Red Wine-Braised Beef Shanks Recipe

By
Daniel Gritzer
Daniel Gritzer
Daniel Gritzer
Senior Culinary Director
Daniel joined the Serious Eats culinary team in 2014 and writes recipes, equipment reviews, articles on cooking techniques. Prior to that he was a food editor at Food & Wine magazine, and the staff writer for Time Out New York's restaurant and bars section.
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Updated Feb. 05, 2019
20150118-braised-beef-shanks-daniel-gritzer02.jpg
Braised beef shanks are an easy cold weather meal. Daniel Gritzer

Hefty beef shanks are braised in an ample amount of red wine with carrots and onions until the meat is tender and falling off the bone. The braising liquid and aromatic vegetables are then blended into a rich sauce.

Why this recipe works:

  • The aromatics and braising liquid blend together to form a smooth, rich sauce.
  • A dash of soy sauce adds earthy complexity to the finished dish.

Recipe Facts

3.7

(3)

Active: 45 mins
Total: 4 hrs
Serves: 6 servings

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Ingredients

  • 6 beef hindquarter shanks (about 1 1/2 inches thick and 1 pound each)

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • 2 large yellow onions, diced

  • 6 medium carrots, diced

  • 12 medium cloves garlic, minced

  • 6 cups dry red wine

  • 4 sprigs thyme

  • 2 bay leaves

  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce

  • Hot water or chicken stock, as needed

  • Minced parsley, for serving

Directions

  1. Preaheat oven to 300°F. Season shanks all over with salt and pepper. In a large heavy roasting pan (alternatively, you can use 2 large pots such as Dutch ovens or straight-sided sauté pans, splitting ingredients between them), heat oil over high heat until shimmering. Add shanks and cook until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer shanks to a platter.

  2. Lower heat to medium-high and add onion, carrot, and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened, about 10 minutes. Add wine, scraping up any browned bits, and bring to a simmer; lower heat to medium and cook until raw alcohol smell has mostly cooked off, about 20 minutes.

  3. Add thyme and bay leaves. Nestle shanks in cooking liquid so that they are almost mostly but not completely submerged; pour any accumulated juices from shanks into the roasting pan. Cut out a piece of parchment paper about the size of the roasting pan (or pots). Cut a hole in the center of the parchment and press against surface of shanks. Transfer to oven and braise until shanks are tender, about 3 hours.

  4. Discard parchment and transfer shanks to a clean platter. Skim rendered fat off surface of braising liquid and discard thyme and bay leaves. Using an immersion blender or blender, blend aromatics and braising liquid to form a smooth sauce. Thin with warm water or stock as needed to create a consistency just thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add soy sauce and season with salt and pepper.

  5. Serve shanks with sauce, sprinkling parsley on top. Shanks can be refrigerated in their sauce for up to 4 days. Reheat before serving, and thinning reheated sauce if necessary with water.

Special equipment

1 roasting pan or 2 pots (such as Dutch oven and/or straight-sided sauté pan), immersion blender or standing blender

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
730 Calories
24g Fat
23g Carbs
80g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 730
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 24g 31%
Saturated Fat 7g 33%
Cholesterol 178mg 59%
Sodium 926mg 40%
Total Carbohydrate 23g 9%
Dietary Fiber 4g 13%
Total Sugars 8g
Protein 80g
Vitamin C 13mg 63%
Calcium 137mg 11%
Iron 10mg 54%
Potassium 1430mg 30%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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