Traeger Smoked Lamb Shanks – Recipe and Cooking Guide

Hey Smokers, and welcome to my post where we will run through my Traeger smoked lamb shanks – recipe and cooking guide. As you may or may not know, this site is all about cooking on my Traeger Pro Series 22 Pellet Smoker and seeing where we can take things.

Traeger Smoked Lamb Shanks - Header

Now I can’t begin to describe to you how much I love a good lamb shank. We simply throw them into the slow cooker with some garlic, rosemary, pasata and red wine and let them simmer away all day. So, now it is time to mix them with my other food based love – my smoker!

Traeger Smoked Lamb Shanks: What You’ll Need

Ok, so below is what I used to cook me some smoke lamb shanks my Traeger pellet smoker:

Ingredients:

  • 4 lamb shanks
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Garlic powder
  • Dried rosemary
  • Any other rubs or ingredients you would prefer to throw on the outside of these bad boys!
  • Beef Broth – for second part of covered cook.
traeger smoked lamb shanks - shanks on smoker

Equipment:

  • Pellet smoker
  • Wood pellets (hickory or mesquite work well)
  • Meat thermometer

The Cooking Process

For my cook, I wanted to try and get them to ‘fall off the bone’ consistency so I plan to smoke them for a few hours and then cover with some Beef Broth/Stock until ready. Based on the lamb shoulder I did a few weeks back, I am thinking that this cook will be around 4 – 5 hours or so. So based on that, this is what I did and when:

Prepare the Lamb Shanks:

  1. Preheat the Smoker: Set the pellet smoker to 225°F (107°C).
  2. Rub the Shanks: In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder and dried rosemary then rub all over the lamb shanks, ensuring they are well-coated. I used olive oil as a binder here as well.

Smoke the Lamb Shanks:

  1. Smoke the Lamb: Place the lamb shanks directly on the grill grates of your smoker. Close the lid and let them smoke for about 3 hours.

For this part, I really didnt worry about checking internal temperatures at all as I was planning to cover them anyway. If however you plan to leave them uncovered, then I would maybe start to check the internal temp after around 4 hours. You are looking for a minimum of around 200°F (93°C).

Wrap the Lamb Shanks:

  1. Create the Braise: In an aluminum foil tray, add the beef broth/stock.
  2. Add the Shanks: Remove the lamb shanks from the smoker and add to the try.
  3. Cover: Cover with aluminum foil and return to the smoker.

At this stage, you can add pretty much whatever you like. I toyed with the idea of adding my slow cooker braise of passata, red wine, Worcestershire sauce, garlic cloves and rosemary (as per my sauce below) but decided to keep it simple this time.

Finishing Up

  1. Check the Temperature: The lamb is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 200°F (93°C). This higher internal temperature allows the connective tissue in the lamb shanks to break down, resulting in the tender, fall-off-the-bone finish that I was looking for.
  2. Rest the Lamb: Once done, remove the lamb shanks from the smoker and let them rest for about 10 minutes (I left mine closer to 30 minutes as the veges weren’t ready – haha).
  3. Serve: Serve your smoked lamb shanks with sides of your choice, like mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, or a fresh salad.
traeger smoked lamb shanks - shanks done

In the video, I mentioned the sauce that I made for them. This is as follows:

  • 1 tin diced tomatoes
  • Good splash of red wine
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tablespoon of raw sugar
  • A shake of SPG
  • Fresh rosemary if you have it

Bring it to the boil until it starts to thicken and the red wine burns off a little and you are done!

My Results

So, as an outline of the above, I smoked my shanks for around 3 hours and then wrapped with a little beef stock and then returned for another 2.5 hours (I was cooking 4 medium sized shanks).

After the rest, the meat pulled straight off the bone without any resistance and was amazingly moist and tender.

All in all, if you are thinking about lamb shanks on the smoker… then follow the above and you can’t go wrong – I mean, lamb shanks are a favorite of many and actually not that easy to mess up making them good for those of you getting started with a smoker as well!

traeger smoked lamb shanks - shanks with sauce

Tips:

  • Wood Choice: Hickory and mesquite are great for their strong flavors, but for a milder smoke flavor, consider using apple or cherry wood pellets.
  • Basting: Regular basting with some beef stock or a sauce of your choice not only adds flavor but also helps to keep the lamb moist during the long cooking process – I didn’t do this but well worth it if you are not planning to wrap.
  • Monitoring: Keep an eye on your smoker’s temperature and make adjustments as necessary to maintain a steady 225°F (107°C).

Conclusion

So there you have it, my recipe and cooking guide for some Traeger smoked lamb shanks. I hope it has been of assistance but as usual, if you have any questions please do not hesitate to reach out by commenting below. I would also love to hear of your own experiences, preferences or suggestions here as well.

Are there any other products you have been looking at but want to know more about? If so, please comment below and I will do my best to get some details for you.

Until next time

Have fun and get smoking!

Paul

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