Community Cookbook: Field Guide’s Cedar-Smoked Lamb Shanks with Carrot-Miso Purée

Field Guide (235 Kent Ave.) is a modern American fine dining destination in Williamsburg from Chef Tim Meyers, a North Brooklyn local.

For this week’s addition to the Community Cookbook, Chef Meyers has shared his recipe for Cedar-Smoked Lamb Shanks with Carrot-Miso Purée.

“This recipe takes three days. That is not a warning. That is a promise. Good things take time. Lamb does not rush, and neither should you,” the team at Field Guide told Greenpointers. 

“Eat slow,” the team added. “Drink something with weight to it. And when you’re done, sit with the quiet. The world moves fast. This meal does not.”

Learn how to make Field Guide’s Cedar-Smoked Lamb Shanks with Carrot-Miso Purée below and find last week’s Community Cookbook recipe here.

Field Guide’s Cedar-Smoked Lamb Shanks with Carrot-Miso Purée

Serves 2–3

Ingredients for the Lamb

2 to 3 lamb foreshanks (about 5½ pounds total)

3 tablespoons of kosher salt (2% of lamb weight)

1½ quarts of good brown chicken stock

Olive oil

2 to 3 cedar sheets (one per shank, soaked in warm water for 30 minutes)

Ingredients for the Carrot-Miso Purée

¾ pound of carrots, peeled and thinly sliced

1 cup of water (enough to just cover)

1½ tablespoons of unsalted butter

1½ teaspoons of white miso paste

Directions for the Lamb

Day 1: The Salt

1. Weigh the lamb.  Measure 2% of its weight in kosher salt, which is about 3 tablespoons for 5½ pounds.  
2. Rub it into the shanks like you mean it.  Not aggressive — just thorough.  
3. Lay them on a rack over a tray and leave them uncovered in the fridge overnight.  The cold will settle in.  The salt will do its work.

Day 2: The Braise

4. Preheat your oven to 285°F.  
5. Add a pan of water to the bottom if you don’t have a steam function.  Lamb prefers humidity — it stays tender that way.
6. In a heavy skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers.  
7. Sear the lamb shanks until browned on all sides, 4 to 5 minutes per side.  Take your time.  This is not a job for the hurried.
8. Nestle the lamb into a Dutch oven or snug baking dish.  
9. Pour the chicken stock over until mostly submerged.  
10. Cover tightly with foil or a lid.
11. Braise for 2½ to 3 hours, until the meat is tender and just barely clinging to the bone.  
12. Let the lamb cool in the braising liquid for an hour.  It soaks up flavor in the quiet moments.

Day 3: The Smoke

13. Remove the shanks from the liquid and pat dry.  
14. Wrap each one in a cedar sheet soaked in warm water.
15. Set them in a roasting pan.  
16. Torch the edges of the cedar until it smokes, not burns.  
17. Cover with foil and let the smoke do its work. (10 to 15 minutes.  Not more.  Subtlety is the goal.)

Directions for the Carrot-Miso Purée

1. Simmer the carrots in just enough water to cover, about 1 cup.  Let them go until they’re soft — 15, maybe 20 minutes.  
2. Drain, but keep a bit of the cooking water.
3. While still warm, blend the carrots with butter until smooth.  
4. Add miso and blend again.  
5. Add a splash of the cooking water if it’s too thick.  It should be like velvet — no coarseness, no hurry.
6. Strain through a fine mesh sieve.

Directions for Serving

1. Reheat the lamb slowly in a wide skillet over medium heat with a small ladle of the reserved braising liquid just enough to come up a half-inch on the meat. Spoon the liquid over the shanks again and again.  
2. Let it reduce.  Let it catch the light — the surface will grow glossy, and the meat will hum with warmth and salt and smoke.
3. Spoon the carrot-miso purée onto a warm plate.
4. Set the shank gently beside it.  
5. Spoon over a final glaze from the pan.