China · Home-style
Soy-Braised Beef Shank
Beef shank marinated, simmered slowly for hours and chilled until firm, then sliced against the grain. A northern cold cut, savoury and dense.
This is a cold dish in the northern sense, meant to be made a day ahead, and the long chill in the refrigerator is not optional; it is what firms the meat so it can be cut into clean slices. Three hours of simmering followed by several hours of cooling means this is an all-day job rather than an evening one. The mushroom soy paste is a northern habit that balances the salt of the soy.
Ingredients
- beef shank2000 g
- bay leaves1 pieces
- ginger3 pieces
- dark soy sauce15 ml
- cassia bark1 pieces
- cooking wine30 ml
- light soy sauce15 ml
- salt8 g
- star anise4 pieces
- fermented yellow bean paste15 ml
Directions
- 1
Wash the beef shank and soak it in cold water for 1 hour to draw out the blood.
- 2
Prick the surface all over with a toothpick or fork, add the cooking wine, Sichuan peppercorns and ginger slices, wrap the container tightly in cling film and marinate for 4 to 6 hours.
- 3
Cut the beef shank into pieces of 8 cm, no larger than 10 cm.
- 4
Put the beef in a pot, add cold water to cover, and time from the moment it boils, skimming off the foam as it rises. Turn off after 3 minutes, lift out the beef and rinse it in warm water.
- 5
Put the rinsed beef in a clay pot or stewing pot, add water to cover, bring to the boil over high heat and add everything except the salt that has not been used already.
- 6
Once it boils, turn down to low heat and cook for 90 minutes, then add the salt.
- 7
After salting, keep it over low heat for another 90 minutes, checking the water level every 30 minutes; it should reach at least 80 percent of the height of the beef.
- 8
After 180 minutes of cooking, lift out the beef, wrap it tightly in cling film and chill in the refrigerator for several hours.
- 9
Take it out and slice along the grain to serve; any beef you are not eating is better chilled whole and sliced later.
Source: HowToCook · WorldBite adaptation · Unlicense source text; bilingual recipe adapted by WorldBite.