Beef Shin

Beef shin contains some gristle and connective tissue and when cooked long and slow the gristle will turn into jelly which gives it the wonderful rich beef flavour. If you buy shin of beef with bone in you can cook it ‘Osso Buco style.

Ingredients
1kg beef shin, diced, bones reserved
flour, for dusting
2l beef stock, or chicken stock
1 onion, chopped
A carrot, chopped
1 swede, chopped
A sprig of thyme
1 sprig of rosemary
2 bulbs of garlic, peeled
salt
pepper

Method

Heat a large pan over medium heat with 1 tbsp of oil

Season the beef with salt and pepper and toss in the flour to lightly coat. Brown the beef until caramelised all over, doing so in small batches so that the pan stays nice and hot

Caramelise the onions and add the beef back to the pan with the reserved bones, herbs and garlic. Cover with the stock

Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 2 hours before adding the carrots and swedes. Cook for a further hour or until the beef is tender and falling apart
Variations
Ale or stout make a welcome addition to the braised beef shin, lending a deep, rich flavour, or you could try deglazing the pan with some red wine after browning the meat for a more European-style dish.

You can add any kind of vegetables you like to the stew – just bear in mind the cooking times. Root vegetables are more robust and can be added earlier, whilst green vegetables cook quickly and should only be added right at the end of cooking.