Brisket Braised Lamb Shanks

Last night I made my quarantine crew have a little Easter Sunday Seder! We sped through the “Seder’s Greatest Hits” Haggadah I wrote (I changed the “four questions” to the “four answers” for brevity’s sake) and rewarded everyone with these 🍖BRISKET BRAISED LAMB SHANKS🍖 when we were through! What are brisket braised lamb shanks? My creation for the perfect Easter/Passover hybrid feast - lamb shanks slowly braised a la my classic brisket recipe. Easter Sunday Seder may be over but you can still make these delicious lamb shanks or use this recipe to braise any meat! Braising is a great quarantine activity that results in lush, tender, fall of the bone lamb! Here’s what you need:
INGREDIENTS
2 lamb shanks, or 2-4 Lbs red meat
Salt, I used @omnivore.us (the best for salting meat)
Olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
4 cups broth
1/2 bottle red wine
2 carrots, chopped on the bias
Bay leaf

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Remove shanks from the fridge and generously salt. Let sit for one hour then dab with a paper towel to remove excess moisture the salt drew out - this will help create a nice sear!
2. Preheat oven to 350 F
3. Heat a heavy bottom pan with a few glugs of olive oil and on medium high heat sear all sides of the lamb shank, till a brown crust develops, 5-7 minutes per side. Once seared on all side remove from pan and set aside on a separate plate.
4. Turn heat to medium low and add onions. Mix to make sure they are well coated in the rendered fat and olive oil and make sure you’re picking up any brown flavor bits off the bottom. Continue cooking on medium low/low until onions caramelized, 35-45 minutes.
5. Once onions are golden brown and caramelized, add shanks back into the pot with any juices that may have seeped out while resting. Add broth, wine, bay leaf, carrots and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and then immediately down to a simmer. Cover the pot and cook in the oven for 2 1/2-3 hours, until the shanks are fork tender.
6. Once lamb shanks are fork tender and the meat can easily peel off the bone, remove lid and cook for another 30 minutes, until liquid has reduced by almost half. Then serve, preferably with some sort of potato!