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4.98 from 41 votes

Instant Pot Lamb Shanks

Tender, fall off the bone lamb shanks braised in a rich deeply flavored red wine gravy.
Author Diana
Servings 3 lamb shanks
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
IP to come to pressure 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Equipment

Ingredients

For the marinade

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon cumin or coriander seeds
  • 1 teaspoon salt and pepper

For the lamb shanks

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 lamb shanks trimmed of excess fat
  • 1 large onions diced
  • 2 carrots diced
  • 2 ribs celery diced
  • 2 mild chilis optional - diced
  • 2 large cloves garlic roughly chopped
  • 1 cup dry red wine inexpensive
  • 1 stalk cinnamon
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 cups chicken broth

To thicken the gravy

  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon water

Instructions

Make the marinade

  • In a large bowl, whisk all of the marinade ingredients together to get a paste-like-marinade. Add the shanks to the bowl, and coat them in the marinade. Make sure that the shanks are well coated.

To cook the shanks

  • On the Instant Pot press on SAUTE twice to choose the MEDIUM setting, and heat olive oil. The screen will show the HOT message. Add the marinated lamb shanks holding from the bone and meat side down to sear. Then start moving them around until browned from all sides. If you feel like your pot is overcrowded, work in batches with more oil.
  • Transfer the shanks to a plate, tent with foil to keep warm and set aside.
  • Saute the onion, carrot, and celery, chili if using, and garlic until softened for 5-7 minutes while stirring regularly. Add red wine and let it cook down for a bit (on SAUTE mode).
  • Put the shanks back in the pot. Add a cinnamon stick, the fresh herbs, and the bay leaves.
  • Add the leftover marinade if anything is left in the bowl, followed by the chicken broth. Make sure that you add the stock to the side so that it doesn't wash away the seasonings from the meat.
  • Secure the lid and set the vent to SEALING. Select the PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL setting and set the cooking time for 60 minutes at high pressure. The Instant Pot will take around 10-15 minutes to come to pressure and start cooking. When the cooking program ends, allow the steam to release naturally.
  • Carefully remove the lid, and transfer the shanks onto a plate; tent to keep warm.

To thicken the gravy

  • Using a mesh strainer, strain the sauce into a bowl pressing to extract all sauces and flavors out of the veggies, then put it back in the pot. Press on SAUTE, when it starts simmering add the cornstarch slurry. Whisk until the gravy is rich, silky, and glossy. Taste, and add salt and pepper to taste.
  • Serve lamb shanks over mashed potatoes with plenty of sauce. Garnish with chopped fresh herbs.

Video

Notes

  • Choose an inexpensive dry red wine like chianti, cabaret sauvignon, merlot, or shiraz. Pinot wine isn't suitable for this kind of cooking.
  • Non alcoholic sub: You can substitute the wine with more broth, but I recommend using beef broth instead to give you a richer taste and substitute for the wine.
  • If you would like to use the vegetables, you can blend them with the sauce until smooth. The gravy won't be super smooth or glossy, but it will still taste great.
  • When prepping the veggies, don't worry too much about finely chopping them into a fine dice. A rough chop works fine.
  • Use cornstarch to thicken the sauce and get a translucent gravy, or flour for opaque one.
  • Don't skip searing the meat, as the best flavor develops when searing the meat first.

Nutrition

Calories: 531kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 42g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 127mg | Sodium: 1633mg | Potassium: 970mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 7436IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 86mg | Iron: 5mg