netmouse: (Default)
netmouse ([personal profile] netmouse) wrote2007-11-01 11:09 am

Dear friend the internets...

Do you have a favorite recipe for lamb shanks?

[identity profile] jvowles.livejournal.com 2007-11-01 05:54 pm (UTC)(link)
The same ingredients that work fabulously for the boneless leg-o-lamb that I make for Christmas Eve dinner should do you just fine:

small amount olive oil
copious amounts of rosemary
a fair amount of thyme
several cloves of fresh garlic, smashed/diced/chopped
Juice of 1/2 lemon (or more depending on amount of lamb)
ground black pepper and a pinch of sea salt

The trick with lamb, as a rule, is to NOT overcook it. With shanks, too, it pays to cover the bone bits so they don't scorch. With the leg, I tend to sear it in a hot pan before I toss it in the oven, which helps to keep the juices in.

"copious amounts" with herbs means, for me, several tablespoons of the dried stuff, ground up roughly with a mortar & pestle, and then a sprig or two of fresh stuff in and around the meat.

[identity profile] peculiaire.livejournal.com 2007-11-01 06:30 pm (UTC)(link)
(pedantic bit not at all meant to detract from your delicious-sounding recipe)

Searing does not sear any juices in - in fact, it slighty decreases the juiciness of the meat. It's a good idea to sear, though, because the Maillard reaction (i.e. golden-brown and delicious crust that forms on your meat) means that the lamb shank will be more flavorful and will get our mouths watering to the point where we won't need any extra juices.

See: http://www.foodreference.com/html/art-searing-browning-foods.html
and: http://www.cheftalk.com/forums/open-forum-harold-mcgee/15730-sear-not-sear.html

I think I may very likely try your recipe myself, though. :)
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[identity profile] netmouse.livejournal.com 2007-11-01 06:38 pm (UTC)(link)
So are there any standard rules of thumb you follow for how long to cook it, at what heat?