Tonight, I made some lamb shanks braised in rosemary red wine bbq sauce, served on a bed of garlic & cheddar grits.



For the lamb:

4 lamb shanks (about 3 lbs)
Kosher salt and black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 1/3 cups dry red wine
1 1/3 cups beef broth or stock
2 sprigs rosemary
2/3 cup Mutha Sauce (I used Dinosaur BBQ Sensuous Slathering Sauce instead)
1/3 cinnamon stick

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut a few shallow slits through the silver skin on both sides of each shank. Sprinkle each shank on both sides with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Heat 1/4 cup olive oil over medium heat in a large heavy skillet. Brown shanks in oil, cooking for about 4 minutes on each side. Remove shanks to roasting pan, clean pan, and heat remaining 1/4 cup olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute onions in oil until tender, season with salt and pepper, and add garlic and cook for an additional minute. Add wine and beef broth, bring to a boil, then add rosemary, Mutha Sauce, and cinnamon stick. Pour sauce over the shanks into the roasting pan, cover tightly with foil, and put in oven and braise for 2 hours, flipping shanks after the first hour.

Once shanks are tender, remove from pan and keep warm, and strain the remaining braising liquid and skim the grease. Reduce the braising liquid in a small pan by about half, until the sauce thickens. Serve each shank over a bed of grits, with some sauce spooned on top.


For the grits:

1/4 cup butter
1 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped green pepper
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
salt and pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 quart whole milk
1 cup quick grits
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated pecorino romano cheese
tabasco sauce

Melt half the butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat, and cook onions, peppers, and jalapenos until tender. Season with salt and pepper, add garlic, and cook an additional minute. Add milk, bring to a boil, and turn heat down to medium-low. Slowly stir in grits and cook, covered, for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to get a smooth texture. Remove pan from heat, and stir in cheeses and 2 teaspoons of salt plus 1 teaspoon black pepper. When texture is even, spice with tabasco sauce and serve.


9/10: Another heavy dish, thanks to the Yankee grits, but very good. The only problem is it took me a week to find any lamb shanks, and 3 hours in the kitchen to prepare this meal, so don't try this when you just want a quick fix. I also made some roasted asparagus and baby portabella mushrooms to have something green to go with this, but it wasn't the best match. Maybe you can suggest a better side, and I will make it for you.