Lamb Shank/Knuckle - Best recipe?

techead

techead

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Im gonna whip out my slow cooker again and get some lamb shank on the go... Did one ages ago and it was a realy winner, so much flavour and the SO was so impressed!

its been a while, but Im craving a lekker slow cooked lamb shank with paramesean mash!

this is one of my personal, tried and tested favs

http://southernfood.about.com/od/lambrecipes/r/r71221i.htm (I leave out the mushrooms)

what are your tips? :)
 
I do mine sous vide then finish them off on a cast iron pan. Scrumptious.
 
Make an Al boat, place lamb shank/knuckle in boat. Add red wine, onion and chopped tomatoes to boat. Sprinkle a good dollop of your favourite herbs (mixed herbs works well) over everything in the boat. Fold over the top of the Al boat to 'seal' everything inside. Cook in the oven/weber/gas braai for around 90min at a temp around 150°C. Open the boat, turn the meat and cook for another 30min in the open boat. Turn the meat again if it looks as though it's drying out.

You end up with a really tender piece of meat with a very tasty gravy!
 
A potjie is easy. Chuck everything and cook until it's soft.

There's plenty of room for error. That's the great about stews.

The bad news about stews is that you do need to know the basics.
 
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ponder said:
I hate it when people don't brown the meat first.
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Out of curiosity, why?

I was planning lamb shanks in the weber on Sunday, whilst trawling the world wide web, came back home to MyBb and this post....
I have seen a number of recipes where they want you to prep the meat by browning it and Sealing in the juices, or rolling it in flour and spice before slow cooking, but in the end , I think it's just arty farty cooking and a schlep...

Just my two cents..
 
Mortymoose said:
Out of curiosity, why?

I was planning lamb shanks in the weber on Sunday, whilst trawling the world wide web, came back home to MyBb and this post....
I have seen a number of recipes where they want you to prep the meat by browning it and Sealing in the juices, or rolling it in flour and spice before slow cooking, but in the end , I think it's just arty farty cooking and a schlep...

Just my two cents..
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It adds flavour and more aesthetic appeal.
 
Mortymoose said:
Out of curiosity, why?

I was planning lamb shanks in the weber on Sunday, whilst trawling the world wide web, came back home to MyBb and this post....
I have seen a number of recipes where they want you to prep the meat by browning it and Sealing in the juices, or rolling it in flour and spice before slow cooking, but in the end , I think it's just arty farty cooking and a schlep...

Just my two cents..
Click to expand...

All the best cooking is arty farty :p

I find it adds some crunchiness and texture to the outside of the meat, and in general you want as much browning of meat as possible without losing moisture. Compare meat from a slow cooker to meat from a grill and you'll see a huge difference in flavour.

For lamb shank, nothing (IMO) beats slow cooking in red wine in the oven, in a cast iron pot. The aroma in the house after a couple of hours in the oven is unbelievable. Something like this recipe.
 
Mortymoose said:
Out of curiosity, why?

I was planning lamb shanks in the weber on Sunday, whilst trawling the world wide web, came back home to MyBb and this post....
I have seen a number of recipes where they want you to prep the meat by browning it and Sealing in the juices, or rolling it in flour and spice before slow cooking, but in the end , I think it's just arty farty cooking and a schlep...

Just my two cents..
Click to expand...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maillard_reaction

You get way better flavour, texture difference on the outside and it looks more yummy.

It's not arty farty but it does require extra prep time. The oxtail I do is a fscking mission But the end result is awesome.
 
My personal recipe for the slow cooker, perfected through much trial and error:

Lightly season shanks with salt and pepper. Brown the shanks under the grill in the oven and fry up some finely chopped onion, celery and carrot with some garlic on the stove until soft and aromatic. While that is happening, mix one cup red wine, lamb stock, tomato paste (good quality), about 2 tablespoons each worcestershire sauce and HP sauce in a mixing/measuring jug or bowl with about a cup of water (depends on the size of your slow cooker, you want the liquid halfway up the side of the cooker).

Cover the bottom of the slow cooker with the veg and nestle the shanks on top. Pour over the wine mix. Add a sprig or two of FRESH rosemary and a bay leaf. Pop on the lid. Let cook for 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low (depends on size of shanks) or until meat is all tender and falls off the bone. Strain the liquid, thicken in a pot and serve.
 
Car_B_OM said:
My personal recipe for the slow cooker, perfected through much trial and error:

Lightly season shanks with salt and pepper. Brown the shanks under the grill in the oven and fry up some finely chopped onion, celery and carrot with some garlic on the stove until soft and aromatic. While that is happening, mix one cup red wine, lamb stock, tomato paste (good quality), about 2 tablespoons each worcestershire sauce and HP sauce in a mixing/measuring jug or bowl with about a cup of water (depends on the size of your slow cooker, you want the liquid halfway up the side of the cooker).

Cover the bottom of the slow cooker with the veg and nestle the shanks on top. Pour over the wine mix. Add a sprig or two of FRESH rosemary and a bay leaf. Pop on the lid. Let cook for 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low (depends on size of shanks) or until meat is all tender and falls off the bone. Strain the liquid, thicken in a pot and serve.
Click to expand...

You'll get much better caramelization if you do the same basic recipe in a dutch oven inside your oven.
 
cerebus said:
You'll get much better caramelization if you do the same basic recipe in a dutch oven inside your oven.
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but a slow cooker wont burn down the house if we let the lamb shanks cook while we go to work.
 
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