Coal-Baked Lamb Shanks with Beer and Peas
Four shanks, a can of beer, and three hours of coals doing the work while you sit around.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 14 oz
- cal / oz
- 44
- protein
- 48 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 15 min
- cook
- 180 min
- total time
- 195 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Dutch oven
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Grab and go
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Lamb shanks | 4 medium | shoulder chops work if shanks are hard to find |
|---|---|---|
| Tomato paste | 2 tsp | |
| Garlic cloves | 2-4 | smashed, skins off |
| Onion | 1 large | diced at home, bagged |
| Dried peas and carrots | 1 cup | |
| Beer | 1 large can or bottle | anything malty, not hoppy |
| Salt and pepper | to taste | |
| Chili flakes | optional, to taste |
Method
- Build a fire early and let it burn down. You want a bed of coals, not flames. This takes longer than you think.
- Put the shanks in the dutch oven with the onion, garlic, tomato paste, dried peas and carrots, and a good amount of salt and pepper.
- Pour the beer over everything. It should come partway up the meat, not cover it.
- Lid on. Set the oven in the coals and shovel more coals onto the lid. Roughly a third underneath, two thirds on top.
- Refresh the coals about once an hour. Resist opening the lid more than that.
- It is done at two to three hours, when the meat pulls off the bone with a spoon. If it fights you, it needs more time.
The beer does two jobs. It is the braising liquid, so you carry no extra water, and the sugars in a malty beer cook down into something that coats the meat. A hoppy beer goes bitter over three hours in coals. Pick accordingly.
Dried peas and carrots rehydrate in the pot instead of taking up cooler space, and they thicken the liquid as they go. This one is not backpacking food despite what the original claimed: lamb shanks are heavy, bone-in, and need a cooler. Cook it where you park.
Packing
Shanks stay frozen in the cooler and thaw over the drive. Dice the onion at home. Dried vegetables, tomato paste, and seasoning ride in one bag so the whole meal is two items to find.
Variations
- Chili flakes in at the start if you want heat that goes all the way through.
- Damper or any camp bread on the side. The braising liquid is the point and you need something to get it off the bottom.
- Swap the dried peas and carrots for a handful of dried mushrooms to push it darker and meatier.
https://camprecipes.com/classic-recipes/point-malcolm-lamb-shanks