Today we are going to take a look at making beef shanks that are fall off the bone tender after being marinated for 2 - 4 hours and then cooked for between 3 - 4 hours.
The nice thing about beef shanks as a cut is that they are generally inexpensive as it is quite tough unless done properly. Here we will use red wine and stock to both marinade the beef and cook it. When done the shanks are not only incredibly moist, they also lend themselves very well to being enjoyed the next day as leftovers.
To start you want to slice up the following:
1 large onion
2 carrots
2 stalks of celery
2-4 cloves of garlic
Heat some oil olive in a large saucepan and sauté all of these over medium-high heat for around 5-8 minutes.
When done use them to line the bottom of a casserole dish.
Take your beef shanks and season them liberally with sea salt and garlic powder. Then season them heavily with freshly ground black pepper. We used 4 large shanks and 2 smaller ones. Always make sure that your shanks are bone-in.
Place the seasoned shanks on top of the layer of sautéed veg.
Next you want to pour into the casserole a relatively equal amount of beef stock and red wine until the meat is just covered by it. To this add 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce. You can use any red wine of your choosing. I used the Spanish Toro Bravo Tempranillo Merlot.
Cover and put in the fridge for 2-4 hours to marinade.
About 15 minutes before cooking bring out to warm up a bit. Then place in an oven set to 350 and cook for 3 1/2 to 4 hours covered.
After cooking let sit 10 minutes before serving.
The meat will be fall apart, cut with a fork tender. The classic flavours of the wine, stock and seasonings also compliment shank and the lengthy cooking time.
Serve with rice, egg noodles or mashed potato and be sure to drizzle some of the jus over top. It is also nice to top with some fresh parsley or green onion.
This dish is really terrific reheated the next day. I like to have the leftovers with spicy pan fried ramen noodles.
Enjoy.
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