Make bone tender Sous Vide Lamb Shanks using sous vide cooking, one of our favorite slow-cooking methods for elevating our lamb recipes.

Seeking the ultimate tender, fall-off-the-bone lamb shanks?

Our easy sous vide lamb shanks deliver incredible tenderness and rich flavor in one incredible dish, just like our lamb ragu. The sous vide cooking method allows the lamb to cook low and slow, breaking down the collagen into a buttery texture while infusing big flavors into the meat.

We provide the perfect cooking time and temperature along with aromatics like garlic and rosemary so your lamb shanks transform into a melt-in-your-mouth masterpiece. A quick broil at the end caramelizes the exterior for textural contrast. Then, serve this showstopper with a decadent red wine reduction that brings the flavors all together beautifully. Follow our recipe for the most luscious, impressive lamb shanks your guests will be talking about forever!

What Are Sous Vide Lamb Shanks?

The sous vide technique is a game-changer for cooking meat due to its precise and controlled method of preparing food. With sous vide recipes, food, in this case, lamb shanks, are placed in a vacuum seal bag and slow-cooked in a heated water bath at a specific temperature, ensuring an even and consistent result. Similar to a low and slow braise, like with our braised lamb shanks, this allows the meat to cook in a controlled heat so that it becomes fork tender without drying out.

For our lamb shanks, we opted for a 48-hour sous vide water bath at 140 degrees F to achieve unparalleled tenderness and flavor. This low and slow cooking process allows for the breakdown of tough connective tissue, transforming the lamb into a fork-tender meat. This cooking method also works for other tough types of meat like oxtail, or pork shanks, like in pork osso buco.

Sous-vide cooking also retains the natural lamb juices and intensifies the marination process, ensuring that every bite is infused with a rich and unique taste. The extended cooking time of sous vide, combined with the precise temperature control, sets the stage for a dining experience that elevates our lamb shanks to a level of perfection that traditional cooking methods simply can’t match.

Sous Vide Lamb Shanks Ingredients

• Lamb Shanks – we find lamb shanks on sale around the holidays at our local grocery store, or all year long from our favorite places to buy meat online.
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Garlic cloves
• Rosemary
• Lemon zest

How to Make These Delicious Lamb Shanks

• First, get your sous vide water bath ready at 140 degrees F.
• Now, take those lamb shanks and pat them dry with paper towels.
• Next, give them a good rubdown with oil, making sure to hit all sides, and then generously season with salt and pepper.
• Moving on, place the lamb shanks in a vacuum-sealed bag, along with whole cloves of garlic and sprigs of rosemary. Seal those bags up.
• After sealing, it’s time to take the bag and submerge it in the water bath.
• Now, let the magic happen—sous vide those sealed lamb shanks for a full 48 hours. It’s a long cooking time, but don’t worry. It’s totally worth it.
• When that time is up, take the lamb shanks out of the bags and pat them dry.
• For the finishing touches, preheat your broiler to high heat. Line a baking sheet with foil.
• Arrange the lamb shanks on the sheet and slide them under the broiler. Don’t forget to rotate them to get that perfect browning on all sides.
• Last but not least, brush those lamb shanks with a rosemary herb compound butter, sprinkle on some lemon zest, and get ready to savor every bite.

What to Serve With Tender Lamb Shanks

Serve up these fork-tender lamb shanks with some roasted green beans, roasted bacon Brussels sprouts and butternut squash, or some creamy mashed potatoes!

Leftovers & Reheating

Store leftover lamb shanks in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can also freeze them for up to 4 months. To do this, we remove the meat from the bone to make it easier to reheat later.

PRO TIP: Before reheating, make sure your lamb shanks come to room temperature.

To reheat: 

1. Stovetop: Place lamb shanks in skillet on medium-high heat. Cook for 10-12 minutes, flipping halfway through or until warm.
2. Oven: Bake at 300 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until warm.
3. Microwave: Heat in 30-second intervals until warm.