When winter approaches and the sun sets early, the last thing you want to do is start cooking dinner after a long day at work. As the days shorten it’s time to get out your slow cooker or sous vide, and FPE chef Geoff has the perfect recipe to please a crowd (DC Norris sous vide allows for larger meal prep in a commercial kitchen) or family. While this recipe only takes half an hour to prepare, it will cook for 4 to 48 hours to bring out the delicious flavours and tender lamb you can look forward to. Prepare this meal in advance — it’s perfect if you are away for a night or two, or want to create a treat to look forward to mid-week. It’s the perfect dish for a lamb-loving Aussie family when there’s not enough time to do a traditional Sunday Leg of Lamb. You’ll come home to a delicious-smelling kitchen with dinner almost ready to serve.
Sous vide lamb shanks recipe
Make sure you have the ingredients ready to go, and 30 minutes to set everything up. You can create the recipe in sous vide for the full 48 hours, or if you want to enjoy the meal that day, cook in a slow cooker on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours.
Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 30mins
Cooking time: 48 hours Sous Vide; or 8 hours on low in slow cooker; or 4 hours on high slow cooker
Lamb shanks sous vide ingredients
- 4 lamb shanks from the butcher
- 3 tbsp seasoned flour (salt and pepper)
- Olive oil
- 1 diced onion
- 4 cloves of garlic chopped
- 2 diced carrot
- 1 stick of celery diced
- 1/4 tsp of dried chilli flakes (adjust heat to your liking)
- 3tbs of tomato paste
- 200ml red wine
- 200ml lamb or beef stock
- 2 sprigs of rosemary
- 2 bay leaves
Preparation:
- Dust lamb shanks in seasoned flour and in a hot-oiled pan and seal each side of the lamb shanks until brown on all sides.
- Take shanks out of the pan and place into the slow cooker OR a large sous vide bag to fit all ingredients.
- Add a little more oil if needed and in the hot pan add the onions, garlic, carrots, celery and chilli and pan fry until onions are translucent.
- Add the remaining seasoned flour to the vegetables in the pan, stirring in and cooking for a further 1 min. Don’t worry if the pan starts to stick and gets a little dark, it adds to the flavour.
- Pour red wine into the vegetable mix and let reduce by half (the flour will thicken this up).
- Whisk in tomato paste and lamb/beef stock until combined and most lumps have been removed.
- Pour the vegetable mix over the lamb shanks in the slow cooker OR into the sous vide bag, the meat should be nearly covered with the liquid.
- In the slow cooker OR sous vide bag, add the rosemary and bay leaves. Place lid on slow cooker or heat seal sous vide bag, taking out as much air as possible.
- Place in the fridge overnight or turn the slow cooker on if cooking right away.
Cooking lamb shank in the sous vide or slow cooker
Sous vide – Set temp to 65ºC for 48 hours
Slow cooker 4 hours – Turn on high setting
Slow cooker 8 hours – Turn on low setting
Serving lamb shanks sous vide
Serve lamb shank on a bed of mashed potato (or mashed garlic sweet potato or even creamy polenta), with green vegetables of your liking. My favourite is pan-fried broccolini in butter, but you can choose steamed greens such as bok choy, broccoli or spinach for a healthy option.
You could even pair the lamb shanks with a side salad of green apple, fennel, toasted walnuts and capers, with a lemon and olive oil dressing, to add a fresh twist of contrasting flavour.
Prepare this delicious slow-cooked lamb shanks recipe ahead of time for a hearty meal
Enjoy moist, tender lamb shanks for dinner with this proven recipe that elevates the flavour of the meat. This recipe serves four, so you can cook it for the family, double the quantity or store it in the fridge overnight for your next meal if there are leftovers.
Looking for another mid-week recipe for your slow cooker? Geoff’s Guinness Irish Stew is a one-pot dish that’s hearty and tasty.
Frequently asked questions
How do you cook lamb in a sous vide?
Our chef recommends cooking lamb shanks in the sous vide for 48 hours at 65 degrees. This allows flavours from the herbs and wine to infuse the lamb, and it breaks down the connective tissue, creating a tender and mouth-watering result.
Can you overcook lamb in a sous vide?
Sous vide cooks lamb gently at a low temperature for an extended period of time, allowing the meat to become soft and melt in the mouth. Cheaper cuts of lamb and other red meats that can be chewy if cooked for a short time, make it an ideal choice for cooking in the sous vide.
Should I put butter in my sous vide bag?
You could add some flavoured butter to the sous vide bag to add a rich flavour and help to bring out the herbs and spices, however, this recipe does not require it. Omitting butter in the cooking process will not result in dry lamb shanks, the meat will still be moist and tender.
