Asian-Style Braised Beef Shanks

Adapted from fineCooking Magazine "Create Your Own Recipe"

Printable Recipe


Prep time: 20 minutes

Braising time: 3 hours

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:

4 large beef shanks with marrow (figure 1-2 per person, you could also use thick cut short ribs)
3 tbsp olive oil
Salt & freshly ground black pepper 
2 cups medium-diced onions

handful of. dried mushrooms, steeped in 1 cup hot water until soft, then coarsely chopped (about 5 minutes)

1 tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger

1 tbsp finely chopped garlic

2 to 3 whole star anise

1/2 cup sherry (or rice wine, which I was out of)

1/4 cup lower-sodium soy sauce

3 cups total: 2 cups lower-salt beef broth  plus 1 cup mushroom soaking water 

1 to 2 tsp rice wine vinegar

1 to 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

1.  Preheat the oven to 325°F/160°C. 

2. In an 8-quart Dutch oven, heat 1 tbsp olie oil over medium heat. Season the shanks with salt and pepper. Add the shanks to the pot in one layer without overlapping.  Let the meat sit for 3 minutes before trying to turn with tongs.  They are ready to turn when they no longer stick to the pan.  Repeat the process for the other side. Transfer the seared ones to a plate and repeat the process with more shanks if required.  

2. Add the remaining oil and onions to the pan. Cook, stirring and scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan, until the onions are soft and lightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Add chopped dried mushrooms, ginger, garlic, and star anise, and cook, stirring, until well distributed and fragrant, about 1 minute.

3. Pour the sherry/rice wine into the pot and cook, stirring to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot, until the liquid is reduced to about 2 tbsp, about 1 minute.

4. Transfer all the meat (and any juices that have accumulated) back into the pot. Pour the beef broth & mushroom juice mixture and soy sauce over the ribs and using tongs, arrange the ribs as evenly as possible and no more than two layers deep.

5. Bring the liquid to a simmer, cover, and put the pot in the oven. Cook, turning the ribs with tongs about every 40 minutes, until they are fork tender, about 3 hours. (The meat may fall off most of the bones about midway through cooking; this does not mean that the ribs are fully tender.)

6. Transfer the ribs to a serving platter or dish. Let the sauce and solids sit in the pot for a few minutes to cool and with a shallow spoon, skim off as much of the fat as possible from the surface. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper, and add the vinegar.

Serve the ribs with the sauce spooned over, sprinkled with chopped cilantro.

Braised Beef Short Ribs - Hunter's Style

Braised Beef Short Ribs Hunter's Style
From fineCooking Magazine

Printable Recipe

For other options – including how to customize your own braise, my three year old grandson, made an awesome choice to be tried after this one.

Prep time: 20-30 minutes
Braising time: 2 ½ -3 hours
Ruth’s tip: because short ribs are so fatty, I like to make them the day before serving and keep them in the fridge to harden the fat, for easy removal.
Final reheating time: 30 minutes or so

Serves 6

Ingredients:
4 ½ - 5lb/ 2-2 ¼ kg British style short beef short ribs – about 2-3” long(8-12 ribs)
2 tbsp vegetable oil
Salt & freshly ground black pepper to season
2 cups total onions, carrots, fennel root (my choice) or celery, coarsely chopped
1 tbsp fresh thyme (or 2 tsp dried)
1-2 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp tomato paste
½ oz/14g dried mushrooms, steeped in hot water & coarsely chopped – reserve the liquid
1 tbsp garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup vermouth
1 cup mushroom soaking liquid
1 cup red wine
1 cup chicken broth
1-2 tbsp fresh Italian/flat leaf parsley, chopped

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 325°F/160°C. Choose an 8 quart/litre Dutch oven. If you’re lucky, you own an enamel coated cast iron roaster. Heat 1 tbsp of vegetable oil over medium heat. The pan should be hot before searing the meat.

2. Searing - Season the meat with salt and pepper. Add as many ribs as will fit in the pan without crowding or overlapping. ( I seared them in three batches) Cook, turning with tongs, until nicely browned on all sides (3-4 minutes or so per side – the meat will no longer stick to the pan). Transfer the ribs to a platter and repeat with the remaining ribs. Pour off all but a thin layer of fat from the pan.

3. Cooking aromatics - Add the remaining 1 tbsp oil and the aromatics (onion, carrots, fennel root). Season with ½ tsp salt. Cook, stirring frequently and scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan, until the aromatics are soft and lightly browned (about 6-8 minutes).

4. Adding spices, herbs & flavor boosters - Add the thyme, paprika, tomato paste, dried mushrooms and garlic. Cook, stirring until well distributed and fragrant (about 1-2 minutes).

5. Deglaze the pot – pour vermouth into the pot and cook stirring to scrape up browned bits on the bottom and until the liquid is reduced to about 2 tbsp (about 1 minute).

6. Braising - Add all the ribs and juices to the pot, and pour the broth, red wine, and mushroom soaking liquid over the ribs as evenly as possible. The ribs should never be more than two layers deep. Bring the liquid to a simmer, cover and put the pot in the oven. Cook, turning the ribs with tongs about every 40 minutes until they are fork tender (about 2 ½ hours).

7. Best advice from fineCooking and me…cook this at least several hours in advance (my suggestion, the day before) and allow to cool to room temperature and then place overnight in the fridge. This allows the fat to congeal and you can scoop it off the meat and vegetables very easily. To reheat, arrange the meat to fit snugly in a baking dish, cover with foil and place in a preheated 350°F/170°C oven and reheat the sauce on top of the stove.

8. Finish and serve: transfer the ribs to a serving platter. Let the sauce cool for a few minutes and skim off any remaining fat. Season sauce to taste and finish with a sprinkling of parsley.