Lamb Shanks Slow Cooked over a Fire

Sometimes even well-laid plans come adrift. 

I have been wanting to try cooking lamb-shanks over a fire, so our holiday in the Drakensberg seemed like a good opportunity.  I stocked up on lamb-shanks for two, amongst other goodies, and off we went. One thing I forgot though - my big black flat bottomed cast iron pot.  Disaster!  How on earth was I going to cook two large, very awkardly shaped pieces of lamb, bone included?

Well, 'n boer maak a plan' as they say they the classics (in SA, anyway).  I did have a cast iron frying pan, and several tin-foil pie dishes, which I use when I'm making braai-packs.  So, we decided to fry everything up in the frying pan, and cook it in a tinfoil 'packet'.  And it came out so well, I want to try making it again - but maybe I'll use a pot this time!  Although - the clean-up was so easy,  all we had to do was chuck the tinfoil in the bin, and wash a few plates and things.

Here's the recipe, I hope you'll give it a try - when you have the leisure time to sit by the fire for the 3 to 4 hours this will take to cook!  Pour another drink, sit back and relax!

Lamb Shanks Cooked over a Fire

feeds 2 hungry adults (we ate late!)

2 lamb shanks
oil for frying
1 packet bacon braai rashers (thick cut bacon), sliced
1 large onion, sliced roughly
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 glass of red wine
1 tin of chopped tomatoes, with their juice
2 tsp sugar
1/4 cup chopped fresh rosemary
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground pepper

• Start by making a fire, and heating the oil in the pan/pot
• Fry the lamb shanks until they are well-browned, then transfer them to a tinfoil dish

• Add the bacon pieces and fry until all the fat is rendered, spoon them over the lambshanks

• Fry the onions in the bacon fat, add the garlic when the onions are softened, and fry together
• Add the glass of red wine, the tin of tomatoes, the sugar, rosemary, seasoning and mustard, and bring to the boil
• Pour the tomato mixture over the meat

• Wrap a large piece of tinfoil around the entire tray, and seal loosely
• Place on the braai grid, and keep the flames small but steady

• Cook for at least 3 hours (pour several more drinks), checking regularly, add a little water if needed
• Serve on mash or polenta - we had ours on mushy veggies, one of my favourite braai dishes:  boil together peeled, chopped potatoes, onions and garlic, and mixed veggies (whatever you have on hand, butternut, broccoli, carrots, even a pack of frozen mixed veggies) until soft, drain well, add a heap of butter, salt and lots of freshly ground pepper, mash together.  Delicious, I promise!

And here's the result - gorgeously tender, melt-in-the-mouth pieces of lamb in a rich bacon/tomato/herby sauce.  YUM, pretty good braai food!

 

 

We had this dinner by candlelight in our caravan - I do love camping!!!

Spicy Pork Braai Packet

Right - time to get to cooking on the fire!

Here is a favourite dish that we cook on the fire often, and it's a good example of the type of food we cook when camping - a pack of vegetables and meat, cooked in a tinfoil packet until tender, moist and full of flavour.  This method is very open to experimentation,  and I find each time I make it, it comes out a little different.  Also, clean-up afterwards is minimal!

On the menu were some pork neck chops, and instead of doing the usual braaied chops, with potatoes in foil and a salad, I decided that an all-in-one tinfoil pack would be good.  Inspired by stir fry-type flavours, I added all sorts of ingredients and in the end we had one of the most delicious packs ever. 

Spicy Pork Braai Packet

4 pork neck chops, bones removed and cut into strips
Marinade:
3 Tbsps soy sauce
1 Tbsp Worcester sauce
1 tsp English mustard
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp paprika
Vegetables:
1 large onion, sliced
3 medium potatoes, sliced
4 carrots, julienned
1/4 head of broccoli, broken into florets
large handful of button mushrooms, sliced
1 red chili, sliced
olive oil
butter

• Mix the marinade ingredients very well, and work through the meat strips, making sure that they are well coated
• Prepare all the vegetables, then layer them in your tinfoil roasting dish
• Start with the onion, and drizzle a little olive oil over them
• Next layer the potatoes, the carrots, the broccoli, then add a few dollops of butter
• Lastly layer on the meat, chili, and mushrooms
• Now make a lid of tinfoil, and seal the packet rim very well - this is important, as it will keep all the juices in, and steam the food until the flavours are mingled and delicious

Place over hot coals on the braai grid, and allow the heat to puff the packet up.  It should take about an hour to cook. Watch the packet, while there are small jets of steam escaping, there is still moisture inside. When the steam stops, your packet is done.

Remove from the fire, tear open and serve - the flavours have to be tasted to be believed, and the chillies add a lovely fresh bite.

Enjoy!