Instant Pot Irish Lamb Shanks. A taste of the River Slaney, with potatoes and carrots, thanks to my pressure cooker.
What inspires you to cook a recipe? All I need is a good name. I was googling around and came across Slaney river slow-roasted lamb shanks from the Vintage Kitchen in Dublin, Ireland. That's all it took. I can see the River Slaney, winding its way through green, rolling hills, from the Wicklow mountains to Wexford harbour in southeastern Ireland.
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Instant Pot lamb shanks, with carrots and potatoes? Yes, please. The only trick to this recipe is finding lamb shanks that fit. If they’re more than 8 inches long, they won’t fit in a 6-quart pot. If you’ve got an 8-quart pot, bring it out for this recipe - the extra inch or so of width makes it much easier to brown the lamb shanks. And, if you get shanks that are a little too long, see if you can trim some of the meat off of the end - a little bit can make a difference. If you can’t get them to fit flat, brown the ends as best you can to get some caramelized flavor.
Ingredients
- Vegetable oil
- Lamb shanks
- Fine sea salt
- Onion
- Celery
- Carrot
- Garlic
- Fresh thyme
- Guinness
- Chicken broth
- Baby potatoes
How to make Instant Pot Irish Lamb Shanks
Sear the lamb shanks: In an Instant Pot, heat the vegetable oil using Sauté mode adjusted to high until the oil is shimmering. (Use medium-high heat with a stovetop PC). Sprinkle the lamb shanks with 2 teaspoons of salt. Brown the shanks in two batches: put 2 shanks in the pot, meaty side down, and cook until browned, about 4 minutes. Move the browned shanks to a bowl and brown the second set of shanks.
Sauté the aromatics: Add the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic to the pot. Sprinkle with the thyme and ½ teaspoon salt. Sauté for five minutes, or until the onions soften, occasionally scraping the pot with a flat-edged wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits of lamb or onion. Add the beer to the pot, bring it to a simmer, and simmer for 1 minute to boil off some of the alcohol. Scrape the bottom of the pot one last time to loosen any browned bits. Stir in the chicken broth, then add the lamb shanks and any lamb juices from the bowl. Add the potatoes and carrots on top of everything.
Pressure cook for 45 minutes with a Natural Release: Lock the lid and pressure cook at high pressure for 45 minutes in an Instant Pot ("manual" or "pressure cook" mode), or for 40 minutes in a stovetop cooker. Let the pressure come down naturally, about 20 minutes.
Serve: Unlock the lid, tilting it away from you to avoid the hot steam. Gently move the potatoes and carrots to a serving bowl, using tongs or a slotted spoon. Remove the lamb shanks to a platter. Pour the liquid in the pot into a fat separator and let it sit for a few minutes for the fat to separate. Pour a little of the defatted liquid over the shanks and vegetables, then serve, passing the rest of the sauce at the table. Enjoy!
Looking for a side dish with Instant Pot Irish Lamb Shanks? Try my Instant Pot Cabbage Recipe.
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Instant Pot Irish Lamb Shanks
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 lamb shanks with potatoes and onions 1x
Description
Instant Pot Irish Lamb Shanks. A taste of the River Slaney, with potatoes and carrots, thanks to my pressure cooker.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 4 lamb shanks
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 1 large onion, minced
- 1 stalk of celery, minced
- 1 carrot, peeled and minced
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme (or substitute dried)
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup Guinness (or another stout, or more broth)
- 1 cup chicken broth (preferably homemade, or substitute water)
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt (if using homemade broth)
- ¾ pound baby potatoes
- 1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch lengths
Instructions
- Sear the lamb shanks: In an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker, heat the vegetable oil using Sauté mode adjusted to high until the oil is shimmering. (Use medium-high heat with a stovetop PC). Sprinkle the lamb shanks with 2 teaspoons of salt. Brown the shanks in two batches: put 2 shanks in the pot, meaty side down, and cook until browned, about 4 minutes. Move the browned shanks to a bowl and brown the second set of shanks.
- Sauté the aromatics: Add the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic to the pot. Sprinkle with the thyme and ½ teaspoon salt. Sauté for five minutes, or until the onions soften, occasionally scraping the pot with a flat edged wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits of lamb or onion. Add the beer to the pot, bring it to a simmer, and simmer for 1 minute to boil off some of the alcohol. Scrape the bottom of the pot one last time to loosen any browned bits. Stir in the chicken broth, then add the lamb shanks and any lamb juices from the bowl. Add the potatoes and carrots on top of everything.
- Pressure cook for 45 minutes with a Natural Release: Lock the lid and pressure cook at high pressure for 45 minutes in an Instant Pot ("manual" or "pressure cook" mode), or for 40 minutes in a stovetop cooker. Let the pressure come down naturally, about 20 minutes.
- Serve: Unlock the lid, tilting it away from you to avoid the hot steam. Gently move the potatoes and carrots to a serving bowl, using tongs or a slotted spoon. Remove the lamb shanks to a platter. Pour the liquid in the pot into a fat separator and let it sit for a few minutes for the fat to separate. Pour a little of the defatted liquid over the shanks and vegetables, then serve, passing the rest of the sauce at the table. Enjoy!
Notes
This recipe is better in a larger Instant Pot - 8 or 10 quart - not because of the extra volume, but because of the width of the pot. The long bone in the lamb shank fits in the larger pots better. It will work in a 6 quart pot, but try to get the shortest shanks you can find - 8 inches or less - to make sure they’ll fit.
Tools
6 quart or larger pressure cooker, but an 8 quart pressure cooker is better
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Category: Sunday Dinner
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Irish
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What do you think?
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Brian says
Outstanding! I left out the beer (I hate the taste) and the taste was incredible. The lamb was fall off the bone tender. This is so simple to make, too. One of my new favorite recipes.
Mike Vrobel says
I’m glad you enjoyed it!