Braised Lamb Shanks

FOR THE SEASONING BLEND:

1. Add the salt, pepper and thyme to a small bowl and combine well.
2. Pat the lamb shanks dry with paper towels and season liberally with the seasoning blend.

TO SLOW BRAISE IN THE DUTCH OVEN:

1. Preheat to 300 degrees.
2. In a large dutch oven or heavy pot, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium high heat. Add lamb shanks in two batches and sear on all sides, until browned turning with a pair of tongs. About 7-9 minutes each. Transfer lamb to a tray.
3. Add remaining olive oil to pot and stir in carrots and celery. Cook until slightly softened about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and shallots and cook an additional 4-5 minutes, until tender.
4. Stir in broth, wine and tomato paste, until well combined. Add garlic and bay leaves. Transfer lamb shanks back to pot, nestling them into the broth and vegetable mixture.
5. Cover tightly with lid and place pot in the oven. Braise for 2 1/2 hours, or until lamb is fork tender.

TO BRAISE IN THE CROCK POT:

1. Dry the lamb shanks with a paper towel and liberally season with the salt mixture. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add the oil. Working in batches, brown the lamb shanks on all sides, turning ever few minutes with a pair of tongs. About 7-9 minutes total.
2. Add the carrots, celery, shallots, mushrooms beef broth, red wine, tomato paste, garlic, bay leaves and thyme to the crock pot. Stir to combine.
3. Nestle the lamb shanks into the vegetables and broth. (Note: you can prep the lamb to this point and refrigerate it, then continue the cooking the next day if desired.)
4. Place slow-cooker vessel into the crock pot cooker. Cover with lid and set the slow cooker to low. Cook for 6-8 hours.

TO COOK IN THE INSTANT POT:

1. Note: Make sure that you buy lamb shanks that will comfortably fit in your Instant Pot. (If you're unsure, measure the diameter of the cooker and check against the length of the shanks.)If they're too large to fit comfortably in the bottom of the pressure cooker to brown, you may want to go with the dutch oven or crock pot method.
2. Set Instant Pot to Sauté and add 2 tablespoons oil. 
3. Pat lamb shanks dry and sprinkle liberally with seasoning. Once the Instant Pot is hot, add lamb and cook until browned all over, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to plate.
4. Add remaining olive oil.  When the oil is hot and shimmery, add the carrots and celery.  Saute for 4-5 minutes or until tender. Add mushrooms and shallots and cook an additional 4-5 minutes, until tender.
5. Stir in broth, wine and tomato paste, until well combined. Add garlic and bay leaves. Transfer lamb shanks back to pot, nestling them into the broth and vegetable mixture.
6.  Cook at high pressure for 60 minutes. Allow the pressure to naturally release for 15 min before manually releasing the remaining pressure.

REMOVE THE FAT:

1. There are two ways to remove the rendered fat. 1. You can skim the fat from the top of the sauce carefully with a tablespoon and discard. 2. My preferred (and more thorough) method is to let the lamb shanks cool to room temperature, cover and refrigerate overnight. The next day, remove the solid orange congealed fat from the top of the shanks with a spoon and discard.

FINISH THE LAMB:

1. Add the butter and flour to a small bowl and mash together to form a paste. There should be no bits of dry flour left.
2. Reheat the lamb on the covered on the stovetop over medium heat. Use a pair of tongs to transfer the shanks to a platter. Bring the sauce to a boil and stir in the butter/flour mixture, stirring constantly for one to two minutes or until the sauce is thicker and glossy. Taste for seasonings and adjust as needed.

TO SERVE:

1. You can transfer the lamb back to the pot or ladle the vegetables and lamb gravy over the meat on the platter. Great served over mashed potatoes, mashed cauliflower or egg noodles with the lamb gravyand vegetables.