Lamb Shank Delivery or Pickup

Lamb shanks come from the leg bone, just above the knee, and considered one of the most flavorful lamb portions. The leg muscles of lamb constantly get used, creating a tough and sinewy shank that needs slow-cooking techniques to make it fork-tender. 

Any sheep less than a year old qualify as a lamb. Any lamb less than 3 months old can be considered a Spring lamb. As the age of an animal tends to affect the meat's flavor, the same remains true with lamb. Spring lamb is more tender than lamb but much milder in flavor. Lamb has very little fat and the color of the meat ranges from red to pink. 

Any sheep older than one year gets called mutton. In the United States, mutton doesn't enjoy the same popularity as other countries, specifically those around the Mediterranean Sea. Ideally, mutton reaches the age of 3 years old before going to market. It possesses a robust flavor, a generous amount of fat content, and intense red coloring.

Greek, Italian, French, and Moroccan cultures love lamb shank because of its bold, gamey flavors. Seasoning in these parts of the world includes herbs like mint, rosemary, clove, and cinnamon that hold up well and compliment the meat's natural flavor.

Two basic lamb shanks exist for purchase, although it may be difficult to discern the difference. The hind shank comes from the lamb's back legs, as its name suggests, while the foreshank comes from the front legs. The foreshank runs more petite in size; therefore, the hind shank contains much more meat.

The collagen and connective tissue found in all hard-working muscles require a deft hand when preparing. You get the best results when stewing or braising lamb shank. You'll find the lamb shank sold cut with the bone left intact. Because of the problematic nature of cooking lamb shank, it sells for much less than other cuts of lamb, beef, and pork that cook quickly with grilling and broiling techniques.

Lamb shank often gets confused with the bone-in leg of lamb. Both come from the lamb's leg, but the leg of lamb comes from higher up the leg, next to the sirloin and flank of the lamb. The lamb shank should come labeled as such, but if there's any doubt, the size of the cut should tell you. A lamb shank will typically serve 1-2 people, while the bone-in leg of lamb will serve a family of 4-6 people, maybe more.

American lamb tends to have a milder flavor than imported lamb, say from New Zealand, because American lamb gets fed a steady diet of grain, while other countries raise them on grass resulting in far more gamey flavor. If this is your first time trying lamb, you should select a domestic lamb.

Consider how you plan to cook and serve the lamb shank before buying. If you plan on serving 4 people at a dinner party, you should find four cuts of similar size. Using similar-sized cuts keeps the cooking time the same, avoiding uneven serving temperatures.

You can save time by searching for lamb shank on the Instacart app. Once you select your lamb shank and checkout, an Instacart shopper will collect your order and have it ready for in-store pick-up in as little as 2 hours! In some cases, your order will qualify for same-day delivery.