These Braised Lamb Shanks are slow cooked until fall apart tender and smothered in a rich sauce. This is a restaurant quality dish that's easy to make at home.
Preheat the oven to 350º Fahrenheit (175º Celsius)
Season the lamb shanks on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large pan on medium high heat and sear the shanks on all sides (approx 8 minutes). Once seared, set aside on a plate.
Add the garlic, onion, celery and carrot to the pan and saute for 5 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften.
Add the balsamic vinegar, tomato paste, beef stock, thyme, bay leaves, salt and pepper to the pan and give everything a stir. Bring to a gentle simmer. Once simmering return the lamb shanks to the pan and spoon some of the sauce overtop. Cover with a lid and cook in the oven for an 1 1/2 hours.
After 1 1/2 hours of cooking, flip the shanks over and return to the oven to cook for 1 more hour, but with the lid off (this will brown the shanks and help the sauce to thicken).
After a total of 2 1/2 hours in the oven, the lamb shanks should be fall apart tender. Serve them with veggies or mash and lots of the sauce poured overtop.
Slow Cooker Braised Lamb Shanks
Follow steps 2 and 3 above in a pot on the stove and then transfer the sauteed garlic and vegetable mixture to the slow cooker. Alternatively if your slow cooker has a saute function you can do steps 2 and 3 in the slow cooker.
Add the balsamic vinegar, tomato paste, beef stock, thyme, bay leaves, salt and pepper to the pan and give everything a stir. Return the lamb shanks to the pan and spoon some of the sauce overtop. Cook them on high heat for 6 hours or low heat for 8 hours.
Once the lamb is very tender, place the lamb shanks on a baking tray and keep warm in the oven (this will also help to caramelize the edges of the shanks). Turn the slow cooker back to sauté/sear (or alternatively pour all of the sauce in the slow cooker into a pot on the stove) and leave the sauce to simmer for 10-15 minutes until it has reduced by approximately half. Serve the lamb shanks with the sauce poured overtop.