These pressure cooker lamb shanks are seasoned to perfection and fall-off-the-bone tender.
What Do You Mean You Don't Eat Lamb?
I still haven't figured out why Americans don't eat more lamb. We never had it when I was a kid. And even still, when I serve it, most people have little or no experience with it. But I tell you what... This pressure cooker lamb shanks recipe is packed with bold flavors and they're fall-off-the-bone tender!
The Inspiration for This Recipe
I've been watching Gordon Ramsay's YouTube videos for several years now. And there are so many recipes that I want to try. But more than just replicating them, I am learning how to make them my own.
Making It My Own
Don't get me wrong, the slow-braising process in the above method yields a completely different (and AMAZING) result. And I get that, but the point was not to recreate what he did. I aimed to convert this into a recipe using my new favorite kitchen tool: The Instant Pot
!
I guess I attribute my new obsession with simplified cooking to the fact that we now have 2 under 2 (two children under age two). No doubt about it... It has changed my approach to dinner. But that doesn't mean you have to sacrifice quality. You just may need to alter your methods.
How to Make Pressure Cooker Lamb Shanks
And this is the AMAZING Result
★ Did you make these Pressure Cooker Lamb Shanks?
Please give it a star rating below! ★
Pressure Cooker Lamb Shanks
Ingredients
- 3 lamb shanks preferably skinless
- ½ cup olive oil divided
- 1 green chili pepper sliced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tbsp. smoked paprika
- 1 Tbsp. oregano
- 2 tsp. sea salt
- ¼ tsp. ground cumin
- 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 medium onion roughly chopped
- 3 medium carrots roughly chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 cups red wine
- 4 cups beef stock
- 3 Tbsp. corn starch
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
- In large bowl - combine lamb, pepper, garlic, paprika, oregano, salt, cumin, brown sugar, cinnamon sticks, and ¼ cup oil. Mix well to coat meat, then marinate from 30 minutes to overnight.
- Using sauté setting, heat Instant Pot. Once hot add ¼ cup olive oil and thoroughly brown lamb on all sides – making sure to render all the fat. Once browned, remove lamb shanks and set aside.
- Add onions, carrots, bay leaves, and remaining marinade to the pot. Sauté until onions become translucent – about 5 minutes.
- Add red wine to deglaze the pot - making sure to scrape all the bits stuck to the bottom. Return lamb to pot. Simmer to reduce by half - about 10 minutes.
- Add stock. Lock lid and cook for 30 minutes at high pressure.
- Once cook time is complete, allow pressure naturally release. Remove shanks and set aside.
- Pour liquid through a fine mesh strainer and return to pot. Discard cooked ingredients. Separately in a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water, then add to pot.
- Switch Instant Pot back to sauté setting and simmer until sauce reaches desired thickness. Return lamb to pot and let sit in sauce until ready to serve.
- Serve lamb with polenta or mashed potatoes topped with gravy!
Video
Notes
- Omit the brown sugar. Although it does add a nice caramelization to the lamb, some of it will burn in the bottom of the pot. And the final sauce is much better without it.
- Cut the amount of olive oil in half. Use 2 tablespoons for the marinade and 2 tablespoons to brown the lamb.
- Instead of adding the chili pepper and cinnamon stick to the marinade, add them in step 3 with the onions and carrots.
- Reduce the amount of wine to 1 cup.
- In step 7, instead of discarding the vegetables and using a cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce, only discard the cinnamon stick and bay leaves. Skim the fat. Then, using an immersion blender or food processor, blend the liquid and vegetables together. Skim the sauce again.
Nutrition
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James
"I can't figure out why Americans don't eat more lamb".
Easy.
Pork/ham is about $2-3/lb.
Chicken is about $2/lb
Most beef cuts $4-6/lb
Cheapest lamb cut - about $7/lb. If you get rack/loin it's more like $15/lb.
Chef Gary
Yeah, but it's delicious!!!
RICHARD
Americans don't eat more lamb because it's always been too pricey. Also, The meat departments inside our local grocery, no longer butcher meat. Instead, they opt for pre-cut pre-packaged meats. Most of the meat department employees haven't any idea how to identify cuts of meat. Especially down to the shank. It's a shame!
abalone_girl
This is absolutely the truth! We asked the butcher for a [pork] butt roast and he argued that is what we call a ham. I said okay then give me a bone in ham that is not cured or smoked. He looked me and said then it would not be a ham! I want a butt roast! They gave me a shoulder with all the fat and skin trimmed off... I asked if I could get one with a 'fat cap' he said "We cut the fat off" Okay so your not a butcher, right?
Liz Jackson
It is much cheaper than that if you go to Sam's Club or Costco, and it's been boned for you too!
Barbara Sheridan
& the Costco lamb is of excellent quality and delicious!
Wendy Culwell
To make this sugar free/ keto friendly: replace the cornstarch by adding 1 butternut squash to the pot, once cooked put it in the blender with some beef stock and return it to the pot. The sauce will feel creamy without any dairy or starches (cornstarch) which later convert to sugar.
Trisha
If it’s as expensive as it is here in Canada I can see why.
Peter Allen
I live in Wales (UK) and lamb shanks are about £8GBP a kilo (2.2lbs), though I generally buy whole lambs (butchered) for £5GBP a kilo.
This recipe is lovely thanks: I did reduce the amount of smoked paprika by 40% and added a bulb of sliced fennel along with the onions plus a little balsamic vinegar and brown sugar because I think lamb needs sweetness.
When cooking lamb or anything fatty in the Instantpot like beef shortribs, I always drain the sauce off into one of those fat separation jugs. It's unbelievable how much fat comes off and it saves your arteries. The Oxo branded ones in the UK are great.
Also, you can substitute the last 15 mins of cooking with the shanks in a hot oven to brown them off.
I have some cooking now...uummmmm
KT
Thanks for the tips. I’ll make this recipe soon.
Kenneth Thomas
Made this using your up pdated notes.
Delicious thankyou.
Cricket
Great recipe. I added a can of crushed tomatos in place of one cup of beef broth. After I removed the lamb, bay leaves and cinnamon stick I used my immersion blender on the vegetables then thickened it. Very tasty lamb, rich sauce. Served it with cheesy polenta. Will make this many more times.
XAN
This recipe turned out nicely. Thank you. I didn't use the sugar or cinnamon and did not miss them. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes!
Karen
So delicious! The meat was incredibly moist and literally melts in your mouth. My 7 year old ate a whole shank by himself - it was that good. Thank you!!
Wayne Anstey
Did this recipe this evening with some local Nova Scotia lamb. It was incredible! This is now my go to Lamb Shanks recipe.
Farrel
I am making this again tonight for dinner. It is delicious, extremely flavorful, and easy to make. I love lamb shanks, and this is my new favorite way to cook them.
Chef Gary
Glad you enjoyed them!
Sherry
This is wonderful! The only change was 1 cup of wine 2 cups of beef broth cumin and curry and cinnamon powder. I Am so impressed! I LOVE all the flavour will make this again, it's a keeper! It's Great!
Chef Gary
Thanks Sherry! I'm really glad you liked this recipe so much.
Kate Savitsky
Absolutely delicious! The meat was falling off the bone, the flavours incredible. Thank you for sharing.
Sandy Larkin
Delicious! My first recipe with an instant pot, worth it just for this recipe!
Harvestmoon
Absolutely delicious; will definitely make again!
Diane Maher
AMAZING I made this for valentines dinner it was the first time my husband had lamb and loved it. I am definitely going to make it again. I baked mine in the oven low and slow. Thank you so much for this delicious recipe.
Gary
Glad you both enjoyed it!
Mark
Can I sub lamb chops?
Gary
I don't think so with this method.
Martin Schaffner
Going to make it tonight. What is the green chili?
Can I use a green Bell Pepper?
Sounds great. Thanks
Gary
A green chili is one of the spicy ones, either Serrano or jalapeño.
Joy G
This recipe was so so good! I had never made lamb shanks before but I will again! So delicious! I didn't use any Chili's & it was still yummy! Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Holly
Absolutely delicious flavor combo. Forgot to buy a green chile, but will definitely add next time. Only used 2 lamb shanks because they were enormous (barely fit into the Instant Pot--and had to brown them in a large frying pan on the stove). I also needed to cook longer because the shanks were so large-- 40 minutes and could've gone a bit longer. Left the carrots and onions in the gravy. Probably could've gotten by with 2 cups beef broth. We had a lot of sauce left over, but it was so tasty that I'm figuring out what to serve it on later this week. Agree with Peter about degreasing the sauce before thickening. So good! Thanks for the recipe. Can't wait to try again next time (hopefully smaller) lamb shanks are on sale
Elizabeth Hudswell
I haven't made this yet what prep does the pepper need? Is it dice, whole seeded?
Gary White
Sliced. Not seeded. If you take a look at the first and second process picture in the post, you'll be able to see what they look like when sliced.
Robbie O.
We LOVED this recipe! It was the 1st time using my instanta pot and the 1st time I cook lamb! Instructions were easy to follow.
Mike G
This recipe is phenomenal. My wife and son thought it was as good as any lamb dish served in a French restaurant. It's so rich and flavourful you cannot get enough and the meat literally falls off the bone. Can't wait to cook it up again. BTW, I used 2 beef boullions and 4 cups water instead of beef broth, and I halved the salt (only cuz I didn't have the beef broth handy)
Liz Jackson
I am from England, but live here in the US. I got so tired of not being able to obtain lamb for the longest time, so I now raise my own!! I like a good leg of Lamb for Easter, but I craved lamb shanks, now I have both! It's like the best of both worlds!
Melissa Davis
Fool proof & delicious! And I like to add any leftover sauce into my tomato sauce and freeze for future use on pasta!
Raziya
Hi what should we use instead of vine in recipes
Gary White
You will want to use some sort of vinegar as a substitute. This recipe calls for 2 cups of wine, I would recommend 2 Tbsp. of red wine vinegar instead.
Lanny Wingrove
Great!
Randal D Ewers
Excellent but ended up with way too much liquid. Took an hour to reduce it down after cooking (too late for dinner).
We used 4 smallish shanks, so increased the cooking time to 40 minutes (plus natural pressure release) and that was perfect. All lamb was tender/falling off the bone, and internal temperatures ranged from 200 to 210F - about right for a slow-cooked meat.
Flavor of the lamb itself was excellent. However, we had a tone of sauce, a bit thin, and it took a long time to thicken. I will definitely do this again, but next time (looking for suggestions here!) maybe I will just reduce a small portion of the remaining liquid (eg 1-2 cups) afterwards to it is done sooner. Either that, or maybe just start with 2 cups of liquid (reduce by 1/3 vs 2 cups red wine and 4 cups beef broth).
Gary White
Glad you enjoyed it! As written, the sauce will not be thick or gravy like. That was not my goal when developing this recipe. However, you can certainly thicken it up to your personal taste. I would recommend doubling the cornstarch if you want a thicker sauce. This will speed up the thickening process greatly.
Julie
Holey Moley, this was incredible.
Gayl H
Everything went well, but the lamb was very dry and overcooked. The sauce was very tasty. Maybe needs to cook for less time?
Gary White
I'm sorry to hear that. We've never had a problem with them being dry and overcooked. They are always quite moist. Did you quick release the pressure, or do a natural pressure release?
Claire
Absolutely stunning result. I did not use the chilli for allergy reasons.
Next time I will add a few button mushrooms towards the end but truly, this is fantastic.
Becca
Was wondering how the flavours would work. But turned out absolutely yummy. The only thing I did differently was cook for 45mins in the pressure cooker instead of 30mins.
Tasha
Can I use ground cinnamon instead and how much?
Gary White
I would use no more than 1/8 tsp.
Shaz
Tried this and it was amazing. I loved how fast it was cooked in the pressure cooker and how yummy it tasted. Instead of red wine I used champagne. 😝and the taste was amazing 😉
Shaz
I used ground cinnamon and it was ok...and I used about a tsp.
Terry
Too much beef broth. Tasty but needed to reduce the fluid "a lot" for the gravy.
Lois Watford
My husband and I loved this recipe! I did not have a green chili pepper so I substituted 1 teaspoon of chipotle powder. After cooking the lamb shanks I took them out and added the tiny Acini De Pepe No 44 pasta to the liquid and cooked it for 10 minutes. Then I strained out the pasta keeping the remaining liquid and made the gravy. It all turned out fantastic!! Thank you for this recipe. I look forward to trying more of yours.
Leslie
I've never cooked much, and this was the most complicated recipe I've ever tried. I was really excited with the amazing success I had! My family loved it! Thanks for making this so easy to follow 🙂
Renee Williams
Made today for Christmas Eve dinner for just my husband and I. Very very delicious. Worth the little bit of extra time to prepare.
Erin
I thought this was delicious, and my husband is still talking about it a week later. I would like to try half the liquid next time around. It makes much more sauce than we needed, and I think with half the liquid it would accentuate the wonderful spice mixture even more. I'm still getting familiar with the instant pot and didn't realize that it would take so long to naturally release. At 45 minutes I had to manually release it as we were starving! This was a wonderful recipe and I can't wait to make it again. I served it with cauliflower mash - a little lighter than potatoes, but still a perfect consistency to soak up the sauce.
Sara Matulich
Just the aroma is worth five stars! When my 10-year-old grandson walked in and smelled what I was cooking, he begged to stay for dinner. This recipe was amazing because the flavors we’re so warm and comforting. The meat literally fell off the bone. The sauce was like velvet and so smooth. A real show stopper!!!!
sheryl a mcgill
I made this recipe and it was amazing. My husband loved it so much he wants it again. I did however, had to make some revisions since I did not have some of the ingredients.. but it still came out wonderful.
I will try Gordon Ramsey's recipes again..
Jan
I am making this for the 3rd time it is so delicious. Do i need to increase cooking time if i have 6-8 shanks?
Cody
Just an FYI, all lamb shanks are skinless.
Gary White
Thanks! Now I know.
Ginger Jones
Some very nice flavors here - thanks for the recipe :-))
SB
Thanks for this recipe, worked a treat, both ways. But do agree with the writer, the second recipe is better in flavour and texture.
And yeah, no idea what's going on in North America, we're Aussies that lived in Canada for a few years, lamb nearly impossible to get or just outrageously expensive. A wonderful butcher in Ladysmith VI had lamb but it all came pre butchered from New Zealand. Lamb curly chops with NO tails -whaaat?
Bon appetit x
Pat
Truly unbelievable!!!!!! I’ve altered but i won’t say, ill leave the original method and don’t want to change anything for the people wanting to try this as I’ve altered for my taste and reasons, never the less or more , this is a incredible dish !!!!!! And this can’t be faulted !!!
Only way is poor cuts or not a lot of meat on the shank, heavy advice , get a good amount of shank flesh and I’ve fitted 9 , !!! That’s right , standing thickest part down , around the pressure cooker , i have a fissler German cooker and 45 mins on low from boil , and then lid locked on and when the 2 nd whit ban appears on the pressure cooker gauge , low heat , but truly a beautiful dish, enjoy and i promise the troops will not be unhappy !!!!!
Beverly
So scrumptious and the spices (new revisions) marry each other so well and absolutely the 2nd update is wonderful!. My hubby and I love Lamb Shanks!
Lynn
Made this tonight and a definite winner. Lamb is not that expensive here in Central America compared to elsewhere. I made the original version and next time will omit the sugar and use less oil. I liked the richness the wine brought to the gravy so won’t cut back on that.
France Motswiri
For me, the last step of thickening the gravy, I only discarded the cinnamon and used a hand blender to blend all the veggies and half the sauce. The other half of the sauce, I thickened it and later mixed with the blended one back into the pot with them shanks for another 3 minutes of high-pressure cooking.
Jim
Absolutely stunning - I didn’t think the lamb could possibly be cooked to falling off the bone in such a short amount of time - I am new to pressure cooking. This will definitely become a regular meal and I will try with other meats, such as beef short rib.
The foodie eats
Never marinate with sugar if you are going to brown meat for a glaze/sauce. It burns and ruins your dish and is hard to clean!! Not sure why this recipe got 5 stars…it yields average results.