Saba-Braised Lamb Shanks
As mentioned, lamb needs to be cooked at a very low temperature over a long time.
Recipe Summary Saba-Braised Lamb Shanks
If you're looking for a foolproof, wintry braised meat dish, this is virtually impossible to screw up! The only way to screw this up is to undercook the meat. The sauce has no thickeners, just pure 100% natural goodness.Ingredients | Smoked Lamb Shank Internal Temperature4 lamb shanks2 tablespoons olive oil2 teaspoons kosher salt1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper1 teaspoon smoked paprika1 teaspoon ground cinnamon½ teaspoon dried rosemary1 large onion, sliced6 cloves garlic, crushed1 cup chicken broth⅓ cup saba½ teaspoon chopped fresh rosemaryDirectionsPreheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).Place lamb shanks into a large bowl; drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, cinnamon, and rosemary. Toss the lamb shanks to spread oil and seasonings over the meat.Spread onion slices and garlic cloves into the bottom of a heavy 9x12-inch baking dish. Lay lamb shanks over onions and garlic.Bake lamb in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C).Combine chicken broth and saba in a bowl. Pour mixture over the lamb shanks. Cover baking dish tightly with foil and place baking dish on a baking sheet.Bake lamb in the oven until a knife pierces the meat easily, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. The meat will be tender but not falling off the bone. Use tongs to turn the shanks over in the pan sauce. Increase temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).Return shanks to oven and bake, uncovered, until meat is fork-tender and the sauce has thickened slightly, 10 to 15 minutes. Turn shanks over in the sauce after 10 minutes and check for tenderness; if still not tender enough, return to oven for 10 to 15 more minutes and test again.Transfer lamb shanks to a bowl and keep warm. Strain pan juices into a saucepan and place over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring often, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Skim any excess grease from top of sauce. Taste and season with salt; stir in fresh rosemary. Serve sauce drizzled over lamb shanks.Saba, or "mosto cotto", is a kind of cooked grape juice--a sweet syrup made with the remnants ("must") from the winemaking process. It's similar to an aged balsamic vinegar. You can find it very easily online or at a fancy cheese or gourmet shop.You can substitute an aged balsamic vinegar for the saba.Info | Smoked Lamb Shank Internal Temperatureprep:
20 mins
cook:
3 hrs 30 mins
total:
3 hrs 50 mins
Servings:
4
Yield:
4 servings
TAG : Saba-Braised Lamb ShanksMeat and Poultry Recipes, Lamb, Shanks,