow cooker after browning the shanks off in a pan first.
It was delicious!
nomashwaree muthialu on 2026-04-16 (5 stars): I cooked the lamb shanks in a slow cooker. It was brilliant. The flavours in the gravy were deep and intense and the colour was fantastic - exactly like in the picture. The family loved it. I halved the canned tomatoes.
marie p affa on 2026-04-10 (5 stars): OMG! This is a 5-star. The lamb fell off the bone, the sauce amazing. would not change a thing. Did not cook at the 350... my oven runs hot so I did it at 300. Perfect!!!
Linda Guzzardo on 2026-03-12 (5 stars): Wonderful dish. Best lamb shank recipe I’ve ever made.
Eka on 2026-03-11 (5 stars): Great recipe! Cooked in my slow cooker for 8 hours overnight, The lamb shanks smell, look and taste incredibly delicious! Thank you Nagi!
