Instant Pot Lamb Shanks

Instant Pot Lamb Shanks recipe, Provencal style with garlic, tomatoes, and Herbes de Provence. Thanks to pressure cooking, you can have tender lamb shanks in about an hour.

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• Equipment
• Ingredients
• How to make Instant Pot Lamb Shanks
• Tips and Tricks
• Instant Pot Lamb Shanks Recipe
• What do you think?
• Related Posts
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I love lamb shanks: tender, flavorful meat that falls off the bone. Now, I can hear some of you out there saying, "Lamb? It's so gamey!" I have family members who say the same thing. This is the recipe I make when I want to change their minds.
Shanks need long, slow cooking to tenderize; undercook them, and they're tough and chewy. In the pressure cooker, high pressure substitutes for the long cooking time. 45 minutes under pressure, plus a 15-minute natural pressure release, replaces three to four hours of gentle simmering. This is why I love pressure cooking, even when it doesn't give me a 30-minute meal-in this case, I can squeeze an all-day recipe down to a little over an hour.
No pressure cooker? No worries. See the notes section for instructions on the stovetop.

Equipment

• 6 quart or larger pressure cooker (I use an Instant Pot electric pressure cooker)
• Fat separator

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 4 lamb shanks
• 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
• 1 large onion, minced
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ½ cup red wine
• 1 cup chicken broth (or water)
• 15 oz can diced tomatoes (with juices)

How to make Instant Pot Lamb Shanks

Brown the lamb shanks on one side in two batches

Season the shanks with the 2 teaspoons of salt. Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in an Instant Pot set to Sauté mode - high until the oil is shimmering (use medium-high heat in a stovetop pressure cooker). Set two of the shanks in the pot, meaty side down, and sear until well browned on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Move the seared shanks to a bowl. Add the remaining two shanks, sear until well browned (about 3 more minutes), and then add to the bowl of shanks.

Sauté the aromatics

Add the onion, garlic, tomato paste, and Herbes de Provence to the pot. Sprinkle with the ½ teaspoon salt. Sauté for five minutes, or until the onions soften and the tomato paste begins to brown. Add the wine to the pot, bring to a simmer, and scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen any browned bits. Stir in the chicken stock and tomatoes, then add the lamb shanks and any lamb juices from the bowl. Push the lamb shanks into the liquid as much as possible.

Pressure cook for 45 minutes with a Natural Release

Lock the lid on the pot. Pressure cook at high pressure for 45 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric PC or for 35 minutes in a stovetop PC. (Use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook custom mode in an Instant Pot.) Let the pressure come down naturally, about 25 minutes. (If you're in a hurry, you can quick-release any remaining pressure after 15 minutes.)

Sauce the shanks and serve

Unlock the pressure cooker, tilting the lid away from you to avoid any hot steam. Remove the lamb shanks to a platter, and ladle some of the pot liquid over the shanks. Serve, passing the rest of the pot liquid as a sauce at the table. Enjoy!

Tips and Tricks

• Browning on one side: Browning the shanks adds extra flavor. Browned meat tastes better, and the little browned bits that stick to the bottom of the pot dissolve in the pot liquid and add extra flavor to the sauce. To save time, I only brown my shanks on one side. (This is a pressure cooking recipe, and speed is why I use my pressure cooker.) If you're in a hurry, you can skip the browning, but the recipe won't quite be as full-flavored. If you want extra flavor, brown the shanks on two sides before moving on to the onions.
• Get shanks that fit the pot:- Pressure cookers are tall and narrow, and lamb shanks have a long bone. (This is kind of the point of the whole shank thing, after all.) The lamb shanks I got for testing this recipe were too long for my pressure cooker pot; I had a rough time getting them browned because they wouldn't fit flat in the bottom of my 6-quart Instant Pot. In the end, they turned out fine, even with uneven browning, but if you have your choice of shanks, look for shorter bones.
• Or, use a big Instant Pot to fit the bones: If you have a larger Instant Pot, like the 8-quart Instant Pot or 7-quart Wide Instant Pot, use it. The extra width makes it easier to fit the bones in the pot.
• Max Fill: Don't worry if the bones are poking up past the "max fill" line when you're ready to cook - just make sure the liquid is below the line, and the lid will close.
• Leftovers: Leftover lamb shanks taste great, but are hard to store. I shred the meat, discard the bone, and put the shredded meat in 2-cup storage containers.
• No pressure cooker? No worries. Use a Dutch oven with a heavy lid, and follow the instructions as written. When you get to the "lock the lid" part, add enough chicken stock or water to cover ¾ of the lamb shanks. Put the lid on the pot, bring the pot to a simmer, then move the pot to a preheated 350°F oven for three to four hours, until the lamb shanks are tender and falling off the bone. Continue with the "defat the sauce" step.

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What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Related Posts

Looking for some other Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker Lamb? Try Pressure Cooker Lamb Stew with Guiness and Barley or Instant Pot 7-Hour Leg of Lamb. For other lamb shank flavors, try Instant Pot Irish Lamb Shanks, Pressure Cooker Greek Lamb Shanks with Tomatoes, Instant Pot Moroccan Lamb Shanks, or Pressure Cooker Persian Lamb Shanks with Eggplant and Tomatoes (Khoresht Bademjan). For other pressure cooker braises, try Pressure Cooker Beef Shank (Osso Bucco), Instant Pot Goat Curry, or Instant Pot Jamaican Beef Curry.
If you want something else, here is my Instant Pot and Pressure Cooker Recipes Index.

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