Crock Pot Lamb Shanks With Red Wine

Lamb shanks are a tough but delicious cut of meat that's taken from the lower part of the animal's leg. Given the modest amount of fat with respect to other cuts of lamb, shanks are best when slow-cooked as the long cook and low temperature allow the muscle tissue to break down, making it succulent and tender. Our recipe for lamb shanks in red wine is a great and easy recipe to make the most out of this budget-friendly cut of meat. A mixture of onions, fresh herbs, carrots, celery, and seasonings gets a bold infusion from red wine to make a cooking liquid in which the shanks will tenderize to fall-off-the-bone perfection. Serve this cut with mashed potatoes and a salad for a delicious dinner, easy to make during the week, but also special enough for a weekend gathering. You'll need to plan ahead, as the shanks might take from seven to 10 hours depending on the slow cook setting you choose.

Lamb shanks can be part of other tasty preparations once cooked. Use this slow-cooked meat to stuff sandwiches, wraps, or tacos, or add it to soups and stews. Because the shanks come with the bone, the high amount of collagen that melts when cooking the shanks aids in making a delicious and thick sauce. You usually buy a shank per person, and each one weighs about half a pound to a pound. Our recipe makes four servings, which is a generous meal considering you'd likely offer side dishes. If you can, choose shanks that are closer to a pound in weight than half a pound to offer a satisfying meal.

Consider using syrah, malbec, merlot, cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir, or tempranillo wine for the recipe. Use a wine that you'd enjoy by the glass, as there is no amount of cooking that can hide a bad quality wine. The better the wine, the better the sauce.