- Beef Mains
- Beef
- Mother's Day
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For a comforting and hearty meal, braise beef shanks with red wine and vegetables until they're fall-off-the-bone tender.
By
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 August 03, 2023
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Why It Works
- Divide the large pieces of shank into two pans or pots to avoid overcrowding and ensure even cooking.
- 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.
If there's one kind of wine that I love to always have around home, it's boxed wine. I know that sounds strange, but I have a reason: I use it for cooking. Cooking with wine can be tricky, because recipes may call for a half cup or two quarts. It often leaves you in the awkward position of having to decide whether to open a bottle just for that half cup, or hem and haw over whether it's really worth it to pour a large amount of wine into a dish.
I know, this is where most people chime in and say,I'll tell you what to do with any wine that's left over: drink it.And yes, that is sometimes a fun option, but the truth is I don't always want to guzzle wine just because it's open. Boxed wine solves my dilemma. First, there's some pretty decent wine sold in boxes now—some of it good enough to drink and a lot of it good enough to cook with. (We shareda few favorite boxed winesa few years back in case you're curious.) Second, boxed wine tends to cost less than bottles since its shipping costs are lower (transporting cardboard is less expensive than heavier glass bottles). And third, it keepsmuchlonger after opening, thanks to the airtight bags inside the box that collapse as you pour out wine. All you have to do is dispense as much as you need from the spout, and leave the rest for later.
So once we've solved the wine problem, what should we make? These braised beef shanks are a great place to start. I made them using a full six cups of dry red wine from a box, which is roughly the equivalent of two 750ml bottles. That's a lot of wine—and the box is still more than half full!
It's a very simple dish. The shanks are large—my 5 1/2-quart Dutch oven could only fit three shanks side-by-side—so you'll either need a roasting pan large enough to hold them, or you'll have to divide them between two pots (Dutch ovens and straight-sided sauté pans will work).
I start by searing the shanks until browned on both sides. Then I set them aside and cook diced aromatics like onion and carrot until tender. I add the wine, scraping up any browned bits, and simmer it until the raw alcohol smell has mostly cooked off. Then I add the shanks back to the pan and braise them in a low oven until they're tender, which takes about three hours.
Once they're done, I set the shanks aside once more, skim off some of the fat, and then blend the braising liquid and vegetables together to make a sauce, thinning it with a little liquid as necessary. A dash of soy sauce adds some earthy complexity.
It's a great make-ahead dish: like most braises, it gets even better as it sits. Just make sure not to miss out on that marrow in each of the bones. It's possibly the best part.
January 2015
This recipe was cross-tested in 2023 and lightly updated to guarantee best results.
Recipe Details
Red Wine-Braised Beef Shanks
Prep15 mins
Cook4 hrs 5 mins
Active45 mins
Total8 hrs 20 mins
Serves6 servings
Ingredients
6 beef hindquarter shanks (about 1 1/2 inches thick and 1 pound; 454g each)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup (60ml) extra-virgin olive oil
2 large yellow onions, chopped (about 1 1/2 pounds; 680g)
6 medium carrots, sliced 1/3-inch thick (about 1 pound; 454g)
12 medium cloves garlic, smashed (1 ounce; 28g)
6 cups (1440ml) dry red wine
4 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon (5ml) soy sauce
Hot water or chicken stock, as needed
Minced parsley, for serving
Directions
Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C). 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, in batches, if necessary, and cook until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer shanks to a platter.
Lower heat to medium-high and add onion, carrot, and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened, 5 to10 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.
Add thyme and bay leaves. Nestle shanks in cooking liquid so that they are almost but not completely submerged; pour any accumulated juices from shanks into the roasting pan. Cover with aluminum foil. Transfer to oven and braise until shanks are tender, about 3 1/2 hours, removing foil after 1 1/2 hours.
Discard foil 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 to taste.
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
Read More
- Should You Really Only Cook With Wine You'd Drink?
- Coq au Vin (Chicken Braised in Red Wine)
- Osso Buco (Italian Braised Veal Shanks)
Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
---|---|
554 | Calories |
21g | Fat |
26g | Carbs |
22g | Protein |
Show Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts | |
---|---|
Servings: 6 | |
Amount per serving | |
Calories | 554 |
% Daily Value* | |
Total Fat 21g | 27% |
Saturated Fat 6g | 28% |
Cholesterol 67mg | 22% |
Sodium 799mg | 35% |
Total Carbohydrate 26g | 9% |
Dietary Fiber 4g | 15% |
Total Sugars 10g | |
Protein 22g | |
Vitamin C 13mg | 64% |
Calcium 97mg | 7% |
Iron 3mg | 19% |
Potassium 956mg | 20% |
*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.)