Braised Beef Shanks

I love these kinds of winter dinners….put things together early in the day, and mostly forget about it. There’s not much to do to finish it up and get it on the table either. The ingredients are things I usually have hanging around, so nothing too out of the ordinary you have to go track down. Here’s the list:

• 3 LBS beef shanks or short ribs
• (1) medium to large onion – diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
• (2) stalks celery – diced (about 1 cup)
• (1) large carrot – peeled and diced (about 1/2 cup)
• 2-3 cloves garlic – minced
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• salt/pepper/granulated garlic/oregano/crushed red pepper (optional)
• 1/4 olive oil, divided
• 6 tablespoons of unsaled butter, divided
• (1) 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup red wine
• 3-4 cups beef stock
• buttered noodles or mashed potatoes for serving

Note: This dish is just as good using beef short ribs or even a cut up chuck roast, so feel free to swap out the protein. Shanks are becoming had to find in my part of the world, and all are equally yummy!

Start with searing the beef. Place a Dutch oven over medium heat, add the 3 tablespoons of the butter and about 4 tablespoons of the olive oil, enough to cover the bottom of the pan when melted. Put the flour on a plate or a pie pan. Season the flour and the shanks with salt (1 tsp), pepper and the granulated garlic (1/2 tsp each). Coat the beef with the flour, be sure to shake off the excess. (The flour is to help the beef brown and will thicken the sauce a little bit while it cooks.) Brown the beef until golden on both sides and remove from the pan.

Time for the veggies – in the same pot, add the rest of the butter and olive oil. Toss in the veggies and season them with salt, pepper and oregano (1 tsp of each or to your liking). Cook until the veggies start to soften,8-10 minutes, then add the garlic. Cook until the garlic is fragrent, about 2-3 minutes.

Turn off the heat and add the wine. Make sure it’s something you would drink on it’s own. Also about the wine…I pour it in a measuring cup then into the pot. It is possible for alcohol to flair up and back into the bottle so I separate it out first. After 3-5 minutes when the wine has reduced by about half, stir in the tomatoes, beef stock and add the beef back to the pot. If you prefer, you can skip the wine and just use more stock. Note: At this point, you can put this in a crock pot instead. Cook on low for about 8 hours.

Bring the pot to a boil, then lower down to a simmer. Cook covered on low heat for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Check the seasoning and the level of the liquid, add more stock and seasonings if needed. I do a taste and adjust every hour or so. For the last 45 minutes, remove the lid, turn up the heat a little and let it cook down until desired thickness. The cooking time can vary, depending on how thick your beef is, but it should be falling apart and the bones should pull right out. Usually ho2-3 hours total. I take the meat out, remove the fat and bones, and shred it and put it back in the liquid, but you can serve the pieces as is if you like.

Serve it along side of your favorite mashed potatoes or pour over buttered noodles or rice. I like potatoes while the husband likes noodles, so both are shown below. A little chopped parsley on top looks nice, but not necessary. Crusty bread and a nice Italian salad goes great with this meal too. Oh and that wine that’s left in the bottle should be in a glass next to your plate. Enjoy!