Chinese Braised Beef Shank
Chinese Braised Beef Shank is a traditional cold sliced beef dish that’s often found as an appetizer at Chinese banquet-style dinners. It’s great on its own or garnished with some sesame seeds and chopped scallion or as a protein in a noodle soup.
- Prep time
- 10 min
- Cook time
- 2 hr 30 min
- Yield
- 6 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 2-2/12 pounds boneless beef shank ((about 1 kg))
- ½ cup shaoxing wine
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 7 pieces star anise
- 1 dried red chili ((sliced))
- 1 tablespoon rock sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick ((Chinese cinnamon/ceylon preferred))
Instructions
- 1
Trim the excess fat off the beef and cut the shank into two to three 1 lb. chunks. Boil a pot of water and boil the beef for about 8 minutes. Drain and rinse the meat.
- 2
Put the boiled beef shanks in a small, deep saucepan over medium-low heat and add the wine, 2 kinds of soy sauce, star anise, chili, rock sugar, and cinnamon.
- 3
Make sure the meat is all coated in the sauce, rolling it around in the pot for a few minutes.
- 4
Add enough water to submerge the meat about 2/3 of the way (you may need more or less depending on the size and shape of your pot). Turn the heat to medium-high, cover the pot, and bring it to a boil. Once it’s boiling, lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 2 hours. Every 30 minutes or so, uncover the pot and flip over the meat. This ensures that the marinade distributes evenly.
- 5
Turn off the heat and allow the meat to sit in the covered pot for about 2 hours, turning once again halfway through the cooling process.
- 6
Then allow the meat to cool completely in the refrigerator, preferably overnight. Take it out of the pot, slice it thinly, and garnish with sesame seeds and scallions.