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Lamb Shanks with Red Wine Sauce

Lamb Shanks with Red Wine Sauce

Lee - Smoke & Sear
Servings: 2 Total Time: 3 hrs 45 mins Difficulty: Intermediate Family Friendly Family Friendly
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Slow-Braised Lamb Shanks with Red Wine Sauce

Spring’s here, and nothing says “welcome” better than slow-braised lamb shanks, dripping in a luscious red wine sauce. Inspired by Ozpig UK, we’re keeping it simple but delicious. Whether you’ve got the ‘Series 2’ or the ‘Big Pig’, this recipe proves you don’t need a massive setup for a hearty, flavour-packed meal. Let’s get cooking!

Lamb Shanks with Red Wine Sauce

Lamb
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Prep Time 1 hr Cook Time 2.5 hrs Rest Time 15 mins Total Time 3 hrs 45 mins
Difficulty: Intermediate Cooking Temp: 160  C Servings: 2 Estimated Cost: £ 20 Calories: Approximately 700 per serving Best Season: Spring
Author: Lee - Smoke & Sear Cooking Method: , Cuisine: Courses: Recipe Keys: Family Friendly Family Friendly

Lamb Shanks:

Braise Foundations:

Slow Braise:

Instructions

  1. Preparation:

    • Trim any silverskin and thick fat deposits from the lamb shanks.
    • Sever any tendons at the narrow end of the shank to improve presentation.
    • Season the lamb shanks generously with salt and pepper and let them come to room temperature.

  2. Searing:

    Preheat your BBQ or stove and sear the lamb shanks on all sides until browned. Set aside.

  3. Braise Foundations:

    In a pre-heated Dutch oven, add olive oil and fry onion, carrots, celery, and garlic until soft and fragrant (about 5 minutes).

  4. Slow Braise:

    • Add rosemary, bay leaf, thyme, ancho chili, tomato paste, chopped tomatoes, red wine, vegetable stock, and beef stock to the Dutch oven.
    • Stir and bring to a simmer.
    • Add the seared lamb shanks, cover with a lid, and braise for 2 hours, turning the shanks halfway through.

  5. Final Cooking:

    • After 2.5 hours, check the tenderness and internal temperature of the lamb shanks. Aim for around 82°C.
    • Remove the shanks, wrap them loosely in foil, and let them rest.

  6. Reduce Sauce:

    • Keep the lid off the Dutch oven and reduce the sauce for about 15 minutes until rich and glossy.
    • Strain the sauce through a sieve into a jug.

  7. Serving:

    Serve the lamb shanks with the rich red wine sauce. Pair with creamy garlic mashed potatoes and charred Mediterranean vegetables.

Equipment

Affiliate Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. If you buy a product using these links, we get a commission at no extra cost to you. Your support helps keep the BBQ magic alive, and we thank you in advance!

Note

  • Holding Option: Hold the lamb shanks in an oven set to low heat if your guests aren't ready yet.
Keywords: lamb shanks, red wine sauce, spring BBQ, Ozpig recipe, slow-braised lamb, outdoor cooking, BBQ lamb shanks
Lee Bishop - Smoke & Sear

smoke.sear

1,017 21,796

🔥 The 2026 UK BBQ Events Calendar is Heating Up! 🔥

The calendar’s been live for a few weeks now – but I’ve just dropped a bunch of cracking new events in there… and let me tell ya, BBQ season is looking like it’s kicking off with a bang in March! 💥🔥

From epic meat-ups to demo days and smoke-filled festivals – there’s already a solid lineup to get your tongs twitching.

🗓️ Free interactive calendar
📱 Subscribe straight to your phone
📍 Find it in The Smoke & Sear HUB
💡 Maps, tickets, details, it’s all there

I’m adding events as fast as they’re announced – or when you lot shout about ’em. So let me know what you’re buzzing for… or tag someone running an event I’ve missed.

👇 Which BBQ event are YOU most hyped for this year?
🔥 Drop it in the comments
♻️ Repost to help this reach more of the BBQ fam
📬 Let’s make this the go-to calendar for UK BBQ in 2026

Let’s grow the scene together. More smoke, more fire, more community. 🔥🇬🇧

👉 [Link in bio]

44 1
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🔥 The 2026 UK BBQ Events Calendar is Heating Up! 🔥 The calendar’s been live for a few weeks now – but I’ve just dropped a bunch of cracking new events in there… and let me tell ya, BBQ season is looking like it’s kicking off with a bang in March! 💥🔥 From epic meat-ups to demo days and smoke-filled festivals – there’s already a solid lineup to get your tongs twitching. 🗓️ Free interactive calendar 📱 Subscribe straight to your phone 📍 Find it in The Smoke & Sear HUB 💡 Maps, tickets, details, it’s all there I’m adding events as fast as they’re announced – or when you lot shout about ’em. So let me know what you’re buzzing for… or tag someone running an event I’ve missed. 👇 Which BBQ event are YOU most hyped for this year? 🔥 Drop it in the comments ♻️ Repost to help this reach more of the BBQ fam 📬 Let’s make this the go-to calendar for UK BBQ in 2026 Let’s grow the scene together. More smoke, more fire, more community. 🔥🇬🇧 👉 [Link in bio]

You’ll have seen @fourge.bbq pop up yesterday.

I wanted to take a moment to explain what that means for me — and for Smoke & Sear.

Smoke & Sear didn’t start as a plan or a brand. It started when I invested in my first smoker and fell headfirst into outdoor cooking. Along the way, I discovered a growing, supportive BBQ community on Instagram — people sharing knowledge, encouraging each other, and genuinely wanting to see the UK BBQ scene grow.

I loved it.

From that point on, Smoke & Sear became my way of giving something back. Sharing what I was learning, being honest about the wins and the mistakes, testing gear, highlighting good people, and doing my small bit to help grow UK BBQ in a positive way.

That’s never changed.

Smoke & Sear is still me. Still community-first. Still about learning, sharing, and supporting where I can.

But being one person, there’s only so much reach you can have on your own.

Being part of @fourge.bbq opens that up.

FOURGE is a separate venture built with three mates — bigger in scope, broader in ambition, and built to do things I simply couldn’t do solo. Cooking at events, building products, creating experiences, and pushing UK BBQ forward in a different way.

What matters most to me is that the values stay the same.
Supporting the community. Sharing knowledge. Bringing people together over fire and food.

Smoke & Sear continues exactly as it is.

FOURGE is the next chapter alongside it.

I’m genuinely excited about what’s coming — and if you’ve ever backed what I’ve been building here, I’d love your support over at @fourge.bbq too.

Let’s see how far we can take this 🔥

53 3
Open
You’ll have seen @fourge.bbq pop up yesterday. I wanted to take a moment to explain what that means for me — and for Smoke & Sear. Smoke & Sear didn’t start as a plan or a brand. It started when I invested in my first smoker and fell headfirst into outdoor cooking. Along the way, I discovered a growing, supportive BBQ community on Instagram — people sharing knowledge, encouraging each other, and genuinely wanting to see the UK BBQ scene grow. I loved it. From that point on, Smoke & Sear became my way of giving something back. Sharing what I was learning, being honest about the wins and the mistakes, testing gear, highlighting good people, and doing my small bit to help grow UK BBQ in a positive way. That’s never changed. Smoke & Sear is still me. Still community-first. Still about learning, sharing, and supporting where I can. But being one person, there’s only so much reach you can have on your own. Being part of @fourge.bbq opens that up. FOURGE is a separate venture built with three mates — bigger in scope, broader in ambition, and built to do things I simply couldn’t do solo. Cooking at events, building products, creating experiences, and pushing UK BBQ forward in a different way. What matters most to me is that the values stay the same. Supporting the community. Sharing knowledge. Bringing people together over fire and food. Smoke & Sear continues exactly as it is. FOURGE is the next chapter alongside it. I’m genuinely excited about what’s coming — and if you’ve ever backed what I’ve been building here, I’d love your support over at @fourge.bbq too. Let’s see how far we can take this 🔥

Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year . . .

2025 has been a huge personal challenge but with the kids by my side there is no obstacle we can’t overcome . . . and we’ve made sure we’ve had plenty of fun on the way.

I’ve been slacking off a little with the ‘U.K. BBQ scene’ lately and content creation . . . but behind the scenes I’ve been working on something honestly HUGE and within a month or two I’ll be able to share something that, well, is going to change the U.K BBQ game for sure! I’m excited just thinking about it . . .

I want to thank all those who’ve been checking in lately and the thousands and thousands of people who still rely on my Website and WhatsApp Community to help support their own BBQ journey . . . It still amazes me how many of you use what I’ve created.

2026 . . . Let’s do this! It’s gonna be a wild ride!

32 6
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Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year . . . 2025 has been a huge personal challenge but with the kids by my side there is no obstacle we can’t overcome . . . and we’ve made sure we’ve had plenty of fun on the way. I’ve been slacking off a little with the ‘U.K. BBQ scene’ lately and content creation . . . but behind the scenes I’ve been working on something honestly HUGE and within a month or two I’ll be able to share something that, well, is going to change the U.K BBQ game for sure! I’m excited just thinking about it . . . I want to thank all those who’ve been checking in lately and the thousands and thousands of people who still rely on my Website and WhatsApp Community to help support their own BBQ journey . . . It still amazes me how many of you use what I’ve created. 2026 . . . Let’s do this! It’s gonna be a wild ride!

Today marks one year since I relaunched the Smoke & Sear website — and honestly, I thought it wouldn’t survive.

With everyone jumping to AI for recipes and reviews, I genuinely expected my little BBQ site to fade away.

But you proved me wrong.

Massively wrong.

Here are 10 epic facts from the first 12 months:

🔥 Nearly 180,000 new people visited the site — enough to fill Wembley twice.

🔥 People from 100+ countries used the site this year.

🔥 The USA alone sent 51,000+ visitors.

🔥 Perfect Pulled Pork was read 32,947 times.

🔥 Ninja content smashed 100,000+ views across Woodfire & FlexFlame reviews.

🔥 Pages were loaded hundreds of thousands of times overall.

🔥 The UK BBQ Events 2025 page hit 7,200+ readers.

🔥 Brisket content pulled 13,000+ views… and I’ve only cooked TWO briskets in my entire life. 😂

🔥 Even the 404 page somehow got 8,406 views.

🔥 And my honest, unsponsored reviews were read over 92,000 times — real testing that people actually trust.

I can’t thank you enough for reading, cooking, sharing, messaging, and keeping this whole thing alive.

In a year where everyone said websites were dead . . . you showed me that real cooks, real stories, and real honesty still matter.

Here’s to year two — bigger, hotter, smokier, and even more ridiculous. 🔥❤️

www.smokeandsear.world

— Lee

63 19
Open
Today marks one year since I relaunched the Smoke & Sear website — and honestly, I thought it wouldn’t survive. With everyone jumping to AI for recipes and reviews, I genuinely expected my little BBQ site to fade away. But you proved me wrong. Massively wrong. Here are 10 epic facts from the first 12 months: 🔥 Nearly 180,000 new people visited the site — enough to fill Wembley twice. 🔥 People from 100+ countries used the site this year. 🔥 The USA alone sent 51,000+ visitors. 🔥 Perfect Pulled Pork was read 32,947 times. 🔥 Ninja content smashed 100,000+ views across Woodfire & FlexFlame reviews. 🔥 Pages were loaded hundreds of thousands of times overall. 🔥 The UK BBQ Events 2025 page hit 7,200+ readers. 🔥 Brisket content pulled 13,000+ views… and I’ve only cooked TWO briskets in my entire life. 😂 🔥 Even the 404 page somehow got 8,406 views. 🔥 And my honest, unsponsored reviews were read over 92,000 times — real testing that people actually trust. I can’t thank you enough for reading, cooking, sharing, messaging, and keeping this whole thing alive. In a year where everyone said websites were dead . . . you showed me that real cooks, real stories, and real honesty still matter. Here’s to year two — bigger, hotter, smokier, and even more ridiculous. 🔥❤️ www.smokeandsear.world — Lee