Chinese Spiced Braised Beef Shank
Chinese Spiced Braised Beef Shank is a simple accompaniment to vegetables and rice, in noodle soups. Cooked in a rich braising liquid, braised beef shank is sooo flavorful!
- Prep time
- 10 min
- Cook time
- 2 hr
- Yield
- 6 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 black cardamom pod
- ½ tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns
- 2 star anise
- 8 cloves
- 1 piece dried tangerine peel
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon white or black peppercorns
- 3 dried liquorice slices ((甘草 - optional))
- 1 whole nutmeg ((optional))
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds ((optional))
- 2½ pounds beef shank ((1.1 kg))
- 3 slices ginger
- ¼ cup Shaoxing wine
- 5 cloves garlic
- 4 scallions ((cut into large pieces))
- 15 grams rock sugar ((can substitute with regular granulated sugar))
- ¼ cup light soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- About 4 cups water ((or optionally, chicken, beef, or pork stock, enough to cover the beef))
- Salt ((to taste, we used about 1 teaspoon))
Instructions
- 1
First prepare a spice packet by securing all of the spices in two tea pouches or by tying them securely inside a piece of cheesecloth. That’s the cinnamon, cardamom pod, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise pods, cloves, dried tangerine peel, bay leaves, whole white peppercorns, dried liquorice slices, nutmeg, and fennel seeds.
- 2
Next, cut your beef shank into cross sections––2 to 3 equal pieces about 5-6” long. Put the beef shank and ginger into a medium pot, and fill it with enough water to cover the beef. Bring it to a boil, until you see a layer of grayish film forming on the water’s surface. Shut off the heat and pour everything into a colander in the sink. Rinse the beef clean, and wash the pot clean.
- 3
Put the beef back into the pot, and add the spice pouch, Shaoxing wine, garlic, scallions (I forgot to add this when I made it, but that doesn’t mean you have to, too!), rock sugar, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and 4 cups water or stock (it must be enough to cover the beef). Also add salt to taste.
- 4
Bring everything to a boil, then turn the heat down to a very slow simmer. Let it simmer for 60 to 90 minutes until fork tender.
- 5
Try not to overcook the beef, so it doesn’t lose its texture. Take the beef out, and store it, covered, to cool completely before slicing.
- 6
Alternatively, after the braising liquid is cooled completely, you can put the beef back in and let it soak in the sauce in the refrigerator overnight to intensify the flavors.