Slow Cooker Lamb Shanks Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Do you have to brown lamb before slow cooking? ›

No, you don't have to brown lamb before slow cooking. The meat will still become moist and fall-off-the-bone tender. However, the slow cooker will never be hot enough to brown the meat, so if you decide to skip this step be aware that the finished dish may look paler than expected.

Braised or slow-cooked is best way to cook lamb shanks.

Because they are a tougher cut, the best way to cook lamb shanks is by braising or slow-cooking them in the oven until the meat is fork-tender and the marrow has melted into the rich sauce.

The lamb in the slow-cooker was juicier than that from the oven, but lacked the oven lamb's exterior crispy bits (we love crispy bits). The solution was to take the vegetables and lamb from the slow cooker and run them under the broiler to crisp things up a bit. We'd eat either version again in a heartbeat.

No, lamb shanks don't have to be completely covered in liquid, but they also can't be dry roasted. In a slow cooker, the steam trapped inside from any added liquids will be enough to cook the shanks.

Slow-cooking lamb requires patience. While cooking, resist the urge to keep checking on the lamb and refrain from opening the oven or slow cooker. Opening the lid or foil too often will lower the temperature and extend the cooking time, making the meat less juicy and tender.

To keep a pot roast from drying out, your slow cooker needs liquid to create a moist environment, and that can include meat or vegetable stock, wine or water. This doesn't mean the meat should be submerged; a cup or two of liquid will be enough, since the cooker is covered and liquids stay trapped inside.

There is no need to rinse raw lamb before cooking because this creates a cross-contamination hazard and is not necessary. Any bacteria which might be present would be destroyed by cooking.

You'll need a large Dutch oven or heavy pot with a lid. The lamb shanks are browned on the stove first and then slow cooked in the oven for a couple of hours.

Lamb shanks are often braised whole; veal shanks are typically cross-cut. Some dishes made using shank include: Bulalo, a Filipino beef shank stew. Ossobuco alla milanese, an Italian veal shank dish.

Season your lamb shoulder with rosemary and garlic, or even just a little salt and pepper. Sear the lamb shoulder in a hot pan to seal in the flavours if you wish, this is not compulsory however, slow cooking it as is works just as well.

Can you leave lamb in slow cooker too long? ›

Cuts like the shoulder, shanks and forequarter are much more forgiving than a leg of lamb, and they can stay in the slow cooker for a couple more hours than the recommended cooking time. However, if you leave lamb in the slow cooker for too long it will become stringy and dry.

Lamb is quite a strong flavour, so can withstand plenty of flavourings. Most recipes use chicken or vegetable stock, as lamb stock can be too strong for this quantity.

The name of the gamey is milk

According to Livestrong, leaving lamb to marinate in milk for a few hours, or even overnight, is an effective method to mellow out that gamey smell. After soaking, you can just pull the meat right out of the marinade and then rinse it before cooking.

"Browning, or caramelizing, meat before putting it into a slow cooker isn't 100 percent necessary, but it is well worth the effort for the most flavorful and full-bodied end result," he says. "The caramelized surface of the meat will lend rich flavor and color to the finished dish."

Searing over high heat caramelizes the surface of the meat, which enhances the savory 'meat' flavor and fills the finished dish with complex layers of nutty caramel and coffee-like bitterness. In technical terms, this is called a Maillard reaction and it's a flavor profile we omnivores happen to find quite delicious.

It can also be good to brown meat to give it some colour, but again, this is not essential.