Indulge in the exquisite taste of beef shank recipe that is delicately simmered in a flavorful broth infused with aromatic herbs and garlic. The meat is perfectly cooked, melting off the bone with each bite, making it an ideal dish to impress your guests and leave them craving more.
Because beef shanks are a lesser-known piece of meat, I'm constantly driven to cook them for friends and family. Nonetheless, I'd like to point out that shanks are delicious, and adding bone marrow adds a rich touch to the dish. Beef shanks can be cooked on the stovetop, baked in the oven, or placed into a slow cooker. Whichever method you choose, low and slow is key to falling off the 'bone marrow' tender.
This is the perfect recipe for a Dutch Oven roasting pot or pan.
What are Beef Shanks
Beef shanks are a flavorful cut of meat from the front legs of beef, veal, or pork. The center of the cut contains marrow, while the rest has connective tissue, fat, and bone. While beef shanks can be tough, they are well worth the time it takes to tenderize them.
Ingredients & Notes
The ingredients are pretty straightforward. You can add potatoes or zucchini to bulk up the dish.
- A mirepoix of vegetables: such as onion, carrots, and celery as the base.
- Spices: The Aleppo pepper gives a hint of heat, while the garlic infuses the broth with flavor.
- Tomato paste: this will add more depth of flavor and a nice tomato-y flavor.
- Braising liquid: like water or stock
- Beef shanks: look for 3 beef shanks with white marrow in the middle.
- Fresh herbs: for this recipe, we focus on parsley, which will add a slightly lemony touch, and the rosemary will add an earthy herbaceous kick.
How to Make Beef Shanks
1.) You'll want to use a Dutch Oven. First, start by heating the pot to medium-high heat. Meanwhile, pat dry both sides of the shanks and season with salt and pepper. Once the pot is heated, drizzle in the olive oil and sear each shank until golden brown on each side. This should take 2-3 minutes per side.
2.) Once the shanks are golden brown on each side, remove them from the pan and place aside. Into the same pan add (more olive oil if needed), the diced onion, celery, carrots, garlic, salt, and pepper, and sauté until the onions have softened. Once the onions have softened, add the tomato paste, and rosemary. Stir-fry until the tomato paste is spread evenly onto the vegetables.
3.) Add the beef shanks back to the pan placing them on top of the vegetable.
4.) Add fresh parsley on top.
5.) Add either beef stock, vegetable stock, or water to the pot, cover with a lid, and bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 2 ½ hours, or until fall-off-the-bone tender.
How to Serve
Because I have two little children, I remove the bone and set it away for those who want to taste the bone marrow and shred the soft flesh using two forks. I prefer it slightly flaked—I don't want strands of meat, I want pieces.
I like to serve beef shanks with a side of white rice and a simple salad for a wholesome dinner.
Simple white rice: I like to stir-fry my rice in butter right before cooking it for extra flavor.
Turkish Shepard's Salad: this cucumber and tomato salad is very simple (you don't even need lettuce).
More Crave-Worthy Recipes
After making this delectable beef shank recipe, I'd recommend these other family-favorite meals.
Best Homemade Chili Recipe. Ground beef slow-simmered in an aromatic tomato-based chili sauce with loads of garlic and spices.
Bolognese Sauce Recipe. This hearty Italian beef sauce is cooked in a similar way to a stew, with tender ground beef (either chuck or sirloin) simmering in a delectable soffrito base.
Beef Shanks with Herbs
Beef shanks slow-cooked in a fragrant blend of herbs and garlic until fall-off-the-bone tender.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 people 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: Beef
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 beef shanks (less than 1 pound per piece)
- 2 teaspoons sea salt (divided)
- 2 teaspoons coarse black pepper
- 2 cups diced onion (about 1 medium onion)
- 1 cup diced carrots (about 1 large carrot)
- 1 cup diced celery
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- 1 cup fresh chopped parsley (divided)
- 3 cups beef or vegetable broth (use low-sodium broth)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F
- Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Meanwhile, season both sides of the shanks with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper.
- Once the pot has heated, drizzle in the olive oil and sear each shank until golden brown on both sides.
- After browning each side, remove them from the pot and place them aside.
- In the same pot, add the onion, celery, carrots, garlic, the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt, and pepper. Saute until the onions have softened.
- Add the tomato paste and rosemary. Stir-fry until the tomato paste is evenly spread over the vegetables.
- Return the beef shanks to the pot.
- Add ½ cup fresh chopped parsley.
- Add the broth.
- Cover the pot with a lid. Transfer to the oven and bake for 2 hours or until fall off the bone tender.
- Shred the meat with two forks to create big bits of beef.
Nicole says
OMG! This turned out great!
Jennifer says
Would this recipe work with mint instead of rosemary? I have some mint, but don't have rosemary at the moment.
Thomas says
Hello,
Great Recipe!
Daniela says
This may be my favorite so far! But I say that every time I try one of your recipes. So easy to make, yet nutritious and delicious. No nonesense ingredients, no BS. Your blog has seriously saved me from scratching my head wondering what to make for my picky family every lunch and dinner. They have loved every single one of your formulas girl!
Ashley says
Thank you, Daniela! I appreciate hearing this.