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Most recipes for braised lamb shanks call for either red or white wine as part of the braising liquid. This can add a touch of acidity and complexity to your sauce and give a great depth of flavour. But is it necessary? Can you make incredible slow-cooked lamb shanks without using wine? It turns out you can.

I spent some time developing a recipe that resulted in bright, complex and vibrant flavours while not detracting from the delicious flavour of the lamb and also not requiring any wine.

Using a mixture of spices, umami boosters and other techniques, these braised lamb shanks are sure to be a hit whenever you decide to serve them.

How to Make Lamb Shanks Without Wine

Before we get started with anything, you need to preheat your oven to 150°C/300°F. Then set a large, heavy Dutch oven over high heat. Add about a tablespoon of neutral oil and heat it until it is barely smoking.

Meanwhile, generously season your lamb shanks with salt and pepper.

Place them in the pot being careful not to overcrowd and sear them until they’re deeply golden brown on one side before flipping and searing on the other side. You’re likely going to need to do this in batches so as not to overcrowd the pot.

Once you’ve seared all of your lamb shanks (plan for about five minutes per side), remove them from the pot and set them aside on a plate for later. Reduce the heat to medium.

Now, add your anchovies, sliced shallot and garlic. I like using shallots in this recipe because I love the mellow flavour they lend to the dish, however, go ahead and use a thinly sliced yellow onion if you don’t have shallots. It’s really not a big deal.

Sautee the shallots and garlic until they soften quite a bit and the anchovies are mostly dissolved, making sure to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot as they release their moisture – about five minutes or so.

Cooking the shallots, garlic and anchovies

Using anchovies is going to add a complex umami flavour rather than any fishiness. You can leave them out, however, the flavour will likely fall a bit flat. They really do add something special to the dish, which is why I call for them here and in my other stews – like my beef stew recipe.

Once your shallots have softened, add your spices. I call for whole fennel seeds, ground cumin, ground coriander seed and chili flakes for a little bit of heat.

All of these add a delicious, bright and unique flavour to the lamb shanks that make it taste a lot lighter than some more traditional lamb shank recipes — especially ones that call for red wine.

Cook the spices just until they get very fragrant before adding your tomato paste. Stir in the tomato paste and cook until it begins to caramelize a bit, it turns a bit darker red and gets slightly sticky – about 2 minutes or so.

This step helps cook out the tinny flavour that can some in tomato paste and helps to build a more complex flavour.

Now, sprinkle over just a bit of flour. This will help to thicken the sauce slightly. I like to use flour rather than corn starch as it has more staying power.

Using corn starch will mean, when it comes to reheating the next day (which you may do if you have some leftovers!), the sauce will be runny again. A sauce thickened with flour won’t have this problem.

Cook the flour for another two minutes or so, just to get the raw flour flavour cooked out. Deglaze the pot with some fish sauce and apple cider vinegar.

The fish sauce lends the same quality as the anchovies do (it will not make the lamb shanks fishy, I promise) and the vinegar adds a lovely touch of acidity that is necessary when making this recipe without wine. This is such a fantastic ingredient and it really shouldn’t be reserved for simply stir fry sauces.

Return the lamb to the pot along with any accumulated juices. Then add a couple of halved carrots and ribs of celery (these will lend all of their flavour to the sauce while braising and we will remove them at the end).

Add a few sprigs of thyme (tied together with some butcher’s twine for easy removal), a couple of bay leaves and, finally, a few strips of lemon zest removed with a vegetable peeler.

Adding the lamb shanks and aromatics to the pot

Then, pour some chicken stock over the lamb. Bring everything up to a gentle simmer before partially covering the pot. Transfer the pot to the oven.

Plan to cook the lamb shanks for about three hours, or until the meat is incredibly tender and nearly falls off the bone. Check on the shanks about halfway through and flip them over if they aren’t fully covered by the braising liquid.

Once the shanks are cooked, remove the pot from the oven. Remove the lamb shanks and set them on a plate. Discard the carrots, celery, bay leaves, thyme and lemon zest.

Set the pot over medium heat and bring the liquid to a vigorous simmer. Let it simmer for about ten to fifteen minutes, just to reduce and thicken the sauce slightly.

Lamb shanks after simmering for few hours — Lamb shanks after simmering for a few hours

Once the sauce is where you like it, add the lamb shanks back into the pot to coat them in the sauce. Then, all you need to do is serve! This dish goes very well over a side of mashed potatoes, polenta or alongside a crisp broccoli salad.

Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks Without Wine

These braised lamb shanks use a variety of bright flavours that result in a vibrant and hearty meal you're sure to love without the need for any wine!

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Servings 4

Prep Time 20

Total Time 3 20

Ingredients

4 lamb shanks
2 medium shallots thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic thinly sliced
2 anchovy fillets
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp whole fennel seeds
½ tsp ground coriander seed
¼ tsp chili flakes
2 tbsp tomato paste
25 g (3 tbsp) flour
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 large carrots halved
3 ribs celery halved
6-8 sprigs thyme tied in a bouquet garnis
2 bay leaves
3 strips lemon zest removed with a vegetable peeler
750 ml (3 cups) chicken stock

Instructions

Preheat oven to 150°C/300°F. Heat one tablespoon of neutral oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat until just smoking.
Season the lamb shanks generously with salt and pepper and lay them in the pot, being careful not to overcrowd — you may have to work in batches. Sear on one side until deeply golden brown before flipping and repeating on the other side, about 5 minutes per side. Remove from the pot and set aside on a plate.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the shallots, garlic and anchovies along with a generous pinch of salt. Cook until the shallots begin to soften and the anchovies are mostly dissolved, about 5 minutes, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot as the shallots release their moisture.
Add the cumin, fennel, coriander and chili flakes. Cook until very fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the tomato paste and cook until the paste darkens and gets sticky, about 2 minutes longer. Sprinkle the flour over the tomato paste mixture and cook for another 2 minutes or so.
Pour over the vinegar and fish sauce and cook until it is slightly reduced, only about 30 seconds to one minute.
Return the lamb shanks to the pot along with any accumulated juices. Add the carrots, celery, thyme, bay leaves and lemon zest.
Pour over the chicken stock and bring the mixture up to a simmer. Partially cover the pot and transfer to the oven. Cook for about 3 hours or until the lamb is incredibly tender and almost falling off the bone, flipping the lamb shanks over once halfway through.
Remove the pot from the oven. Transfer the lamb shanks to a plate and set aside. Remove the carrots, celery, thyme, bay leaves and lemon zest from the pot and discard.
Put the pot on the stovetop over medium-low heat and allow the sauce to simmer vigorously for 10-15 minutes, just until it reduces enough to thicken slightly. Return the shanks to the pot to coat in the sauce. Portion out and serve.