Braised Beef Shin - Thor's Hammer
A spectacular slow-cooked beef shin that falls off the bone in a rich red wine and tomato sauce. It’s all the flavours of a traditional osso buco but with a crowd-pleasing upright marrow bone that turns this comfort dish into a dinner party favourite.
1 whole beef shin/shank (Thor's Hammer), approximately 2-2.5kg
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
3 large brown onions, finely diced
Whole head of garlic, cloves separated and peeled and crushed
3 large carrots, finely diced
4-5 celery stalks, finely diced
3 tablespoons tomato paste
500ml good quality red wine (Shiraz or Cabernet Sauvignon work well)
2 x 400g tins of quality tomatoes (Mutti cherry tomatoes recommended)
1 litre of high-quality beef stock
4 -6 good quality anchovies finely diced (optional)
2 tbsp red wine vinegar (or sherry vinegar)
3 bay leaves
6-8 sprigs fresh thyme
4-6 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, divided (half roughly chopped for cooking, finely chopped and reserved for garnish)
Preheat your oven to 140°C.
Prepare the Thor’s Hammer by patting it dry with paper towels. Season generously with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper on all sides. If it has been tied with fresh rosemary, remove the herbs whilst searing so they don't burn.
Heat a large Dutch oven over high heat. Add olive oil, and when hot, carefully add the beef shin. Sear thoroughly on all sides until deeply caramelised, about 3-4 minutes per side. This step is crucial for developing flavour. Remove the shin and set aside. Replace fresh rosemary sprigs around the outside underneath the string.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the onions to the same pot. Cook until softened and beginning to caramelise. Add the garlic cloves and cook for another 2 minutes until fragrant. Add the mirepoix (carrots and celery) and cook for 5 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften.
Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes to caramelise slightly and remove the raw flavour. Deglaze with red wine, scraping up all the flavorful browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Bring to a simmer and reduce by half, about 5-7 minutes. Add the tinned tomatoes, beef stock, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, and half the parsley. Stir to combine.
Return the beef shin to the pot, ensuring it's partially submerged in the liquid.
If you want a clean white bone at the end, stand the shin upright, create a cartouche around the bone so that the liquid is covered and then cover the bone with foil. This method isn’t foolproof, given the long cook time. We preferred to just lay the shin on its side so it is submerged, and cover with a tight-fitting lid.
Cover with a tight-fitting lid and transfer to the preheated oven. Cook for approximately 5 hours, or until the meat is fork-tender and nearly falling off the bone.
Check occasionally during cooking; if the liquid reduces too much, add a little more stock or water.
Once cooked, carefully remove the pot from the oven. Gently transfer the beef shin to a separate dish, taking care not to break up the meat, cover and keep in a warm place (eg low oven).
Put the Dutch oven on the stovetop and reduce the sauce by simmering on the stovetop for 10-15 minutes until slightly thickened.
Plating Instructions
Place a generous portion of creamy mashed potatoes in the centre of a large serving platter.
Carefully position the Thor's Hammer beef shin in the centre, with the bone standing upright dramatically.
Spoon the vegetables and rich sauce around the base of the meat and over the mashed potatoes.
Garnish with the remaining fresh parsley, finely chopped and some sprigs of fresh thyme on top.
Serve immediately, allowing guests to admire the impressive presentation before carving at the table. Place a generous portion of creamy mashed potatoes in the centre of a large serving platter.
Cook’s Notes
The key to this dish is patience. The long, slow cooking breaks down the tough connective tissues in the shin, resulting in incredibly tender meat.
For the best flavour, use a good quality red wine that you would enjoy drinking.
This dish can be prepared a day ahead and gently reheated, as the flavours will continue to develop overnight.
The options for delicious leftovers with this dish are endless. Toss shredded meat and sauce through fresh pappardelle, add to a risotto with more beef stock and parmesan, put in an American style sandwich with toasted ciabatta bread, stuff it in a wrap or burrito and toast it, or even add it to some white beans, vegetables and beef broth for a warming Winter soup.
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SHOP THE RECIPE
Braised Beef Shin - Thor's Hammer
A spectacular slow-cooked beef shin that falls off the bone in a rich red wine and tomato sauce. It’s all the flavours of a traditional osso buco but with a crowd pleasing upright marrow bone that turns this comfort dish into a dinner party favourite.
Ingredients
- 1 whole beef shin/shank (Thor's Hammer), approximately 2-2.5kg
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 large brown onions, finely diced
- Whole head of garlic, cloves separated and peeled and crushed
- 3 large carrots, finely diced
- 4-5 celery stalks, finely diced
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 500ml good quality red wine (Shiraz or Cabernet Sauvignon work well)
- 2 x 400g tins of quality tomatoes (Mutti cherry tomatoes recommended)
- 1 litre of high-quality beef stock
- 4 -6 good quality anchovies finely diced (optional)
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar (or sherry vinegar)
- 3 bay leaves
- 6-8 sprigs fresh thyme
- 4-6 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, divided (half roughly chopped for cooking, finely chopped and reserved for garnish)
Method
- Preheat your oven to 140°C.
- Prepare the Thor’s Hammer by patting it dry with paper towels. Season generously with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper on all sides. If it has been tied with fresh rosemary, remove herbs whilst searing so they don't burn.
- Heat a large Dutch oven over high heat. Add olive oil and when hot, carefully add the beef shin. Sear thoroughly on all sides until deeply caramelised, about 3-4 minutes per side. This step is crucial for developing flavor. Remove the shin and set aside. Replace fresh rosemary sprigs around the outside underneath string.
- Reduce heat to medium and add the onions to the same pot. Cook until softened and beginning to caramelise. Add the garlic cloves and cook for another 2 minutes until fragrant. Add the mirepoix (carrots and celery) and cook for 5 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes to caramelise slightly and remove the raw flavour. Deglaze with red wine, scraping up all the flavorful browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Bring to a simmer and reduce by half, about 5-7 minutes. Add the tinned tomatoes, beef stock, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, and half the parsley. Stir to combine.
- Return the beef shin to the pot, ensuring it's partially submerged in the liquid.
- If you want a clean white bone at the end, stand the shin upright, create a cartouche around the bone so that the liquid is covered and then cover the bone with foil. This method isn’t foolproof, given the long cook time. We preferred to just lay the shin on its side so it is submerged, and cover with a tight-fitting lid.
- Cover with a tight-fitting lid and transfer to the preheated oven. Cook for approximately 5 hours, or until the meat is fork-tender and nearly falling off the bone.
- Check occasionally during cooking; if the liquid reduces too much, add a little more stock or water.
- Once cooked, carefully remove the pot from the oven. Gently transfer the beef shin to a separate dish, taking care not to removethe meat and keep warm.
- Put the Dutch oven on the stovetop and reduce the sauce by simmering on the stovetop for 10-15 minutes until slightly thickened.
- Place a generous portion of creamy mashed potatoes in the centre of a large serving platter.
- Carefully position the Thor's Hammer beef shin in the centre, with the bone standing upright dramatically.
- Spoon the vegetables and rich sauce around the base of the meat and over the mashed potatoes.
- Garnish with the remaining fresh parsley, finely chopped and some sprigs of fresh thyme on top.
- Serve immediately, allowing guests to admire the impressive presentation before carving at the table. Place a generous portion of creamy mashed potatoes in the centre of a large serving platter.
- The key to this dish is patience. The long, slow cooking breaks down the tough connective tissues in the shin, resulting in incredibly tender meat.
- For the best flavour, use a good quality red wine that you would enjoy drinking.
- This dish can be prepared a day ahead and gently reheated, as the flavours will continue to develop overnight.
- The options for delicious leftovers with this dish are endless. Toss shredded meat and sauce through fresh pappardelle, add to a risotto with more beef stock and parmesan, put in an American style sandwich with toasted ciabatta bread, stuff it in a wrap or burrito and toast it, or even add it to some white beans, vegetables and beef broth for a warming Winter soup.
