- 1PreheatPreheat the oven to 160°C (fan-forced 140°C). You'll need a heavy oven-proof casserole with a tight-fitting lid — a cast-iron Dutch oven is ideal.
- 2Season and searPat the shanks completely dry. Season generously with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in the casserole over high heat until shimmering. Sear the shanks in batches, 3-4 minutes each side, until deeply browned on every surface. Set aside on a plate.
- 3Build the baseReduce heat to medium. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil and the onions, carrots and celery. Sauté for 8-10 minutes until the vegetables are golden and the onion is translucent. Add the crushed garlic and cook 1 minute more.
- 4Toast the tomato paste and flourAdd the tomato paste and flour to the pan and stir constantly for 2 minutes until the mixture darkens slightly and smells nutty. This is the key to deep flavour — don't skip it.
- 5Deglaze with winePour in the red wine and scrape the base of the pan with a wooden spoon to lift all the browned bits (that's flavour). Bring to a simmer and reduce for 3-4 minutes until the wine has lost its raw alcohol smell.
- 6Add stock and tomatoesStir in the beef stock and tinned tomatoes (crushing the tomatoes with the back of the spoon). Add the rosemary, thyme and bay leaves. Return the shanks to the pan, nestling them into the liquid — the sauce should come about two-thirds of the way up the shanks.
- 7Braise slowBring to a gentle simmer, cover with the lid, and transfer to the oven. Braise for 2.5 hours, turning the shanks once at the halfway mark. The lamb is done when the meat is tender enough to be pulled with a fork but hasn't yet fallen off the bone.
- 8Reduce the sauceCarefully lift the shanks onto a serving platter and cover loosely with foil. Place the casserole back on the stove over medium-high heat and simmer the sauce, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes until it thickens to a glossy gravy. Discard the herb stems and bay leaves. Taste and season.
- 9ServeSpoon generous mounds of creamy mash onto warm plates. Sit a shank on top, ladle the sauce and vegetables over, and scatter with fresh parsley. Serve with the rest of the Shiraz you opened for the pan.
Perth has three good winter dishes. Roast pork belly is one, a proper pumpkin soup is another, and lamb shanks slow-braised in red wine is the third — and unarguably the best of the three. THE BUTCHER BOX head butcher grew up on this exact recipe in a small country pub outside Bunbury; the version below is what our subscription customers have been asking for a proper write-up of for two winters running.
Australian grass-fed lamb shanks are one of the great value cuts. They're the muscle just above the hock — a hardworking bit of the leg, packed with connective tissue that transforms slowly at low temperature into unbelievable, spoonable, melt-in-your-mouth gelatin. Cheap, forgiving, and dramatically better than any restaurant version once you learn the technique.
Why lamb shanks are perfect for a slow braise
Three reasons:
- Bone-in cooking. The bone adds body and richness to the braising liquid — you can't fake this with a boneless cut.
- High connective tissue. Slow-cooked at 90-95°C for three hours, the collagen becomes gelatin. That's what gives you the glossy, thick, unctuous sauce you can't achieve with a leg.
- Portion perfect. One shank feeds one adult generously. No carving at the table, no leftover portion-guessing.
Our lamb shanks come from South Australian grass-fed producers with real names, at a genuine 400 g per shank. That's the spec you want for the timing below — anything smaller and they'll fall off the bone before the sauce reduces; anything bigger and the sauce won't quite penetrate the middle in 2.5 hours.
Pick the right wine
The wine matters. Cheap cooking wine ruins the dish. Rules:
- Full-bodied red, not a light Pinot or Grenache
- Margaret River Shiraz is the ideal — earthy, spicy, holds its own against the lamb
- Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon works if the Shiraz is out
- Barossa or McLaren Vale Shiraz if you're expanding your Australian coverage
- Never use a "cooking wine" from the supermarket — the salt and additives destroy the sauce
You need 500 ml for the pan. Buy an $18-25 bottle, use half in the pan, drink the other half with dinner. Nobody drinks cooking wine anyway.
Make-ahead notes
This recipe is one of the rare mid-week dishes that actually gets better the next day. If you can, cook Friday night and reheat Saturday for dinner:
- Cook through step 8
- Let the whole casserole cool to room temperature
- Refrigerate overnight
- Skim the solidified fat off the top the next day (this is a genuinely helpful step — the fat separates and lifts off cleanly)
- Reheat gently on the stove or in a 160°C oven for 20-25 minutes
The flavour deepens dramatically overnight as the meat re-absorbs the reduced sauce.
What to serve with lamb shanks
The mash is non-negotiable — you need a starchy vehicle for the sauce. Options if you're bored of mash:
- Soft polenta with butter and parmesan
- Creamy mashed cauliflower if you're doing low-carb
- Buttered pappardelle — pull the meat off the bone, toss through the pasta
- A great crusty sourdough if you're rustic-only
Vegetables on the side: a simple green salad with lemon vinaigrette, or blanched green beans with sea salt. Don't over-crowd the plate.
Wine to drink with
Pour the rest of what you cooked with. If you have a second bottle, an aged Margaret River Cabernet (5+ years) or a Coonawarra Shiraz-Cabernet blend is spectacular against the rich sauce.
Where to source the shanks
We deliver whole Australian lamb shanks across Perth metro every Friday. Order by Wednesday 7pm. Add 4-6 shanks to a custom lamb box, or subscribe to the Family Feast Box — lamb shanks rotate through the fortnightly delivery mix through the whole winter.
Lamb shanks are the perfect Perth Sunday project. Set aside three hours on a rainy afternoon, pour yourself a glass of the Shiraz you're cooking with, and let the low oven do the heavy lifting. By dinner your kitchen smells like every Italian nonna's dream and the sauce will be the best thing you've eaten all week.
