Where Does Beef Shank Come From
Beef shank is a lean cut of meat that yields an intense flavour when smoked, braised, or cooked sous vide style. Find out everything yous demand to know nearly shank'south taste and texture, how to fix it, and what to look out for at the butcher counter.
Beef shank is a tough cut of meat, taken from the forearm and upper hind legs of the steer. With the right handling and cooking process, we can turn that tough cut of beef into a tender plate of barbecue meat. Discover how to discover the best shank cut, how to prepare it, and how to cook information technology the right way. Let's get into it.
What is Beef Shank?
Beef shank comes from the legs of a cow, underneath the brisket at the forepart (the fore-shank) and the round at the dorsum (the hind-shank). These portions of the steer take on a lot of movement, so are well-worked and rich in muscle fibers just depression in fat and marbling.
Just like beef round, this low fat content can make the leg muscles tough and dry out, but if nosotros melt it low and wearisome through smoking, braising or sous vide, we can reach a beautiful plate of beef.
The meat cut'southward fat content is almost negligible, with one pound piece of beef shank containing simply almost one ounce of fatty. While the low-fatty content adds to limiting its utilize in traditional recipes, it also makes beef shank popular amidst people wanting to eat food high in protein and low in fat. For this reason, it's 1 of the all-time cuts of beef for making jerky.
Shank'south texture is tough compared to other primal cuts of beefiness, and much more sinewy and lean. Since the fat content is minimal, there is not much marbling on beef shanks either. Notwithstanding, the traces of fat it does have appear as a handful of well-divers white streaks across the meat's surface.
This positioning is crucial to characterizing the beef'due south flavour and texture. Since cows either stay standing or keep walking for near of each day, the muscles around the legs don't develop much fatty and are lean and sinewy. A piece of beef shank comes from each leg of the steer, pregnant that each cow yields four pieces of shank.
How to Buy Beef Shank
In the United states of america, the beef shank is usually unavailable at smaller grocery stores and supermarkets. All the same, it can be easily found in stores with larger meat sections and at butcher shops. You tin can also place an order for beefiness shanks through your local butcher.
Withal, despite placing an order for beef shanks, it is still an inexpensive see cutting. Organic, grass-fed beef shanks can exist bought for $4 per pound, whereas regular farm beef shanks simply cost almost $iii per pound. Besides the farm information, the labels for beef shanks as well mention if they are fore-shanks or hind-shanks. Simply there is no significant difference between them, and both types are ideal for barbecuing and smoking.
How to Cut Beef Shank
While beef shank contains little to no fatty, it can come up wrapped in a thin layer of fat all around information technology. In some places, the layer of fat will be so thin that you tin can remove the meat along with the fat if you're not conscientious enough.
Ditch your regular meat knife and get a scraping knife to go rid of this fat. Poke it in the beef shank from one side, depending on your dominant mitt, and scrape it towards yourself while belongings the beefiness shank tautly.
Go on rotating the shank and repeat the process from all effectually it until all the fat is removed. For excess fat on the corners, you can scrape the fatty using the same knife upwards or downward in gentle strokes while holding the shank with the other hand.
Once you take removed the fat around the beef shank, you can cut it in two unlike ways. The method of cutting should depend on how you lot program to melt it.
The showtime method is the deboning method. For this method, you volition take to cut directly through the length of the os until y'all attain the os. Afterwards that, you volition need to take a deboning pocketknife and brand small cuts between the bone and the muscle.
Brand such cuts all around the bone to completely debone the beef shank. You can and so apply this boneless beef shank in diverse charcoal-broil recipes or even make lean basis beef from it. The bone tin also be utilized separately to make beef bone goop. Beef broth can also be used in several recipes, especially those of stews and soups.
The 2d method of cut a beef shank requires a butcher's knife. Using this knife, you tin make thick cuts through the width of the beef shank. It will outcome in boned pieces which can be roasted or smoked as a whole. You can further piece these pieces into one or two-inch-thick boned steaks. These boned steaks may take longer to grill, only they result in flavorsome steaks due to the presence of bone in them.
No matter which method you choose always cut the beefiness shank pieces confronting the grain. Cutting against the grain lets the meat agree its shape.
Beef Shank Substitutes
If you cannot discover beefiness shank for your barbecue, you can look for other tough cuts such as beef arm, chuck roast, and silverside. But smoking the substitute meats will non reveal as much flavor equally does beef shank as there are no basic in the beef arm, chuck roast, or silverside to bring that additional season.
On the other hand, if yous're looking for beef shanks to make lean mince from them, you can do the aforementioned with middle round or rump roast meats. Centre round and rump roast cuts contain minimal fatty, and mince is nigh as fat-free as beefiness shanks.
How to Fume Beef Shank
Beef shanks can be barbecued either on the regular oven or in the smoker.
For smoking the beef shanks, gear up the beef shanks by removing all the admission fat around them. While you're removing the fat, preheat the smoker to 250°F.
After removing the fat, cut the beef shanks into two-inch-thick pieces. Season these pieces and identify them on the smoker grill. Shut the lid of the smoker and let the beef shanks smoke for upwardly to three hours.
Afterwards three hours, heighten the smoker's temperature to 300°F and allow the shank fume without cover until its internal temperature reaches 200°F. The thermometer would easily slide in the meat at this betoken. Have the beef shanks off the smoker and let them rest for 45 minutes before serving them equally the star of the meal.
You can besides charcoal-broil beef shanks in a regular oven by preheating the oven to 325°F and preparing a casserole dish. The dish should contain beef broth with whatsoever spices that y'all want to use to flavor the beefiness shanks. The casserole should have plenty broth and spices that beefiness shanks get half-submerged in them.
Afterward carefully placing the beefiness shanks, take a spoon, take some broth from the goulash, and pour information technology onto the exposed part of the beef shanks. It volition trickle downward dorsum in the dish only volition likewise go out some flavour on the exposed shank. Place the casserole on the oven grill and let it bake for two to iv hours.
The fourth dimension would be affected by the size of the casserole dish and the number of beefiness shanks placed in information technology. Once thoroughly cooked, you can thicken the leftover beef broth in a pan and sear the beefiness shanks in it for a minute earlier serving.
Ways to Enjoy
Mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables are popular side dishes to braised and smoked beef shanks. At times, it is also served with thickened beefiness broth or gravy for a more than flavorsome meal.
Yet, the possibilities to serve a well-smoked beef shank are countless, and you can try different sides according to the spices you used to braise it while smoking. The dissimilar spice combinations can bring out dissimilar flavors that volition pair well with various bread and vegetables.
You lot can too try the pop Italian dish fabricated from beefiness shanks called ossobuco. Information technology translates to braised beef shanks and requires serving braised beef shanks on a bed of polenta or risotto. You tin can also serve braised beef shanks in beef broth with roasted vegetables for a filling still healthy meal.
It tin also be served in a stew with thick-cut roasted vegetables and eaten with staff of life or served over a bed of rice or buttered garlic mushrooms.
Shredded smoked beef shanks can be used in a variety of sandwiches, pulled sliders, and tacos. The lean mince from beef shank tin exist used in pot pies and Asian beef noodle recipes.
Source: https://theonlinegrill.com/beef-shank/
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