Center-cut beef shanks

Cooking Tips and Recipes
1

Looking for recipe recommendations for the center-cut beef shanks. Thanks!

2

Try this Osso Buco or Milanese Osso Buco (from “Silver Spoon”, a classic cookbook for Italian cuisine):

Ingredients:

  • 6 tbs butter
  • 1/2 onion, chopped
  • 4 2-in shanks
  • All purpose flour (for dusting)
  • 5 tbs dry white wine
  • 3/4 cup beef stock
  • 1 celery stalk, chopped
  • 1 carrot, chopped
  • 2 tbs tomato paste
  • thinly pared rind of 1/2 lemon
  • 1 sprig flat parsley, finely chopped

Instructions:

  • Melt butter in pan and cook onion for 5 min over low heat
  • Dust the shanks with flour, add to the pan, and cook over high heat, turning frequently until browned all over
  • Season with salt and pepper and cook for a few more minutes, then pour in wine and cook until evaporated
  • Add stock, celery, and carrot. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, adding stock if needed.
  • Mix tomato paste with 1 tbs hot water in a bowl and stir into pan:
  • Prepare gremolata by combining lemon rind and parsley, then add to shanks and cook 5 more minutes
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3

I’ve tried a few recipes that other Waldeneers have suggested. Here are two of my favorites:

Shredded Beef Taco Bar

Beef stew with dumplings

The second one is definitely more of a cooler weather dish, but it’s a great comfort food. The Osso Bucco @Dutch suggested sounds delicious too! I’ll look forward to hearing what you do, or seeing a picture here :wink:

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4

Center-cut beef shanks are the first thing I ever braised (after @Melissa recommended I give it a try). I did a very simple wine based braise and it came out amazing served over some rice.

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Pat your cut of meat dry with a paper towel to help it brown evenly.

  2. Generously salt and pepper the meat, and dice any vegetables you’d like to use in your braise (carrots, celery, onions, and garlic work great).

  3. Brown all sides of the meat on medium-heat, then set aside.

  4. Add your diced vegetables, plus any spices you want to use, to the empty pot and brown.

  5. Once the vegetables are soft, you can slowly add liquid to dislodge those flavor-packed brown bits stuck to the bottom of your dutch oven. This process is called “deglazing” — beef broth, cooking wine, or even water works great (we used red wine).

  6. Return the meat to the dutch oven, and add liquid (beef broth, water or wine) until the level is halfway up the sides of the meat you are braising. Bring the mixture up to a boil and then immediately lower the heat to a simmer. If your recipe calls for aromatics like bay leaves, juniper berries or orange peel, now is the time to add them.

  7. Cover your dutch oven with a tight lid and place into your preheated oven. Let cook until fork-tender (anywhere from 1.5 – 3 hours). You can check occasionally to test tenderness and add liquid if the level starts to drop.

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5

My favorite “hack” for beef shanks is using them for any recipe for bone-in short ribs that is a “low and slow” style (e.g. braising!). I honestly haven’t tried a braised short rib recipe on shanks that hasn’t worked well for me! (Though please let me know if this tip fails you – I’d like to know for my own education :slight_smile: )

One that worked well for me is Alison Roman’s tangy braised short ribs on New York Times Cooking

Since our beef shanks are bone-in and our short ribs are not (and they’re more readily available too!) they are truly one of my favorite cuts to cook with!

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6

Great idea, Melissa. Thank you!

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7

Thank you! Appreciate the recipe. Assuming this would also work with a slow-cooker.

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8

Beef shanks make fantastic stew. They are juicy and tender like short ribs and the bones give great flavor to the gravy. Just substitute shanks for cubes of stew beef in any stew recipe.

I make a quick stew with shanks in my pressure cooker. Brown the shanks in some oil, add big chunks of carrots, celery and Onion, some salt/pepper, a few tablespoons of tomato paste, some red wine or white wine, beer, or stock and a bit of balsamic vinegar (the acid helps with the flavor). Cook on high pressure for 35 minutes, natural release.

I also use shanks to make my Mom’s Jewish style cabbage borscht. That’s just water, cabbage, a large can of crushed tomatoes, some diced beets, and some citric acid or lemon juice to make it puckery sour (that’s how she made it and how I like it, but that 's personal taste). Brown the shanks, add the cabbage shreds, tomato, beets and enough water to cover by a couple of inches. Boil until the cabbage is tender and the beef is tender. Add the citric acid or lemon to taste, along with salt and pepper.

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9

Stew is an excellent idea. I might give that a try as we head into fall!