Slowly braised mutton shanks

Bring the mutton shanks to room temperature an hour before cooking. Use a knife to expose a section of the bone about 2 cm in width. Season the shanks with salt and pepper.

Peel all the vegetables, cut them into large pieces and place in a buttered cast iron pot. Arrange the meat and the rosemary sprigs in the pot as well and pour 100–200 ml of red wine over them. Finally, add plenty of water so that only little bits of the shanks are exposed above the surface.

If you are using a Napoli outdoor oven to cook the shanks, heat it to 200 °C and, once hot, move the embers to the left side and place the pot to the right side for half an hour. When the temperature has dropped to 150–175 °C, close the door and let the meat simmer for roughly another five hours. Use the thermometer on the door to monitor the temperature.

You can drain the cooking juices and use a thickener to turn it into gravy. Serve with delicious braised root vegetables and perhaps some mashed potatoes, turbo boosted with crispy bacon, as gloriously tasty accompaniments to the meat!