Where Is the Beef Shank on a Cow

I don't even recollect the final time I bought a bundle of beefiness at the store.

We unremarkably butcher a steer every 12-xviii months, which keeps our freezers filled to overflowing.

But fifty-fifty though we've been doing this for years, the same thing happens every. unmarried. time.

The hamburger and steaks fly out of the freezer starting time, and I'm left with the same lingering packages of cuts I'g not entirely sure how to use.

Ever had that happen?

Well, I'm tired of it. And it'due south kinda embarrassing. And I'chiliad ready to get rid of this problem once and for all.

Therefore, may I nowadays to you…

The Cooking Through the Moo-cow Series.

The goal of this blog series is to help you (and yes, me too) figure out how to all-time utilize the cuts of beef that might not be as pop in our modern American diets; the cuts with all sorts of wonderful attributes that tend to stay buried at the bottom of the freezer due to hesitation on what the heck to do with them.

Just they won't exist lingering at the bottom of the deep freeze anymore. Because nosotros're gonna plow them into something delicious.

Kickoff up on the proverbial cut lath? The beautiful, yet often disregarded, beef shank.

More Cooking Through the Cowposts:

Learn about how to cook short ribs here.

Click here to learn nearly cooking circular steak.

What is Beef Shank?

The shank is found on the leg of a cow, but above the knee or hock. This cut of meat is cutting in horizontal cuts (often in i-inch slices), which is why beefiness shank looks like a steak with a circle of the leg bone in each piece. (Information technology is likewise sometimes sold boneless.) Inside the bone at that place is piece of marrow that is edible also.

This os-surrounded-by-meat cut is either unknown past about people or has a reputation for being tough and dry. Nonetheless, with some simple tips, beef shank can not only relieve you lot money, but also provide a nutritious and very flavorful repast.

Other Names for Beefiness Shank

There are ii shank parts in a cow (the front end and back legs), and they tin can be sold under the different names: the Fore Shank and the Hind (or Rear) Shank.

Beef shank can as well be sold equally "soup basic" at the shop (this is how my local butcher labels them). If you become to a butcher shop for your beefiness shank, they frequently only sell the rear shank because it is longer and more than uniform in shape.

Is Beef Shank Easy to Find?

Information technology'due south likely your standard neighborhood grocery store might not carry beefiness shanks, although it never hurts to ask behind the butcher counter. Information technology's not a pop cut in generic grocery stories since many people aren't certain how to best utilize beefiness shanks and they are a cheap cut which yields minimal profit for the store.
Nevertheless, since there are four beef shank cuts per cow, it can be a common and frugal item to detect at local farms, local butcher shops, or better-quality grocery stores.

Are Beef Shanks Tough or Tender?

Since beef shank is the leg parts of the cow, information technology is a very tough, dry, sinewy piece of meat. Naturally, the legs of cows are difficult-working, and so it it total of muscles, connective tissues, bones, and joints.

However, beef shanks can get extremely tender, equally in: eat-it-with-a-spoon-tender if it is cooked for a long time in moist heat (like simmering information technology all day in your crockpot). Therefore, braising or deadening cooking beef shank is platonic.

Are Beefiness Shanks Expensive?

Because beef shanks are incredibly overlooked, they are more often than not very affordable. As a bonus, they are also very food-dense (more on that below), which gives them a ton of bang for just a few bucks.

Versatility of Beef Shank

Since beef shanks are naturally a tough piece of meat, in that location are limits to what you can do with it. They MUST be simmered in moist heat for a long menstruation time in social club to be tender and delicious. For that reason, they are normally found in slow cooker and soup recipes.

How to Cook Beefiness Shank

The well-nigh important matter y'all need to know nigh cooking with beef shanks is that information technology requires time. Plan on cooking your beef shanks for at least iv to 6 hours to transform information technology from tough and chewy to tender and flavorful. (Or endeavour using a pressure cooker to reduce the fourth dimension.)

However, every bit beef shanks are cooked slowly at a depression temperature, the nutritional value of this cut really comes out. Bone and cartilage are rich sources for of import nutritional minerals, and as the beef shanks simmer/cook, the minerals are seep out and requite the beef shanks a deep and rich flavor.

(Some people claim this cut can exist "gamey" or peculiarly strong flavored. I would agree that it has more flavour than a bones burger, just I don't find it offensive.)

Subsequently a long day of simmering, beef shanks really give you Three edible parts: the meat, bone marrow (yes, bone marrow is edible AND good for you!), and gelatin from the bones.

In one case yous've made your meal from the beef shank (recipe ideas beneath), save the basic and brand a rich, nutrious bone broth from them. Here are my all-time tips for making beef bone broth.

Or, if y'all'd similar to make stock first, sear the shanks, let them simmer in the broth for at least 12 hours, and then remove the meat from the bone, shred it, and use in other dishes.

Beef Shank Recipes:

Tiresome Cooked Beef Shanks with Onions and Mushrooms
Ossobuco Beef Shanks
Braised Beef Shanks with Gremolata
Rich Beef Barley Soup
Pot Au Feu (Beef Stew)
Slow Cooked Beef Shanks with Garlic, Veggies, and Herbs
Caldo de Res (Mexican Beefiness Soup)

Don't forget to salve the bones to make a rich and hearty beef os broth!

Beef Shank Quick Rankings:

Sourcing Difficulty: 5 (ane= available everywhere, 10= very difficult to discover)
Versatility: 7 (1= very versatile, 10= very limited uses)
Price:2 (one= cheap as it gets, 10= special occasions just!)
Toughness: 8 (ane= spoon tender, 10= shoe leather)

Alrighty readers! It'south your turn– what are your favorite tips and recipes for cooking beef shanks?

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Source: https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2018/10/how-to-cook-beef-shank.html

Where Is the Beef Shank on a Cow