RCP /Foodletter: Herb-infused lamb shanks

[Robin Garr]

Herb-infused lamb shanks

Who doesn't like lamb? Quite a few of us, apparently. Consider this telling statistic: In New Zealand, the average consumer chows down on 50 pounds of lamb or mutton annually. The average Australian eats 37 pounds of lamb per year.

The typical British consumer goes through a mere 13 pounds of lamb annually, but that's still a hearty portion compared with the U.S., where per capita consumption is a puny 1 to 1 1/2 pounds per year.

The U.S. sheep-and-lamb industry is actually happy about that, because the numbers are trending gradually upward. Most Americans, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, won't touch any lamb at all, and the, er, lion's share of American lamb is consumed by ethnic communities who adore it - Italian, Greek, Latino, Middle Eastern - along with a few pockets of local lamb production (Texas, Idaho, and, unexpectedly, the western half of Kentucky, where I live) where we've been enjoying lamb all along and wonder what all the fuss is about.

Most lamb-phobes, it seems, fret about the meat's purported "strong, gamey" nature. This seems an odd basis for an aversion in a world where bold, robust flavors and even fiery fare are generally prized.

But what do I know? I like the stuff. And if you aren't already a lamb fancier, today's recipe for lamb shanks might convert you if you give it a chance. In contrast with the tasty but big-as-a-ham lamb leg roast, a lamb shank - the small, drumstick-shaped narrow end of the leg - comes in a handy single-serving package that generally weighs about 1 pound - a scant half-kilo.

This is muscle meat, unlike the tender leg; it requires long, slow roasting, or better yet, braising in moist heat. Give it sufficient time, though, and you'll end up with a good, dinner-size ration of flavorful meat that may be robustly flavored but won't knock you back on your heels. It's an excellent introduction to lamb that may leave you wondering why you were ever skeptical about the stuff.

This recipe makes lamb shanks easy, with a modest investment of a couple of hours cooking time, most of it spent going about your business while the meat gently braises to tenderness and becomes infused with the flavors of fresh herbs and garlic.

PROCEDURE NOTE: If you wish, you can brown the shanks in a little oil with garlic before adding them to the recipe in step 2. This would confer a little additional color and flavor, but I elected to skip it in order to save a few calories and focus the recipe on the more subtle and delicate herb flavors. Try it either way.

INGREDIENTS: (Serves two)

1 tablespoon (5 ml) olive oil
1 8-inch (20cm) sprig fresh rosemary
1 small bunch fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
2 lamb shanks
Salt
Black pepper
Dried red-pepper flakes
1/2 cup (120ml) dry white wine

PROCEDURE:

1. Preheat oven to 350F ( C). Pour the olive oil into a deep, heavy skillet and spread it around, and throw in the rosemary, thyme, bay leaf and smashed cloves of garlic. (I use a trusty old black iron skillet, technically a "chicken fryer.")

2. It's best to take the lamb ahanks out of the refrigerator a couple of hours before cooking time to allow them to come up toward room temperature. Trim and discard excess fat. Put the shanks in the skillet with the herbs and aromatics, and sprinkle with a little salt, black pepper and dried red-pepper flakes to taste. Pour in the white wine.

3. Put a tight-fitting, heavy cover on the skillet andput it in the oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Check and turn the shanks occasionally, adding a little wine or water if necessary, although there should be plenty of braising liquid. Mine were completely cooked in 1 1/2 hours, although if you give them an extra half-hour or so, they'll be even more tender and infused with flavor.

4. Remove the cover and let the shanks cook uncovered for another 30 minutes or so; the meat will get crispy and brown on the top. You may turn them once, but it's not necessary. With the lid off, the liquid is more likely to evaporate, so keep an eye on it to ensure that things don't start to scorch. There should be enough fat in the bottom of the skillet to deter that, but add a little water if needed.

MATCHING WINE: The Cappellano 2003 "Nebiolo" d'Alba featured in yesterday's <i>30 Second Wine Advisor</i> made an excellent match, as would any hearty, fruity dry red.

<center>Subscribe to The 30 Second Wine Advisor's weekly FoodLetter</center>

Trim and discard excess fat.

Whoa, there, Mr. Local Lamb! That's one of the best parts of making leg or shank of lamb. I take all the trimmings, slice them up like bacon, and render them as the first step. If I don't need all the fat for cooking (come to think of it, that happens almost every time) I pour off the excess and keep it in the fridge. It makes a great flavorful fat when one might have used butter.

And, I don't recommend this unless you really like the taste of lamb, but one time I made lamb vinaigrette. This must be done with rendered fat and vinegar that are slightly above room temperature (that darned saturated fat, don't tell anyone) but the results are really impressive on intensely flavored lettuces like good Romaine.

I like your recipe, do you really think skipping the browning doesn't hurt the flavor? I used to brown religiously, but one time I made my chili without browning, and it turned out almost the same.

For those looking for sort of a coq au vin variant, I also like Clotilde's Braised Lamb Shanks (aka Souris d'Agneau Confites).

Walt

In the freezer/cooler cases at Costco you can sometimes find pre-braised lamb shanks from Cuisine Solutions. These are cooked "sous vide" for a long time and are meltingly tender, the texture is perfect and the cooking time very short. That said, they are a bit deficient in flavor and aroma. I am sure Robin's home made shanks are much tastier.

Still, if you want 'em fast, there is that option.

Frank

But what do I know? I like the stuff. And if you aren't already a lamb fancier, today's recipe for lamb shanks might convert you if you give it a chance.

Count me among the wildly enthusiastic lamb fanciers. Love it anyway I can get it. Racks, chops, legs, shanks. Not necessarily in that order. In fact, I thawed a rack out yesterday thinking I was going to cook it last night and had forgotten about the small, boneless leg I had just purchased at Costco that was in the fridge. (And to think we suffered through that awful zpizza instead. )

[Robin Garr]

That's one of the best parts of making leg or shank of lamb. I take all the trimmings, slice them up like bacon, and render them as the first step. If I don't need all the fat for cooking (come to think of it, that happens almost every time) I pour off the excess and keep it in the fridge. It makes a great flavorful fat when one might have used butter.

Hmm, you may like lamb flavor even more than I do, Walt. I do just this thing with duck, but rendered lamb fat is getting a tad strong even for the likes of me.

I like your recipe, do you really think skipping the browning doesn't hurt the flavor? I used to brown religiously, but one time I made my chili without browning, and it turned out almost the same.

I know that the Maillard reaction is our friend, and browning/caramelization certainly improves the flavor of meat and a lot of other things. In this specific instance, in which I sought to infuse fresh lamb with the clean, pure flavors of fresh herbs and garlic, I decided to drop all unnecessary melody lines from the combo. Still, as you saw, I felt obliged to mention the omission and give my imprimatur to going back to the browning stage if you want to. In this case, for this recipe, though, I don't do it.

Trim and discard excess fat.

Whoa, there, Mr. Local Lamb! That's one of the best parts of making leg or shank of lamb. I take all the trimmings, slice them up like bacon, and render them as the first step. If I don't need all the fat for cooking (come to think of it, that happens almost every time) I pour off the excess and keep it in the fridge. It makes a great flavorful fat when one might have used butter.

Fat! on lamb shanks!!!!
Must be from a different source. The lamb shanks I use are all muscle and skin. It's not a fatty cut of meat at all.

Robin, Sue makes an interesting point -- lamb shanks seem to be much fatter than they were, say five years ago. We usually buy them from Jamison Farm, but the last two orders were really fat, even after I trimmed away all visible fat.

I wonder if you know of a local grower in your area who would ship to us in New Jersey.

Thanks.

The lamb shanks I buy (Lido Veal and Lamb, Inc.--usually found at Ralph's/Kroger) never seem fatty. Could it be that shanks are "percieved" to be fatty because of all the sinew that breaks down when braising?

Robin
I can't seem to find the [drool] emoticon... Lamb shank is a favourite dish, but Lamb in general is always popular.

I'm amazed at how little Lamb is eaten in US - is that down to successful marketing of Beef?

regards

Ian

[Robin Garr]

I wonder if you know of a local grower in your area who would ship to us in New Jersey.

Bob, I'm sorry, but I really don't. These are invariably small farmers who sell exclusively through local farmers' markets or, in limited cases, through direct arrangements with independent, high-end groceries in the city. They don't have Websites and wouldn't have the facilities (or the time) to package, handle and ship postal orders.

There's almost certain to be something similar around you, though! The small-farm-direct-to-market phenomenon is hopping all over the country, particularly in regions with either lots of money or lots of granola-munching tree huggers or both.

[Robin Garr]

I'm amazed at how little Lamb is eaten in US - is that down to successful marketing of Beef?

Ian, I was surprised at the disparity too, but I suppose that's in part because I live in a region with a small but thriving lamb farming industry. Nationwide, I would guess it has more to do with a lack of cultural connection with lamb rather than competition from the Other Red Meat. Certainly lamb is popular in ethnic communities and at least reasonably popular in regions where it's grown. Apparently it's simply unknown in much of the rest of the country. As I said, this surprises me, but there you have it.

"There's almost certain to be something similar around you, though! The small-farm-direct-to-market phenomenon is hopping all over the country, particularly in regions with either lots of money or lots of granola-munching tree huggers or both."

Jamison Farms was the pick of the litter in our area, Robin, when last I looked, and we do like their products generally -- the stew meat works great, since I can really cut away the fat. I'm always reluctant to trim the shanks completely -- and usually trim only the exterior, visible fat.

I'll do a new search around here -- I see that there is a local shop that has a good range of New Zealand lamb and might resort to them.

Thanks, by the way, for posting this recipe -- we've been avoiding lamb, one of our favorite meals, because of the fattiness of our last two dinners featuring lamb shanks. You've gotten me off my butt.

"Certainly lamb is popular in ethnic communities and at least reasonably popular in regions where it's grown. Apparently it's simply unknown in much of the rest of the country. As I said, this surprises me, but there you have it."

Robin, I looked into this a couple of years ago, and found something very interesting -- most of the sheep brought into the US over the years were raised for wool, and not for meat. The woolly sheep are not as tasty and not as thrifty as meaty breeds.

Shepherds have recently been trying to bring in meat efficient breeds for breeding purposes -- especially in Vermont if memory serves --, but concerns about mad cow disease prevented them from getting import approvals.

"The Atlantic" had a major article on the subject a couple of years ago -- I'm not sure how current my information is.

[Jenise]

Robin said:

Most lamb-phobes, it seems, fret about the meat's purported "strong, gamey" nature. This seems an odd basis for an aversion in a world where bold, robust flavors and even fiery fare are generally prized.

Aw, come on. I'm a person who loves bold and robust flavors and even fiery fare, to borrow your phrase, but that doesn't mean I like burnt toast, espresso, or oily fish. Nor should I. There's absolutely no correlation between the two. Any more than you should like X vegetable (which one is it you don't like?) just because you like most of the others. Fact is, lamb--real lamb--is wonderful and generally not gamey. But let the animal get too old and you have mutton, and that's the lamb of American supermarkets, and it's usually strong and gamey. I don't like that and it's entirely understandable to me why most Americans don't either. I really do think that if we had the kind of lamb here typical of New Zealand, England and even Canada, more Americans would enjoy it.

[Robin Garr]

But let the animal get too old and you have mutton, and that's the lamb of American supermarkets, and it's usually strong and gamey.

Dunno ... I think we may have a difference of definitions here. We do get mutton in Western Kentucky, although there's not much demand for it except in barbecue, where it works remarkably well.

I don't consider any supermarket lamb I see here to be "mutton," although I agree that it comes in some range of maturity from pink spring lamb to red.

Great recipe. Will try it sooner than later.

[Jenise]

But let the animal get too old and you have mutton, and that's the lamb of American supermarkets, and it's usually strong and gamey.

Dunno ... I think we may have a difference of definitions here. We do get mutton in Western Kentucky, although there's not much demand for it except in barbecue, where it works remarkably well.

I don't consider any supermarket lamb I see here to be "mutton," although I agree that it comes in some range of maturity from pink spring lamb to red.

Yahbut, you live in a lucky lucky place. Here on the west coast, it's all mutton, all red, all the time. Even in early summer when it shouldn't be. One has to buy from Jamison or the Lido brand Carrie describes. Up here, at the Coop I can get an excellent organic brand from Oregon that even when it's red/older is much milder than supermarket lamb. But it's spendy--an 8 rib rack will run about $30.

But let the animal get too old and you have mutton, and that's the lamb of American supermarkets, and it's usually strong and gamey.

Dunno ... I think we may have a difference of definitions here. We do get mutton in Western Kentucky, although there's not much demand for it except in barbecue, where it works remarkably well.

I don't consider any supermarket lamb I see here to be "mutton," although I agree that it comes in some range of maturity from pink spring lamb to red.

The 'real' definitions are

Lamb - still has its milk teeth
Hogget - once the two proper front teeth break, the lamb has become a hogget - still quite tasty though.
Mutton - once the next two teeth break (either side of the front two) the hogget has become mutton.

If you are aging sheep in the pen, you age them by the teeth. When we are selling sheep, we get more money for older lambs (because they are a good size) than we do for young hoggets. They can turn from lamb to hogget (based on our own back yard experience) anywhere between 12 months to 18 months.
With the older sheep you can tell how old the 'old girls' are getting by how much their teeth have worn down.

By the way - did you know sheep only have teeth on the top jaw?

Also, I'm intrigued by the colour definitions - spring pink lamb to red.

Cheers,
Sue

[Robin Garr]

Yahbut, you live in a lucky lucky place. Here on the west coast, it's all mutton, all red, all the time. Even in early summer when it shouldn't be. One has to buy from Jamison or the Lido brand Carrie describes. Up here, at the Coop I can get an excellent organic brand from Oregon that even when it's red/older is much milder than supermarket lamb. But it's spendy--an 8 rib rack will run about $30.

Okay, but I'm still not positive that we're fully aligned in our definitions. I certainly don't know how many teeth the critter had <chuckling>, but I really don't consider lamb turned to mutton as soon as it's red. To me, there's no mistaking mutton when you see it in the store - it's rarely if ever sold in the city, by the way, although I expect you can get it in some of the smaller Western Kentucky cities in the heart of sheep country.

But I can jump in the car and be eating mutton barbecue about 10 minutes from here ... mmmmm ...

[Jenise]

Robin, I would define mutton as 1 year old--now how do you tell the age of what you're eating? I dunno! But normal supermarket lamb tastes gamey, where the Lido, Jamison and Niman Ranch lamb I've had doesn't. Ergo, supermarket lamb is mutton. So there!

Also - when I look at the cuts in the butcher - a butcher near me sells mutton as well as lamb, and it's much, much cheaper - the difference really is in the size and the fat layers. You can tell easily on loin chops by the size of the rib bones and the fat layer between the loin meat and the skin, for example.
But the colour is pretty much similar, in my experience - with shanks being darker than loin, probably like breast and legs of chicken are lighter and darker.
Neil says that our lamb is probably aged before it is sold.

The both times we had our baa-baas, they were aged for three days in an aptly named mutton cloth before being butchered - and they were both hoggets. Nice size for 'lamb on the spit'.

Robin, I would define mutton as 1 year old--now how do you tell the age of what you're eating? I dunno! But normal supermarket lamb tastes gamey, where the Lido, Jamison and Niman Ranch lamb I've had doesn't. Ergo, supermarket lamb is mutton. So there!

Hmmm. Mutton here would be at least thee years old. Very strong meat indeed.

I think all lamb is slightly gamey. Your 'gamey' taste could be something to do with the animals sex. Boys are smelly little things and lots of boy lambs are immediately destined to the fattening paddock for the sheep that are going to the works. Very few grow up to be rams.

Thanks for the education on ovines, Sue -- I remember with great pleasure your lamb on a spit picnic several years ago.

One key issue in all of this discussion is the breed of the lamb/mutton. I know that the breeds are of significant importance in New Zealand -- we rarely see the breed identified here, in the same way that a steak might be labeled "Angus" or "Hereford", for example.

I've read that there is little difference in the taste of meat from the various breeds, except that Merino [and Merino crosses] tend to be more susceptible to high pH levels -- about 70% of the ovines in Australia and New Zealand are Merino -- a very good wool producing breed -- so that care in raising and purchasing the meat from Merinos can be important.

Years ago I used to age calves/yearlings or heifers/cows in the same way as you describe for ovines.

Regards, Bob

Okay, but I'm still not positive that we're fully aligned in our definitions. I certainly don't know how many teeth the critter had <chuckling>, but I really don't consider lamb turned to mutton as soon as it's red.

I guess we have pretty strict regulations where I come from as to what can be called what. Even though it's lamb, it's been pretty much the bread and butter for the country's economy.
I think you will find that both NZ and Australia are pretty strict on the correct naming of the meat.
Most of what we have available to buy here is lamb because it's just not economical for farmers to keep the stock for over a year. It's like wine - there's another vintage next year.
BTW - I've just read that 'sucker lambs' have a lighter meat colour than weaned lambs, which makes sense as the sucker lambs haven't had grass. So theoretically, lighter coloured lamb is very young lamb and very niche - and probably very much more expensive .

Cheers,
Sue