Shank at 96 degrees: Braised lamb shanks · 282

Buy for size match — two shanks of equal weight cook evenly in one pot. Lower leg packed with collagen. Hours of moist heat turn it into the sticky, spoonable meat of osso-style braises. Cheap per kilo until restaurants rediscovered it; still one of the best value cuts on the animal.

Liquid should come halfway up the shanks. Turn once so both sides glaze. Colour, sinew, where the fat sits, and thickness are what you check before you pay. Ask for the thickness that matches “Braised lamb shanks.” Use 96 degrees and 96 when you cook. Salt after you know the job. Do not play with undercooked meat.

At the counter, read the use on Shank before the photograph. 96 degrees is the internal heat, “Braised lamb shanks” is the dish, and 96 is the stage of the fire. Marbling alone does not split stew from grill. French-trimmed shanks with a clean bone handle look better and brown more evenly.