Maple and Orange-Glazed Lamb Shank Braise
Before You StartIf you have time, sprinkle the lamb shanks generously with salt up to three days before cooking. Let the salted meat sit in the fridge on a rack (uncovered). If you're short on time, you can apply salt right before you start cooking, within 3 minutes.
Servings: 4 people (one shank each)
Equipment
- Shallow casserole pot with a lid, approximately 30cm in diameter. It needs to be big enough for the shanks to fit comfortably in one layer.
Ingredients
- Tablespoon olive oil
- 4 lamb shanks
- 500 ml stock – meat or vegetable (note)
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 Tablespoon soft dark brown sugar 25g
- 2 Tablespoons malt vinegar 30g
- peel of an orange (note)
- juice from an orange
- 2 rosemary sprigs
Instructions
- Baking Paper – using the casserole pot lid as a guide, cut out a round of baking paper and set aside.
- Preheat Oven – to 150°C.
- Brown Meat – preheat the pot over medium heat. If you haven’t done this in advance, generously salt the meat all over. Add the oil. Increase the heat to maximum and brown the meat well on all sides. This will take a few minutes each side. Transfer to a plate (or the upturned lid of the pot) once done.Tablespoon olive oil4 lamb shanks
- Braising Liquid - add all other ingredients to the pan, whisk together and bring to a simmer. Use a flat-ended wooden spatula to scrape off any stuck-on bits from the meat and mix them into the sauce. Return the shanks to the sauce – bony side down. Top up with a touch more water if needed to bring the liquid level about a third of the way up the shanks. Bring to a simmer.500 ml stock – meat or vegetable¼ cup maple syrup2 Tablespoon soft dark brown sugar2 Tablespoons malt vinegarpeel of an orangejuice from an orange2 rosemary sprigs
- Cover - tuck the sheet of baking paper over the top of the shanks and then put on the lid. Transfer to the oven.
- Cook - for 2 ½- 3 hours until very tender. How do you know when the shanks are done? If, when you gently poke the meat with fork tines or the tip of a butter knife, it easily yields and appears like it could separate into shreds.
- Increase Oven Temperature – to 200°C.
- Transfer and Strain - gently lift the shanks out of the sauce with tongs and place them in a smaller baking dish (they will have shrunk a little). Keep them bony side down. Pick out and discard the orange peel and rosemary stalks. If the braising liquid is very thick and syrupy, add a touch of water and whisk to loosen. Strain the sauce through a sieve into a bowl or container, making sure to incorporate the sauce that collects on the underside of the sieve too.
- Baste – brush some of the sauce over the shanks.
- Brown - transfer the shanks (uncovered) to the oven. Cook for another 15 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling hot and the meat is crispy in parts.
Notes
Stock - if using my veg stock paste, use 1 tablespoon in 500ml water.
Orange Rind – try to source an unwaxed/organic orange. If not, wash the rind thoroughly to get rid of any wax before using.
Make Ahead
Complete the recipe up to and including step 8 ('Transfer and Strain'). Cover the shanks closely to protect them from drying out. Allow them to cool slightly, then transfer to the fridge for up to 3 days or freezer for up to 3 months. Chill or freeze the sauce separately. The advantage of chilling the sauce is that the fat will form a layer on the top which can be easily scraped away and discarded. If frozen, defrost the meat and sauce in the fridge overnight the day before serving. Remove from the fridge while the oven is preheating to 200°C. Baste the shanks with the sauce and complete the ‘Brown’ step.
Reheat Leftovers
Cover shanks with foil and reheat in a 150°C oven for around 20 minutes, until warmed through.
Scale Up
This is easy to scale up, provided you have a big enough baking dish for the shanks to lie flat (or share between several).