Instant Pot Moroccan Lamb Shanks

Instant Pot Moroccan Lamb Shanks. Lamb shanks braised with Ras El Hanout spices, ready in about an hour thanks to pressure cooking.

From the Silk Road's caravans to maritime Spice Route ships, Morocco has always been an important stop for the spice trade. I love Ras El Hanout, Morocco's "head of the shop" spice blend, especially when I combine its warming spices with lamb.

A lamb shank on a bowl of couscous with an Instant Pot in the background

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Pressure-cooked lamb shanks are fantastic. Who wouldn't love tender lamb, falling off the bone in about an hour? As I explain in the Tips and Tricks section, the only trick to this recipe is to get lamb shanks that will fit in your pot. If you have an 8-quart Instant Pot, now is the time to bring it out - not because you need the 2 extra quarts, but because the extra width of the pot makes it easier to fit the shanks.

Ingredients

Olive oil
Lamb shanks
Ras el Hanout spice blend
Fine sea salt
Onion
Garlic
Fine sea salt
Chicken broth
Currants (or raisins)
Diced tomatoes
Couscous as a side dish (optional)
Minced cilantro as garnish (optional)
Sliced almonds as garnish (optional)
Harissa paste as a garnish (optional)

See the recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Sear the lamb shanks: Heat the olive oil in an Instant Pot set to Sauté mode - high until the oil is shimmering. (Use medium-high heat with a stovetop PC). Sprinkle the lamb shanks with 2 teaspoons of salt and 2 teaspoons of Ras el Hanout spice blend. Brown the shanks in two batches: put 2 shanks in the pot, meaty side down, and cook until browned, about 4 minutes. Move the browned shanks to a bowl, brown the second set of shanks, and move them to the bowl with the other shanks.

Sauté the aromatics: Add the onion and garlic to the pot, and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt. Sauté for five minutes, or until the onions soften, occasionally scraping the pot with a flat-edged wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits of lamb or onion. Stir in the chicken broth, and scrape the bottom of the pot one last time to loosen any browned bits. Add the lamb shanks and any lamb juices from the bowl, sprinkle with the currants, and pour the diced tomatoes over everything.

Pressure cook for 45 minutes with a Natural Release: Lock the lid and pressure cook at high pressure for 45 minutes in an Instant Pot ("manual" or "pressure cook" mode), or for 40 minutes in a stovetop cooker. Let the pressure come down naturally, about 20 minutes. (If you're in a hurry, you can quick release any remaining pressure after 15 minutes.)

Serve: Unlock the lid, tilting it away from you to avoid the hot steam. Remove the lamb shanks to a platter. Scoop out any chunks of tomato with a slotted spoon, and add them to the platter with the lamb shanks. Pour the liquid in the pot into a fat separator and let it sit for a few minutes for the fat to separate. Pour a little de-fatted liquid over the shanks, then serve with couscous and a sprinkling of minced cilantro and sliced almonds. Pass the rest of the de-fatted liquid as a sauce at the table to pour over the lamb and couscous. Enjoy!

Ras El Hanout spice blend

If you can't find Ras El Hanout spice blend at your local store (I found it at my local Cost Plus / World Market), or online (I also bought Ras El Hanout at Amazon), you can make your own by mixing:

1 teaspoon ground turmeric
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon ground ginger

Equipment

A 6-quart pressure cooker. But, if you have an 8-quart pressure cooker, use it because it will be easier to fit the lamb shanks in for the browning step.

Scaling

This recipe will not fit in a 3-quart pressure cooker - the bone in the lamb shanks is too long. You can halve the recipe in a 6-quart pressure cooker if you want; the only thing you shouldn't halve is the amount of chicken broth (or water) because you need a minimum liquid amount for pressure cooking. If you have an 8-quart pressure cooker, it is possible to double this recipe as long as the lamb shanks fit in the pot. If you have bigger lamb shanks, you can only scale up by 50% because the pot will be too full.

Tips and Tricks

Leftovers: Leftover lamb shanks are great but hard to store. I shred the meat and discard the bone to fit them in 2-cup storage containers.

Lamb shank bone size: The key to pressure cooker lamb shanks is ensuring the shanks fit in your pot. A long shank bone can be a problem; larger lamb shanks won't fit in the pot. I don't usually have this problem with grocery store lamb shanks, but I have bought some from specialty butchers that are massive and just wouldn't fit in my 6-quart pot. If you're in doubt, bring your Instant Pot liner to the store to ensure they'll fit. Or, size up your Instant Pot to an 8-quart model; I have yet to buy a lamb shank that wouldn't fit in my 8-quart pot.

What to serve with Instant Pot Moroccan Lamb Shanks

The traditional side dish is couscous, Morocco's most famous dish. Make a bed of couscous on a plate, set a lamb shank on the couscous, then drizzle with the pot liquid to sauce the lamb and couscous. I also like to serve these shanks with chickpeas like these smashed chickpeas and scallions and a grated carrot salad.