A shank is the upper part of an animal's leg, so a lamb shank is the upper part of a lamb's leg. When people use the term "lamb shank," they are usually referring to a cut of meat coming from the upper part of the leg, from either the hind or front legs respectively.
Primal Cuts
When a butcher first cuts meat, he cuts it into basic sections before further cutting into sub-portions. These basic cuts are called primal cuts. Depending on the butcher, a lamb usually has five of these , though some butchers list as few as four or as many as eight. When the butcher cuts eight sections, shank and foreshank are counted as two of the primal cuts. In this case, the foreshank comes from the lamb's front legs, below the shoulder. The shank comes from the hind legs, below the cut called leg, which actually is analogous to hips. Besides foreshank, shoulder, shank and leg, the other primal cuts are loin, rib, breast and neck. When not cut separately, shanks are included in other cuts such as breast or leg.
Retail Cuts
A lamb shank will not have a tremendous size on its own, since a lamb is a sheep that is less than a year old. A so-called spring lamb is even younger. These animals are from three to five months old. Besides cuts labeled shank, foreshank and hind shank, cuts at market that include at least some part of the shank are Frenched-style roast, short-cut leg, center leg roast and shank roast. Shank meat is found in other products, as well, like ground lamb.
Flavor and Tenderness
Younger meat means more tender meat as far as sheep are concerned, so lamb cuts are prized. In contrast, mutton--meat from a sheep over two years old--is tougher and darker than lamb meat, and strong-flavored, too. Lamb meat has a more delicate flavor. Even though leg portions are tougher in general, lamb shanks are still more tender than meat from older animals. The meat is lean and contains come connective tissue.
Peak Buying Times
Lamb sales rise in the spring with Easter, but the best time to buy lamb is in the midsummer to fall. Buying at this time gives lambs born in the spring--spring lambs--a chance to reach their peak flavor. Lamb meat is vaguely earthy, sweet and succulent. Despite being tougher than premium lamb cuts, lamb shanks are still flavorful.
Price Compared to Other Cuts
The most expensive cuts of meat are loin and rib, which, besides being delicious, are the most tender. Cuts from these sections should be cooked with dry heat methods, like roasting or broiling. The leg section is less expensive than loin and rib. When you buy leg of lamb, you are buying this cut, which comes from the hind legs of the animal. When cut French style, the shank bone remains. In American style, the shank is cut off. The leg of lamb, unlike the leg of beef, is tender. The foreshank and shank, along with the shoulder, neck and breast, are the toughest and therefore the lowest in price.
Cooking
Since shanks from the hind quarters of a lamb are often left attached to leg of lamb cuts, when you buy lamb shanks, you probably are getting foreshanks. As far as cooking is concerned, it makes no difference either way: both kinds of shanks should be braised or stewed. Braising is a wet method of cooking. It makes up for the toughness of the meat. The serving size is one shank per person.
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