Delicious Lamb Shanks With a Spicy Brown Sugar Sauce

I combined Bobby Flay's Lamb shanks from his Mesa Grill cookbook with another lamb marinade I found online. I read somewhere that lamb is best when marinated overnight, and this recipe is surely no exception to that rule - awesome!

• Ready In: 3 hrs 30 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 4  lamb shanks
• 3  tablespoons olive oil
•  kosher  salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 1  large Spanish onion, coursely chopped
• 2  medium carrots, coarsely chopped
• 2  celery ribs, coarsely chopped
• 2  cups dry red wine
• 6  sprigs fresh thyme
• 4  cups chicken broth
• 3  chiles de arbol
• 1⁄2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1⁄2 cup red wine vinegar

• Marinade

• 3  cups  chianti wine (or other red wine)
• 1⁄2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1⁄2 cup  orange juice
• 1⁄2 teaspoon thyme
• 1⁄2 teaspoon oregano
• 4  whole bay leaves
• 15  juniper berries
• 1  quart water
•  salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1⁄4 cup olive oil

Directions

1. Place lamb shanks with all marinade ingredients in a large ziplock bag. Let sit in fridge overnight (24 hours before use).
2. Preheat oven to 350.
3. Brush olive oil on all sides of lamb shanks. Season shanks with salt and pepper.
4. Heat a large oven proof roasting pan or dutch oven over HIGH heat. Add the shanks when the pot is hot and sear on all sides until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes (2 minutes per side). Remove shanks and set aside.
5. In the same pot, add the onion, carrots, and celery to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and cook until lightly golden brown over HIGH heat, 4-5 minutes. Add the wine and cook until reduced by half, about 2-3 minutes. Add the thyme, stock, and lamb shanks and bring to a boil. Cover, place in the oven, and braise until the meat is tender, about 2 - 2.5 hours.
6. Remove the shanks to a plate and tent loosely with foil. Stain the sauce through a finely meshed strainer and return liquid contents back to the pot and place over HIGH heat. Add the chiles (remove seeds unless you like a very spicy sauce) and brown sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced to sauce consistency (15-20 minutes - liquid should coat the back of a spoon). If after cooking down you would like a thicker sauce, mix flour with cold water in a measuring cup, then slowing whisk into sauce until reach desired consistency.
7. Add the vinegar to the sauce and cook 1 minute over HIGH heat, season with salt and pepper to taste.
8. Spoon the sauce over the lamb shanks. Recommend serving with a risotto milanese or polenta.