Legs of lamb and knuckles of lamb contain a lot of connective tissue. So they need a cooking process that gives the collagen enough time to turn into gelatin.
Traditionally, this is achieved by stewing: comparatively low temperatures with long cooking times. One advantage of sous vide cooking, however, is the constant temperature – and the ability to cook over several days.
The lamb shanks prepared here are prepared as follows:
- Mix 1 part red port with 1 part very dry and strong red wine
- 1 leg of lamb per bag, but larger bags can also be used for several pieces
- Addition in each bag:
- a pinch of salt
- dried rosemary
- dried thyme
- peppercorns
- optional and to taste:
Cumin, cardamom, fermented lemon, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, coriander
- Water temperature: 59.5°C
- Cooking time: 72 hours
At the end of the cooking time, the bags can be chilled quickly or used immediately. The resulting brew in the bag only needs to be reduced and seasoned. When serving, the lamb shank can be covered with the finished sauce.
For later use, heating in a water bath for approx. 1.5 hours is sufficient.
Annotation:
The core temperature of 59.5°C corresponds to our personal preference. The meat is pink, buttery tender, falls off the bone and is not stringy at all. Higher temperatures, up to a core temperature of over 80°C, are also possible, which should be decided by personal preference.
