Beer Braised Lamb Shanks are stellar when made with a dark beer like Guinness Stout. Some recipes call for cooling beer braised lamb shanks after they are cooked then refrigerating overnight until the fat has hardened and can be removed. An added bonus is that the dish only tastes better the next day. Once you remove all the fat just reheat the lamb shanks with the braising liquid until heated through and serve. To thicken the braising liquid and turn it into a glossy sauce, see the note at the end of the recipe for how to make a thickening slurry or Beurre Manié.
Ingredients
- •4 lamb shanks
- •Salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
- •2-3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- •2 large shallots, peeled and chopped
- •8 ounces sliced cremini mushrooms
- •4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
- •2 carrots, chopped
- •2 celery stalks chopped
- •2 tablespoons tomato paste
- •355 ml (1½ cups) Guinness Stout or other dark beer
- •473 ml (2 cups) beef broth
- •2 sprigs fresh thyme
- •2 sprigs fresh parsley
- •1 sprig fresh rosemary
- •1 bay leaf
Preparation
Season lamb shanks generously with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown and sear the shanks on all sides in batches, approx 10 minutes. Remove shanks and set aside.
Pour off all but 1-2 tablespoon of the remaining oil and drippings if needed. Add the shallots and mushrooms to the pot and cook until just starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, carrots, celery and tomato paste and cook 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
Pour in the beer in and stir and scrape up all of the brown bits in the bottom of the pot. Return the shanks to the pot and pour in the beef stock. Turn the heat to high and bring the liquid to a boil. Tie the herb sprigs into a bundle with twine and add them and the bay leaf to the pot.
Once boiling, lower the heat to medium-low and cover. Simmer* for 2-2½ hours, turning the shanks halfway through, or until the meat is almost falling off the bone. Remove the shanks and set aside.
Skim off fat from the cooking liquid in pan and discard. Remove the herb bundle and bay leaf and discard. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the sauce or braising liquid to a boil. Allow to simmer and reduce to preferred consistency. Serve the shanks with sauce or gravy**. If desired, plate on top of mashed potato, polenta or pureed cauliflower, with fresh thyme, rosemary, or parsley for garnish.
* To cook in the oven: Pre-heat the oven 177°C (350ºF). Instead of braisi8ng on the stove top, cover the pot and transfer into the oven. Allow to braise slowly for 2-3 hours until the lamb is soft and succulent. Check on the lamb shanks half-way through cooking and add more stock if necessary. Remove from the oven and serve.
To cook in a slow-cooker: Once the shanks are seared and the vegetables are pan fried transfer, shanks and veggies to large crockpot along with the remainingingredients. Cover and cook on low 10-12 hours or on high 5-6 hours.
**Simmering the braising liquid after the lamb shanks are removed from pan help to reduce it to a nice and rich sauce. If you prefer to add corn starch to the braising liquid use 1 tbsp corn starch + 2 tablespoons cold water to make a slurry (for gravy) then stir into the pan sauce and simmer until thickened, or you can also make a Beurre Manié – equal parts flour and butter (1 tbsp each usually does the trick) whisked into the pan sauce and then simmer until thickened.