Yes, you can BBQ lamb shanks! Let me show you how the braised and barbequed method will result in a succulent sticky caramelised crust without missing out on fall off the bone tender lamb!
And what better way to get sticky then with a Thai inspired massaman curry-based BBQ sauce! You’re going to get a whole lot more punch in your sauce, by making the massaman curry paste from scratch.
Don’t get put off if you’re not a pit master at heart! Most days, I finish the lamb shanks in a hot oven. This way I can stay close to the kitchen and the multiple moving parts of my get together.
You can get ahead of a big event by making this main dish days, even weeks, in advance.
Make it a meal!
These BBQ Massaman Curry Lamb Shanks go great with my Green Pawpaw Thai Salad.
Lamb braising and curry paste ingredients
Getting ahead part of these Thai inspired lamb shanks, involves braising the lamb and making the massaman curry BBQ sauce. Then, you can pop the two components in the fridge or freezer and you’ll be ready to grill on the day of your event.
The BBQ sauce includes the massaman curry paste and the Indonesian sweet soy sauce, Kecap Manis. The Conimex brands spells it, ketjap manis. If you can’t find it in your local market, it will be at your local Asian grocery store.
Kecap Manis – sweet soy sauce
Trimmed and tied lamb shanks
Prepping the lamb by trimming the meat off the shank bone and tying the meat is optional. If you want to plate the lamb shank intact at a dinner party, it’s worth the trouble. If you want to serve the lamb broken up on top of (or mixed through) my Thai Green Paw Paw salad recipe, there’s no need to prep the shanks. You’re going to pull them apart anyway in the end.
The shanks in the photo have been “French trimmed” and you can ask you butcher to do this for you. When the shanks have been trimmed, the meat shrinks back from the bone. This results in a neat “lollipop” shape that plates up professionally.
To French trim lamb shanks:
- Expose the bone: run a sharp knife around the bone where it enters the meaty part of the shank. Make sure you cut through all the tendon and gristle.
- Scrape the bone: run the knife along the bone away from the meat, scraping away any excess tissue.
- Tie the meat: use kitchen or butcher’s string to tie up the meat. I am by no means an expert, as you can tell from my photo above. But one trick I have learned is to wrap the twine twice before tying the final knot. That way it will not slip when you tie the second knot! Your butcher would no doubt do a better job then me.
Lamb shanks ready for braising
I use a roasting pan as I want my shanks to keep their shape. They are peaking out of the coconut milk mixture a bit, so I turn them halfway through the slow cook. This ensures each side gets to cook in the braising liquid.
If you plan to pull them apart at the end, feel free to cook them in a deeper pot. You can place an oven proof plate on top of the cartouche to weigh them down. Then top with a tight lid or aluminium foil.
Homemade curry paste
I am a firm believer in making my own curry paste. But there is no crime in purchasing a premade curry paste! And, if you buy a reputable brand – preferably Australian made in small batches, your guests are still going to believe you made everything from scratch. Just don’t have any empty curry paste bottles hanging around the kitchen!
As you can see, I’ve left quite a bit of texture in my curry paste. For this recipe it doesn’t need to be a smooth paste. But you can take it further in the food processor to get a smoother paste. The only ingredient that will fight you as you aim for smooth is that pesky but perfectly aromatic galangal!
Braised lamb shanks and BBQ sauce
I braised the lamb shanks and made the Thai massaman curry BBQ sauce the day before my planned meal. The next day, they’re ready to be basted and put into a hot oven to roast or onto the BBQ. Remember the meat is already cooked. All you need to do is make sure they’re hot all the way through and they’ve got that yummy sticky caramelisation going on.
You can see I roast them on a pan with a grill top. This allows the hot air to circulate to mimic a BBQ with the lid down.
This is the point in the recipe (before you baste the shanks) when you can pack everything away in the freezer. Freeze the shanks and the BBQ sauce separately. The day before your event, defrost both overnight in the fridge.
Ready to serve!
BBQ Massaman Curry Lamb Shanks
Equipment
- Kitchen/butcher’s string optional
- Large roasting pan
- Two litre jug or container
- Baking paper
- Aluminium foil
- Food processor
- Medium frying pan or wok
- Oven tray with rack (if not using BBQ)
Ingredients
Braised lamb shanks ingredients:
- 6 lamb shanks
- 800 ml coconut cream
- 1 ½ tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoons palm sugar
- 700 ml room temperature water
- 100 ml boiling water
BBQ sauce ingredients:
- 6 cm piece galangal (can substitute ginger)
- 4 stalks lemon grass
- 6 long red chillies
- 2 brown onions
- 8 cloves garlic
- 4 teaspoons ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons ground cardamon
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons finely ground white pepper
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 4-6 tablespoons peanut oil
- 360 ml Kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
To serve ingredients:
- 3 limes
- 50 g roasted & salted peanuts
- 2 long red chillies
- 50 g crispy shallots (store bought)
- Small bunch of coriander
Instructions
Braised lamb shanks instructions:
- Preheat oven 160°C (140°C fan forced).
- Trim lamb shanks & tie with butcher’s string (optional).
- Add boiling water to palm sugar in 2L jug & stir to dissolve.
- Add remaining water, coconut cream & fish sauce to jug, stir to combine.
- Fit shanks into roasting pan in a single layer.
- Pour coconut mix over shanks, stopping about 1 ½ cm from the top of the pan.
- Cover with baking paper cartouche & seal with aluminium foil.
- Roast for 2 ½ hours or until the meat pulls away easily with a fork. Turn shanks halfway, if they are sitting out of the braising liquid, reseal the foil.
- Leave to cool on the bench 1 – 1 1/2 hours maximum & refrigerate overnight.
Massaman curry paste instructions:
- Peel & chop galangal.
- Chop lemon grass, white ends only.
- Pulse galangal & lemon grass in food processor until finely ground.
- Add remaining ingredients, except peanut oil & kecap manis.
- Pulse until beginning to form a paste.
- Gradually add oil until a course paste forms.
- Heat frying pan to med-high & add curry paste, cook for 5 minutes until fragrant and colour deepens.
- Cool to room temperature, then whisk in Kecap manis & refrigerate overnight in a deep bowl (large enough to dip a lamb shank).
Peanut & chilli topping instructions:
- Slice red chillies 5mm thick, according to your preference for heat you can remove seeds and membrane before slicing.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of peanut oil in wok until shimmering
- Add chillies and peanuts and toss until toasted.
- Transfer to layered paper towels to drain excess oil and bring to room temperature.
- Wash and pick leaves from stems of coriander, set aside.
- Add crispy shallots to chilli mix.
BBQ lamb shanks instructions:
- Preheat covered BBQ or oven to 270°C (250°C fan forced).
- Remove lamb shanks from braising liquid, pat dry with paper towels. Discard braising liquid or freeze for use in stews/curries.
- Carefully remove butcher’s string with scissors.
- Dip each lamb shank into bowl of BBQ sauce and use a brush to add more, don’t forget the bone.
- Let the excess drip back into the bowl and then place on oven tray with rack or plate if using the BBQ.
- BBQ with the lid down until heated through and the shanks are starting have blackened edges. Feel free to baste with more BBQ sauce.
- Watch carefully as the sugar in the sauce will burn if left unattended.
- You can also grill some lime cheeks at the same time.
To serve instructions:
- Cook leftover BBQ sauce in a small pot, stirring constantly over medium heat until the sauce is glossy (5-10 minutes).
- If the BBQ sauce is too thick for your liking, it can be thinned with some water while you are heating it.
- Baste the shanks when they come off the BBQ one more time with the cooked sauce.
- Set aside remaining BBQ sauce to serve with shanks.
- Serve BBQ lamb shanks topped with chilli mix and coriander, with lime cheeks & BBQ sauce on the side.
3 Responses
Made this delicious massaman curry lamb shank recipe last night, it was epic. Great to prep day before makes and easy bbq or grilled in oven I did on the night. Simply sensational, plan to make again soon for a dinner party.
Hi Nadine thank you for you lovely feedback. I hear that this dish has made it to your table twice already this winter! That’s the best review I can get.
This is one of the tastiest lamb dishes I’ve had! I highly recommend:)