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Lamb shanks are the argument for owning a slow cooker. They’re one of the cheapest cuts on the shelf, they’re impossible to overcook by the low-and-slow method, and after eight hours the meat gives way at the touch of a fork.
There is one step most slow cooker shank recipes leave out, and it’s the one that separates a good result from a great one. It’s at the end, not the beginning.
This serves 4 and takes about 8 hours on low.
Brown them first. Yes, really.
Every slow cooker recipe says this and plenty of people skip it. With shanks, skipping it costs you more than usual.
A slow cooker runs wet and never gets above about 95°C, which is well below the temperature at which meat browns. Nothing in the pot will develop that flavour later — whatever colour you put in is what you get out. Ten minutes in a hot pan gives you a deeply browned crust that dissolves into the sauce over eight hours, and it’s most of the difference between shanks that taste rich and shanks that taste boiled.
Brown the flour-dusted shanks hard on all sides, then deglaze the pan with the wine and scrape everything into the cooker. The stuck-on bits are the point.
The step everyone misses: reduce the sauce
At the end of eight hours you’ll have tender shanks sitting in a large quantity of thin, pale liquid. A slow cooker traps every bit of steam, so nothing evaporates and nothing concentrates. Serve it as-is and the sauce tastes watery no matter how good the shanks are.
Lift the shanks out, pour the liquid into a saucepan, and boil it hard for 8–10 minutes until it’s reduced by about half and coats the back of a spoon. That’s it. Ten minutes, one extra pot, and it turns the dish around completely.
If you want it thicker still, whisk in a teaspoon of cornflour slaked in cold water once it’s reduced.
Red wine, or not
A cup of red wine gives depth and acidity that cuts the fattiness of the lamb. Any dry red will do — this is not the place for anything you’d be sad to cook with. A New Zealand pinot noir or a syrah both work well.
Without wine, use an extra cup of beef stock plus a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. You need the acidity from somewhere; stock alone makes a flat, heavy sauce.
How many shanks
One large shank per person is generous, and two smaller ones per person is not unusual for big eaters. Four shanks of about 400 g each is the right amount for this quantity of liquid — crowd in more and they won’t sit in the sauce properly.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to brown lamb shanks before slow cooking?
It makes a real difference. A slow cooker never gets hot enough to brown anything, so whatever colour and flavour you don’t build in the pan, you never get. Ten minutes of hard browning is the single highest-return step in the recipe.
Why is my slow cooker sauce watery?
Because nothing evaporates in a sealed slow cooker. Lift the shanks out at the end, strain the liquid into a saucepan and boil it hard for 8–10 minutes to reduce it by half. Almost every slow cooker recipe skips this and it’s why the sauce disappoints.
How long do lamb shanks take in a slow cooker?
8 hours on low, or 5 on high. Low is better — the collagen breaks down more gently and the meat holds together on the bone instead of shredding into the sauce.
Can I cook lamb shanks from frozen?
Not safely in a slow cooker. The meat spends too long in the temperature range where bacteria multiply. Thaw them fully in the fridge first.
What can I use instead of red wine?
An extra cup of beef stock with a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. You need acidity from somewhere, or the sauce ends up flat and heavy against the fatty lamb.
How many lamb shanks per person?
One large shank each is generous. If they’re small — under 350 g — allow two for a big appetite.
What do I serve with them?
Mashed potato is the standard, and it’s standard because it’s right — you want something to catch the sauce. Creamy polenta, kūmara mash, or soft white beans all work.
Can I make them ahead?
Yes, and they improve overnight. Cook, cool, refrigerate in the sauce, then reheat gently. Reduce the sauce on the day you serve rather than the day you cook.
Variations
- Rosemary and anchovy — two anchovy fillets melted into the vegetables. Nobody will taste anchovy; everybody will notice the depth.
- Moroccan — swap the wine for stock, add 1 tsp each of cumin, coriander and cinnamon, and finish with chopped coriander and preserved lemon.
- Tomato and olive — add a tin of chopped tomatoes and a handful of kalamata olives in the last hour.
- Mint — a tablespoon of mint sauce stirred into the reduced sauce at the end, which is the very Kiwi version.
| Prep Time | 20 minutes |
| Cook Time | 8 hours |
| Servings |
servings
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- 4 lamb shanks about 400 g each
- 2 Tbsp plain flour
- 2 Tbsp oil
- 1 onion diced
- 2 carrots cut into chunks
- 2 sticks celery sliced
- 4 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 cup dry red wine 250 ml
- 2 cups beef stock 500 ml
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Ingredients
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- Pat the shanks dry and season well. Dust them all over with the flour, shaking off the excess.
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Brown the shanks hard on all sides, 8–10 minutes in total, working in two batches so the pan stays hot. Transfer to the slow cooker.
- Turn the heat down to medium and cook the onion, carrot and celery in the same pan for 5 minutes, then add the garlic for a further minute. Tip into the slow cooker.
- Pour the wine into the hot pan and let it bubble for a minute, scraping up everything stuck to the base. Pour this over the shanks.
- Add the stock, tomato paste, rosemary, bay leaves and brown sugar to the cooker. The liquid should come about two-thirds of the way up the shanks.
- Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 5. The meat is ready when it pulls away from the bone with no resistance.
- **Lift the shanks out carefully** and keep them warm. Strain the liquid into a saucepan, discarding the rosemary stalks and bay leaves.
- Boil the liquid hard for 8–10 minutes until reduced by about half and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Taste and season.
- Return the shanks to the sauce to warm through, and serve over mashed potato or creamy polenta with the sauce spooned over.