Clay Pot Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks: Tender and Juicy!

Suited for VitaClay Models VF7700 and VM7900 series only. 

I am not a huge fan of lamb, but I've been reading more about how it is traditionally a nutrient-dense food, and so I've been experimenting with recipes that can help me work a bit more of it into my diet, and maybe help me to acquire more of a taste for it.

One recipe I do enjoy is this traditional Muslim Chinese “Zhua Fan” (literally: “Grab that Rice!”) which is a one-pot dish with lots of rice, veggies and lamb shanks. For some reason I really love this dish, even though it incorporates ingredients like lamb and cumin that I'm not usually very into.

Another recent lamb discovery was this Moroccan-inspired Cinnamon Apricot Lamb, which just incorporates some surprising flavors that do a great job of mitigating the gamey taste of the lamb. When I saw this particular recipe for lamb shanks in the slow cooker I thought it was definitely worth a shot.

After all my favorite dish, Zhua Fan is made with lamb shanks. I tried doing it with other cuts but it wasn't nearly as good. So maybe it's the shanks I like. And any excuse to try a new recipe in VitaClay is a good one! I'm always amazed at how easy it is to cook using VitaClay, and how perfect the recipes come out each time.

Ingredients:

• 2 lamb shanks
• 1 cup broth
• 1-2 bay leaves
• 1-2 cloves minced or crushed garlic
• 1 T Italian herb mix
• A few dashes of turmeric, because I add it to everything
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Brown the lamb shanks in a hot cast iron skillet for about 5 minutes
2. Remove the shanks from the pan and add them to the clay pot
3. Add half of the broth to the pan and boil for 1-2 minutes to deglaze the tasty bits from the pan
4. Add bay leaves, herbs, turmeric, garlic, salt & pepper to the clay pot, then add all of the broth to the clay pot
5. Close, seal and cook on “stew” setting for 2 hours
6. The shanks will come out tender and juicy with great texture and some amazing gravy in the pot
7. Serve over rice, pilaf, pasta, mashed potatoes, or anything else!

 

See our blog for more lamb recipes, made delicious in clay!